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[Page] 48
[continued from page 47]

Sandy goes up to Sandhurst tomorrow. He went up for
his exam. on 6th November straight from school, and
came to Edinburgh to sit for it. When it was over he was
examined by a medical board in the castle who pro:
:nounced him only fit for sedentary occupation as he
was suffering from V.D.H. i.e valvular disease of the heart.
On asking if it was any use his appealing against this
decision, they replied not the slightest. This was a nasty
knock and I began to think that the law must be his
fate after all. Every one said “Why dont you take him
to Sir James Mackenzie in London, who is by far the
best heart specialist in the kingdom?” As Jocelyn was
going down South early in December to see her Aunts
we arranged a meeting with Sir James Mackenzie &
got Sandy up from school for examination, the result
was that the expert stigmatised the verdict of the
Medical Board as “absolute nonsence”. I applied for
a new board in London; sent Sandy up again;
and that Board has passed him. I am thankful
to have it so, but I greatly grudge the cost, from
£20 to £30 which I have been put to by the incompetence
of the first board. There is nothing doing
in the Museums – except that we have got back into
our library & offices in Queen St. I have picked
up a few pieces of glass of late, but there are many
collectors now and prices are high. A young

woman, a student at the university brought me for my
opinion some time ago a box full of jade ornaments
which she had purchased at an auction sale in Thurso
for 3/-! I bought a pin & some other trifles for £2
and I hope put her in the way of selling the rest.
What their true value was I don’t quite know, but I reckoned
she should get about £10 for the lot.
The weather is bitterly cold just now. Snow lies to a depth
of about 2 ins. [inches] and there is hard frost.

27th Jany. 1918
Sandy has got settled down at Sandhurst – in
the Staff College. He is evidently being hard worked
but is being well fed with quantities of meat three
times a day. Here we are being put on short
commons - with sugar & margarine rationed
and meat to follow at an early date. We have
one or two meatless days in the week. Fats are
the most difficult commodity to restrict. We are to
be allowed only 5 oz. [ounces] per head per week to include
butter, margarine, lard, oil etc. Eggs lately were at
5/6d. per doz. [dozen] There have been very serious strikes
& riots in Austria and Germany is evidently
in a bad way internally. We all look for
some tremendous offensive on the Western front
as soon as the weather permits and before the
American army is ready to join in.
We have had some very hard weather this
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