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[St Beel] [Illegible] August 16 45
Dear Cousin
I received both you
letters on time and perhaps I have
been a little slow in answering but
the war news has been rather excighting
of late so much so that we hardly
know what to expect next.
I sent a
short note to J L Yates at Hatchley
telling him that I could not be with
them on August 22nd much as
I would like to - that [extra E in]
the name was bad blunder and
should have been corrected at-ones
when I showed to my son. All he
remarked that being in one place
one hundred years thy surly
ought to know the correct spelling of their
own name. However I hope they
make a success of the meeting
I can be of better help to you in writing
up the [bribe] in a historical sense
never heard Dad mention of grand-
father ancestors but we were told
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that his brother Philip was a
painter and [glamer] and when he
had saved about $25 that he went
to the Derby races and bet the whole
pile on what was sure to be a winner
and lost and that he was afraid
to go home and admit his foolish
venture to his father so he enlisted
in the Army and he came home
21 years after from Paris where
the treaty of peace was signed
after the Battle of Waterloo ending
the war with the Napoleon gang
it was said he lost a hunk of
[heel] in that skirmish which
occurred [from] 18-1815
I am that surprised to learn
that the farmers of Burford
Township rais tobacco though
old Jim Wright used to raise a
little on some [sandy] land he
owned down near Harley
first- for his own use
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he used to hang it up to cure
in the drive barn - personally
I wish sir Water Raleah had
left tobacco in South America
where he found it smoke
some but do not chew
and got-be a dam nuscanse
to one and I sometimes think
it causes me to smell more
like a skunk than anything
else but more than half
the girls out here smoke
cigarettes so we have
plenty of company.
[Give Char] my present
address and tell him
I will [be] more than
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pleased to hear from
him - hard how the family
is scattered around and
I can ahrdly realize that
its 27 years since [Claire]
wrote me that when he
was over sea chasing the
gerries back out of France
Well it seems to be all
over now and the
Japs and Krouts too will
get-good and tired of
chewing humble pie
We are having a two
day holiday to celebrate the
wars ending well this seems
be end of the line so I will close
with much Love A K Yates
