Fri. evening

Dear Mother,

I have not very much to say as its only four days since I wrote you and all were doing is going to ground school. We start on actual bombing practice next week. So far we have been learning the theory of bombing and the bombsight itself which is a very interesting and complicated instrument.

Sat. evening

This is as far as I got last night. I had been punching a bag for an hour and my hand was so jiggly I couldn't write. Tomorrow is Sunday and also Mothers Day as you probably know. I would have liked very much to have sent you something only pay day isn't till next Thursday and I'm afraid you will have to wait till then.

We had our first class progress test today. I don't know my mark but I'm quite sure I made it high. Our instructor has just graduated as an Air Bomber and we are his first class. He's the kind that would stick his neck out for us when we got into difficulties.

I don't believe I have told you about the bombing teacher yet. We are elevated quite a few feet above a screen with the picture of earth passing across. We look through the bombsight on to it and it gives the impression of going across the earth at 10,000 feet. We find drifts, winds and later on will do bombing on it. We also bomb moving targets. A light flashes on where the bomb would land.

We even have to go to school on Sundays around here. We get one day off in ten and then get a 48 every four weeks. We had our flight picture taken the other day. I'll send you one when we get them. There are 16 men in a flight and there are three flights in our course. We practically all came from Brandon so everybody knows everybody. About half the course is Blimey's and some Auzzies & Newzies. I'm going over with an Auzzie now to have a game of badminton.

One hard thing about this course is that we have to take aldis at 8 w.p.m. and that's much harder than taking wireless. Bombadiers are the one member of the crew who takes aldis from ships etc. We also have ship recognition - which is no cynch. We learn the 6 navies of the world. We have to be able to tell the class, tonnage, speed etc. by looking at a ship.

So long for now and lots of love for Mothers day - George.