R61061
RCAF #5 A.C.
Winnipeg Man.
Feb. 5/41
Dear Traer & Folks,
Mothers' letter caught up with me a day or so ago but as yet my sweater etc. has not yet arrived. We left Toronto last Friday and providing all goes well I'll be spending the next three months here in Winnipeg. And boy oh boy! Is it ever cold! - about 40 below last week.
Our's is the second class at this school & as yet things aren't quite organized. The fellows already here are some 40 English chaps who arrived about 4 weeks ago. The barracks are brand new & the grub is swell so we have very little to complain about.
We've had to buckle down to business right from the start & it looks like a really tough grind ahead of us. The course is supposed to be equivalent to 2.5 years of University work & must be crammed into 12 weeks. The subjects include straight navigation or dead reckoning; maps & map reading; compasses & instruments mathematics; photography (right up my alley), and meteorology & physics.
We fly in big Avro Anson bombers that look like bird cages & are just as cold.
By now no doubt the Duchess has completely recovered & from what Mom says she is more like her old self again. I hope mother has no trouble in finding another house so you can get settled as soon as possible. Jill & I had dinner at the Royal York in Toronto 3 or 4 times before she left for New York. If Ev is still on Security Guard at Carberry less than 75 mi. from Winnipeg I may see him before long.
Oh! I nearly forgot Happy Birthday Traer - how does it feel to be 10 years old now? You can treat your brother & sister with a show on Sat. with the enclosed greenback. Many happy returns!
How about getting busy & dropping me a letter once in a while & tell Eric I'd like to hear from him also. Ask Mom to look up Gramma Waters' address for me as I'd like to drop her a line.
I don't think I should bother writing to you boys at all if you continue to fight as usual. However I know you are keeping the promise you made me before I left and are being good boys.
Don't mind my using pencil to write with as I wasn't able to get hold of a pen at the moment. They have made a mix up in my pay & apparently I don't get paid for two months. I spent an advance in flying pay on my railway pass & now I've got to pay it back. At the moment I've got a few dollars to tide me over but I had intended buying a watch so it looks like I'll be touching mother up for a birthday present.
This watch has to have a sweeping second hand & be able to withstand electrical, magnetic, vibrational and other shocks from constant use in an aircraft. I've no idea what they are worth but it shouldn't' be much more than $30 or so.
Hoping to hear from any of you soon.
Love to all.
Newton.
OXOX for the Duchess.