2110-5-2-10

[Lord Byng]

Thorpe-Le-Soken Essex Thorpe-Le-Soken 27.

Thorpe Hall, Thorpe-Le-Soken. Essex.

June 19th 1928

My dear John,

I am gazing at your nice telegram from you and Susie. Bless you both.

I was offered this job last week and refused.

Now please do not think that I did so without all the thought that I could concentrate on it, or that the idea of 'not being good enough' or 'too exacting' came into the picture at all.

I will do another job of work again if I really think I am quite suitable and can put my best into it - but here is where the cause of refusal lies.

It is a younger man's place and I don't want to stand in his way. It is work that requires a complete surrender to its exigencies and an absolutely whole-time devotion. This I very much doubt if I can give at the age of 65 and a feeling of not being quite eighteen carat:

Putting all personal feelings on one side, I came to the conclusion that at the present moment required the very best of our younger men and for the sake of the well-being of it I was not the one to be chosen.

Please forgive all this stuff, but I thought I would fill you up with it. I am afraid the matter is not quite settled yet, I wish it was.

Love to and from both

Yrs Ever,

Julian