I gather from your letter, that you think that I am frightened of facing death. Well, Dodie, I think that you will find, if you ask your friends who have come back from the front, that very few men are not frightened while waiting for an action. I frankly admit that I always have been, but when it actually comes to those times, one has so much to think of that one has not the time to be frightened. Anyhow in about a fortnights time I hope that I may have had the chance to prove to myself that I am one way or the other. I sincerely thank God that I asked to be allowed to try the job before I got your letters. I am only waiting for the Admiral to approve of my being allowed to try. I am not going to tell you what it is as I am afraid that you might just put it down to "after dinner heroics" on getting your letters. I am also writing letters with a great pal of mine, to forward to you in the event of my not returning, to let you know. At present, I am only telling you facts for the extremely selfish reason of easing your mind.

You say in your letter "I am glad, [illegibe] that they have gone the way they have, not [illegible] like sheep through a gap, but each one in an individual way, and that they will be remembered by [illegible] men.

Dodie, I don't think that you can possibly realize that in a submarine boat the captain is the only man in the boat that can see anything. The men only know that they come up again safely and can get out, or that they are either drowned, blown up or suffocated. They have no option but dying like sheep. They either die or get through. I think that your remarks are rather hard on them; with the captain of the boat I agree with you as he can see.

BC Archives MS-0089 Box 1 File 3 / GLASSFORD, Deborah Florence (Leighton). Correspondence inward, 1915.