Melville L. Bottomley of the U. S Air Service writes on interesting letter home.

Dear Brother:

            I have not received any letters from you lately so am writing again. I suppose you are busy as the old time cat now days putting the hay away, but don’t forget to write me anyway. I am well and hope you folks are the same. I have forgotten what the word worry means since I have been in the army and I think it would do you all good to do the same. Suppose you worked all day the Fourth, well I didn’t I got a pass and went to London and I think I will remember it as long as I live. The big town was decorated with American as well as British flags and I tell you it was a sight for sore eyes to see the old Stars and Stripes floating right up along side of the British flag over the House of Parliament. They say that this was the first time in history that this has happened. An American officer took moving pictures of it with two Y.M.C.A. men and a friend of mine and myself saluted the two flags together. He said that the picture would be shown in the United States so if you happen to see it you will know who is in it. I also went through Westminister Abbey and saw some interesting things, such as where the King and Queen are crowned and where some of the noted people are buried. I did not see all there was to see for some things are closed and are not shown during the war. The building itself is interesting. I don’t think the architects of today have anything on the old time boys. I also went out to Chelsea Park to see the Army and Navy base ball game. The King and Queen were there and also some more of England’s noted people. There was a big crowd and I guess most of them never saw our national game before. A big dirigible ballon sailed over the park most of the time and just before the game started they lowered the Star and Stripes and the British flag on weighted ropes. We came back to the Y.M.C.A. on a motor bus or tram car as they call it here. They don’t have street railways, just plain double deck motor busses. The Y.M.C.A. furnished us with tickets to a show in the evening. The show was good and lasted until eleven o’clock. Then we went back to the “Y” tired but happy and ended a perfect day by crawling into a good bed with clean sheets. You can tell by the above that the town was our’s for the day and you can realize how much the Y.M.C.A. and Knight of Columbus did to help us have a good time. There is nothing that we want here that we don’t get if they can get it for us. Well this is all for the Fourth. Hope we will celebrate next time in Berlin. This is all the news I know so will close for this time. Give my love to Roy and say hello to the folks around home.

                        Your Brother, Melville L. Bottomley, 275 Aero Squadron, U. S. Air Service, 35 Eaton Place, London, S. W. I., Eng.

Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Melville L. Bottomley and he is not listed in the book published in 1920 Renville County in World War I: 1917, 1918, 1919.