Fri. Evening

Dear Dad,

Well dad I just finished writing three of the mid term exams and it's a little load off the mind. I believe I made a fairly good mark in them but cannot say for sure. All they tell us is that we passed or failed and we'll be finding that out next week. We also write nav., meteorology, and wireless next week. I like nav., very much. It gives you a superior feeling when you work out a hard question and get it right. I can take 6 words per min. in wireless and that's what our final exam is given on. Our mid term is only 4 W.P.M. so I'll get that allright. I have to be careful and not make too high a mark in nav. Or else I'll be a bloody navigator.

Out of the last class that graduated 15% were pilots, 4% observers, 20% navigators and the rest were gunners. That gives you an idea on what a tough job it is to get in as a pilot. I wish I had been able to enlist six months earlier and I wouldn't have had any trouble at all. However, if I'm made a gunner I guess I'll have to make the best of it as there is nothing I could do about it on this station. The reason that so many gunners are picked out is that there so bloody short of them.

We were issued with our flying suit, flying boots, helmet, and flying gloves this week. The whole outfit costs over a hundred bucks. Boy, does a guy ever look clumsy in them.

You might be a bit surprised to hear that I bought a $50.00 war bond - not in cash though. I had it put in Mothers name as I thought it would do her more good then it would ever do me. I love her very much and want to do everything possible to make her happy. I'm enclosing a letter that I received from Laura. Would you please forward it on to mother along with this. I forgot to tell you that $8.41 a month is taken off my pay for six months to pay for the bond.

I had to have an interview with an officer here. When I told him my home he remarked that he had been up in Kinlock and knew Harold Baldwin. Its certainly a wild country up there he remarked.

Winter has really set in here. We line up in the drill hall in the mornings and noons but practically freeze going over to the normal school which is a ¼ of a mile away.

Well dad that's all for now. Hope to be seeing you at Xmas.

Your loving son,
George