6 June 1940

Dear Staff Sergeant Lawson,

I had a thought that you'd forgotten about me, so I admit that I was surprised to see your letter waiting for me when I got home from work. I'm glad training has been going well for you, as troublesome as some of your fellow soldiers sound. I've no experience in war, but I have experience when dealing with difficult people. If you do your job the best that you can, it won't matter what the others think - you will be proud of what you've accomplished, and hopefully others will follow your example.

(Having others follow my example has yet to work for me, but I hope it does for you.)

It's growing colder here, especially with the wind coming off the bay. I've had to start bundling up more on my time at the pier, but Rufus lets me refill my thermos before I finish overnight shifts so it helps keep me warm before I catch the tram back home.

School is school. Some of the lectures are boring - as I've already learned about them in books - and some are rather interesting, but most are centered around revision at the moment. Exams are coming up for the term, and there are some courses that were tricky, but overall I feel confident in them. I'm always on the lookout for cutting edge theories and techniques; after all, it pays to keep up in this field. I'm getting further into my pathology classes, however, and I enjoy every minute of them; Mac seems especially proud that I've chosen it as my specialty, so I hope to live up to her expectations of me as a doctor. I wish the other professors and my peers had the same view of me, unfortunately they don't, but it's nothing new for me. It's not easy being a woman trying to become a doctor, but it's the life I've chosen.

I hope wherever you get sent that you stay as safe as you can. Mac's friends have told me a little of what war can be like, and I hope it won't be as bad as that, but war is unpredictable I assume. I do look forward to hearing of your travels and as much of your experiences as you see fit to divulge. As for book recommendations, I hope you enjoy the few novels I've enclosed with this letter. Let me know what you think so I can tailor my next suggestions better.

And I thought I told you that you could call me Alice.

Sincerely,

Alice Harvey

[enclosed with the letter are a few older Agatha Christies, a couple of Sherlock Holmes novels, and a copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion]