To Sister Ross from Professor Dott

"3 Chalmers Crescent, Grange Road, Edinburgh 9

7th January 1948

Dear Sister Ross

How nice of you to write me about the C.B.E and please thank the others for their kind thoughts. I am naturally very pleased, but especially so on account of the whole team. We have all been in it together and the honour is meant as a mark of favour for what we have all helped to do.

I am very pleased too about 'Mr A' - it wasn't quite a surprise for me. He is very competent now to take this important job - we cannot keep all the eggs in one basket! He needs an important job on his own to make the best use of the second half of his act actual life. We can be proud of him for it is the best new job available so far. Mr A comes from Bristol so its nice that way too. Probably his chief ? is in the education of his family which would be easier and better in Edinburgh

As a patient - equally as a performer - I prefer Neuro to Orthopaedic Surgery! The job is a good one, and I get up on crutches tomorrow - of course I have old experience of crutches. I expect I shall get home in a few weeks but won't get very far afield until bones are fairly secure.

I am writing this flat on my back in Colin Gledhill's beautiful teak bed - desk. It's excellent - how he could get it so good in every detail without formal experience - I marvel. It was very kind and thoughtful of him. Ask him if he got the lovely timber from an old ship's deck on the Forth. I went apprentice to a country joiner when I was 13 - so I have a fondness for good wood.

I heard from Batkin in N.Y. - he says it is a land of plenty - even in snow (they had 23 inches within one day)!

I also heard from a N.surgeon over there whom he has interviewed for a job. I knew him when he was over with USAAMC and liked him very much. So Stanley may land fortunately. The good soul thinks of nothing but what he can send us all back here

A good New Year to you Sister Ross

Yours

Norman M Dott

The Mr A Dott talks about is Mr George L Alexander"