No. 152

Major GS Andrews, RCE

Survey, HQ First Cdn Army O/S

7 Feb 43

Dear Jean:

Not much in the way of mail during the week. Nothing from Canada. Expect chances are good for one from you this week. before I forget, the Bank of England have refused permission for me to send $3.00 (U.S.) to the American Society of Photogrammetry in Washington DC, for this years membership. They say I must arrange to have it sent from Canada. It has always gone through without any trouble before. As you can imagine, this made me boiling mad, as all the money I keep in the Bank here is Canadian, and the membership in the Am Soc of Photogrammetry brings me their technical journal which comes quarterly chuck full of technical information of greatest interest to my special job in the Cdn Army. I know General McNaughton would back me up if I wanted to make an issue of it, but he is a busy man, and so are the other people who are important enough to help me out on this, so it looks as though I will have to ask my wife to do it. Send it to the Society as above, at BOX 18, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STATION, WASHINGTON DC, USA. Just pin a note to the [?] to the effect it is current membership fee for Majors GSA, RCE, D.A.D. Survey, HQ, First Canadian Army Overseas, c/o Base PO, Canada. If you have any trouble, let me know and then I will bother important people here, and how. Well I bought myself a new serge uniform, it cost £10-2-0 (about $45) and 24 coupons. My other one is about 3 years old now, and certainly wont last me till the war is over, as I rather naively thought it might at one time. After the war, I can use them out in the woods, if there is anything left of them. Also I can't come home to my wife and daughter looking like a ragamuffin. The new one should last me a long time, as I will have the old one patched up for ordinary occasions, and we wear battle dress most of the time, at work. Mrs Morris has finished a dandy gardening apron for you, and it goes off tomorrow. Hope it arrives, as she put a lot of hard work and love in making it for you. I was up there working on another tree for a little while yesterday & today. Its fine exercise, and will keep me toughened up for a while longer. Axel Kinnear is billeted near them, and they have adopted him too, My doctor friend from Winnipeg stayed overnight with me Friday, and we had a good old chit chat, took him up to Morris's for the evening, and he was greatly taken with them both. I hear quite a few reports about the severe winter in Canada this year. I hope you aren't having too bad a time in Victoria. Its been a little colder here the last few days but nothing to complain about. Those flannel shirts you sent are just the thing I finally got 6 duplicate airgraphs off to people who sent me parcels at Xmas, including Horace Ryan. I simply haven't time to write each an individual letter so made good use of carbon paper. I am due for leave pretty soon, but we are rather busy now, so think it will be just as well put off for a while, till spring, when the days are longer. I wish you and Mary could fly over to spend it with me. I'd have a grand time showing you off to my friends, but a better time just having you to myself.

God bless you both, and LOVE from GER