April 12, 1943

Dear Mom:

Well I guess it is time that I wrote you another letter. I don't know how it happened that I miss so many days it seemed to me that I was writing everybody I sure didn't think that I had missed you. I was writing a letter every 2nd or third day for a while to get caught up so you see I must have missed you in the jumble.

I should have told you before you asked if you should have my suit, sport coat and old pants cleaned, yes please do and anything else that needs it. (Charge it to my account.)

As yet I have not had any word as to where I will be going from here. All I know is that I have not quite 2 weeks to go to finish my training here that is if we get out of here then. The bunch I came up here with was supposed to leave last Monday but just left today. I don't know why they didn't do anything last week, just loafed that is when they weren't doing fatigues. I finish here the 26th and I know I won't be coming home but I will let you know as soon as I can where I am going. They are sending the boys in the ack ack to Halifax. I am keeping my fingers crossed hoping to get nearer home.

The weather up here is really grand now the mud is nearly all gone now. The snow is all gone. I have had to shed my winter underwear as I found it too hot even outside at night.

We were on the rifle range all day today I think that today was the softest day we have since we started training. We each shot 3 times 5 rounds each time. There are 47 in our bunch. The first shoot was grouping with a possible of 25 which I made. The second was application with a possible score of 20 I slipped I only made 19. The third was snap shooting with a possible of 15 I made 15. So you can see that out of a possible score of 60 I made 59 so I not so bad with a rifle after all. The ones we are shooting now are .22s as the outdoor range has not dried out yet I hope that it does before we leave so we can use the .303s. All we do with them right now is carry them and as yet have found no use for them. Personally I don't think that they would even make good scrap.

Well we have a route march ahead of [us] for tomorrow morning and it is getting late so I think I will head for bed.

The socks arrived safely and fit fine.

I think before I leave here I will send my heavy sweater home so that I won't lose it.

Am closing now.
Love to all
Ted