2110-3-6-37

at CALTHORPE FIELDS, FREDERICK ROAD, EDGEBASTON Birmingham

Oct 17/19

Dear Buchan

I daresay you will not remember but I met you about 16 or 17 years ago at Sligachan, Skye one autumn. Was up there with Jas Craig & Hamish Craig of Glasgow. Since then I have been in New Zealand & am just on the point of returning (took my discharge in this country). However the object of this letter was not to explain myself but to say what a dam' fine book I thought 'Mr Standfast" was. Have just finished it. You get right home about carnage & fortitude. I've never before been in such a disgusting cold-sweat funk as I experienced in this war. It finds out the yellow streaks all right or what you call soft spots. It was rotten. The spirit may be there but the flesh lacks control & Wake in your book is an

illuminating character set along side Ivery. Its just fine. I hope there is a large basis of truth that the secret service Johnnies were & are in touch with the industrial unrest here. It needs a firm hand I'm thinking. The contrast between N.Z. there is interesting & I shall be still more interested too to see how N.Z. is behaving now under adversity & with no incentive such as war provides to see it through. Its a hard test & a hard old world for the generation that you & I belong to. Don't bother to answer this. You are a busy man I have no doubt & as I say you will not have the vaguest notion who I am by now. Folk are ready enough as a rule to carp & criticise adversely; but no harm comes, now & then of passing on a word of genuine thanks & that is all this letter is for.

Yours sincerely

Donald H. Lea