Emergency

I suspect the letter brought not just great news but was the start point for a  new chapter, full of questions.

One of the few things my father told me was that he loved the tropical, hot, steamy  climate in Burma and was determined to find a job somewhere with the same climatic conditions.

Reading the letter now in January 2016, one does regret the passing of the much praised British understatement. The Brits have always been considered to be the champion of the underdog, the upholder of "the right thing" and fair play and termed "the policemen of Europe". It hurts a bit to see how foreign affairs are dealt with nowadays. Even the biggest Statesman of at least the last century, Winston Churchill, said "Jaw, jaw not war, war" but then when jaw didn't work, then the consequences were  followed through without question. Hollow threats spread about like confetti and constant back-downs does not make for good politics.