The next few days I spent in just knocking about London, enjoying myself and in waiting for May 8th to come, when I was to attend the investiture at Buckingham Palace. At last the day arrived and I made my way, dressed in my best and looking spick and span, to Buckingham Palace at an early hour, and was instructed to call again at 9.20 am. This I accordingly did, and found myself one of three hundred odd officers of the British and Colonial Officers who were assembled to receive medals and other awards at the hands of the King.

I was directed to a huge reception room in the Palace, covered with rich and expensive carpets, and hung with pictures, in magnificent frames of Royalty performing various functions of a historical nature. In the corners of the hall or room, were glass cases containing expensive china and other works of art which I was not at liberty to examine. For the rest, there was no furniture, except an odd piece in an out of the way corner as there was no room considering that 300 British Army officers, representing practically every Army of the Empire were formed up in ranks in order of seniority of decoration and rank. I found myself about midway and was between a Scots Guardsman and a Canadian.

We were then instructed in what we were to say to the King if he spoke to us and were told to wear our gloves and shake hands with our gloves on. We then turned into file and marched out of the reception hall down a passage to where a kind of platform was built and which was approached by a gangway with rails on either side. On the platform was a canopy, decorated with flags and bunting, etc. under which the King stood to perform his duty. At the foot or approach of the gangway, our names were checked as we passed a Staff Officer. As one officer was being decorated, another was moved forward to take his place in front of the King, and so all filed past up the gangway, stopped in front of the King, saluted and stepped forward a pace. The King then attached the medal to a hook which we had placed in our tunic, over the left pocket, and shook hands with us. We then saluted, stepped back a pace, turned to the right and marched off the platform amidst the clapping of about 400 people who had assembled to witness the investiture, by invitation. And so I received my Military Cross, won on August 8th 1918 at the hands of the King.

When the King pinned the medal to my breast, he said “I am very pleased to present you with the Military Cross which you have gallantly won on Active Service.” On marching off the platform, we retired to the rear and were given a neat little case in which to put our medal after which we were free to retire.

I spent the remainder of the day with Mrs. Hookham and stayed the night. I then said my heartfelt farewell to the finest people I have ever known, outside my own family. I had come to them, a perfect stranger, from nowhere as it were, with only the fact that I had been a friend of their son and a comrade of his in the same unit and they had received me as a son, and had looked after me, written to me, cheered me and given me a home from home during my time in England, and so I may be excused if I admit that parting from Mr. and Mrs. Hookham and their son caused me many a heart pang, and even now I honour them as being noble hearted, hospitable Christians of a type rarely met during a lifetime.

I returned after this my last leave in England and May 9th found me back in camp at Sutton Veny. The succeeding three weeks were painfully quiet, and were spent in performing our few Camp duties, with billiards and games in the anteroom of the mess, visiting the picture shows, going for long walks into the open country and on one or two occasions although it was summer time, in watching football matches under the Australia rule code.

Every other day saw the departure of a quota for embarkation and so we felt sure that the time was rapidly drawing night when it would be the turn of quota no. 33 to do the same. On May 30th my cousins, Vivian and Daisy visited Sutton Veny camp as they were motoring through to spend a holiday in Cornwall. They invited me to accompany them for a short trip to the village of Frome, not more than 10 miles away, which I did. We there had tea at the Hotel and drank a bottle of Champagne, and then returned to the Camp at 10 pm as I was then required to go on duty as Officer of the Brigade Guard.

I arrived a bit late for duty however, and received a severe wigging by the Battalion adjutant as a result and had to furnish a written statement as to my reason, etc.