CLEAR LAKE - Mr. and Mrs. Sid HALFORD, 312 W. Main street, have received a letter from their son, Cpl. Dick HALFORD, now overseas, describing a visit to his grandparents who reside in England.

He wrote Nov. 25 from "Somewhere in England: and said in part:

"Dear Mom and Dad -- I am back with my company after seeing Dad's parents Wednesday. They sure are nice people. I got a pass Wednesday morning and took the train to London and thence to Cambridge and then a bus to Wratting. When I knocked at the door, Aunt Nora answered. She said I look like Dad.

"They were all surprised to see me. We visited a while and then Aunt Nora took me around to see several people who knew Dad. I learned a lot about my Pop.

"That night Uncle Will and his wife and Pat came over to the house to see me. They live about 25 miles away. He doesn't look much like Dad but acts a lot like him. I didn't get to see the oldest girls as I wanted to. When Uncle Will left he gave me 2 pounds as a Christmas present.

"I had to leave the next morning and Dad's mother gave me 4 pounds and Aunt Nora gave me 5 pounds. I liked them very much. They were sure swell to me. I am going back if I get a chance.

"I spent a few hours in London and met a couple of buddies and we took in the sights. We were walking down Picadilly when a V-1 or V-2 struck about a mile away. It made a lot of noise. Entire parts of the city have been destroyed by boms. I wish I had had time to see more.

"It is fun to ride the underground trains. Some of them are a hundred yards down. They go anywhere in the city in practically no time.

"Today I am on C.Q. It is the first detail I have pulled since I came here. It is easy and all I do is sit around.

"Love, Dick"

Cpl. HALFORD, who is in the combat engineering division, took basic training at Camp Bowie, Texas, and visited his parents here last September.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2011