Thonon, 8 April 1942

My dear Lore,

I have now also safely received your letter from the 7th January that you sent to Ernest and so I have also heard from him. Ernest didn’t write to me straight away for he was with his relatives and so the letter arrived a little late. But better it goes late than never and that which gave me pleasure above all was to have received your photo.  I won’t hide from saying that it “gave me a shock” for you have really changed!  One doesn’t realise very well how the years pass, but a little event is enough to remind us. The proof! You are much prettier now and that gives me great pleasure. –  I thank you for the wishes that you sent me for my birthday. The other letter I haven’t received. Do you have to work hard to prepare for your exams? I wish you good luck! You don’t make a lot of mistakes in your letters. If I didn’t make any more in my letters when I write in English, I would be already very happy! I told Uncle Max that I will be able to send a letter to via a friend (Ernest).

At the moment, we have the Easter Holidays and I am spending them here as usual.  In March, I wrote one letter to Uncle Max and another to you directly. Have you both received them?

I told in you one of my letters that I would obtain better results in the 2nd trimester. I am happy to be able to announce to you now that I didn’t lie. This time I am 7th out of 24 students and I had a grade average of 13,33/20. What’s more I was inscribed on the honour roll. Usually, the 3 or 4 top students are inscribed on it if their term at boarding school is good, otherwise it is the following. The Director said that I had obtained remarkable results and it was thus my name was also displayed on the list.

One sees that we are now in the month of April. It has been raining incessantly for 2 days so one can’t enjoy the holidays.

For the moment, I don’t know anything else new and so I am therefore going to end my letter. Always continue to write to me at the same address as the school will close the 15th June. Then I am always sure to receive your letters.

I’m going to stop, therefore, by asking you to pass on a ‘hello’ to all our relatives as well as to Elaine.

I hug you tenderly from afar,

Your brother

Oswald

I hope that you will be able to write to me from time to time all the same.