No. 71.

Lieut. GS Andrews, RCE.

Survey Directorate,

H.Q. Canadian Corps,

Cdn Army O/S.

13 July, 1941.

Dear Jean:

Yours of the 15 June arrived early last week, and the one of 22 June came today, so it has been a banner week. I also had a letter from Mrs Swannell yesterday so please tell her I was glad to get it, and will try ot et a reply off. Mrs S was eloquent in giving a favourable report on you, saying that you look marvellous, which gives me great satisfaction, but don't go and get too good looking or the males will start making eyes at you, and the green Monster would probably give me little peace, Really, I feel complimented when other men notice what a lovely wife I have. Jealousy is an admission of distrust, so I don't see how either you or I could be really jealous.

Mrs S also seems to approve very much of our home. She says that Mary is "full of pep and fun", Frank, no doubt could add another item after performance on his lap. Poor Frank, and poor you, however Mary no doubt considers him a real pal now. Was glad to hear that FD Mulholland is looking so well. I have not had any letter from him since last year, and will try to write him sometime. If you see him give him my best. I gather that Stuart McKiehen is a brother of Rob's, I had forgotten that he had one.

Your difficulty with the Customs got me really angry, and I surely wish that I could have been there to give them the works, I think a good scrap with them would do me a lot of good. Am glad that Fay Adams is going to come, the little extra expense of having friends come to stay without is well worth it, and a most legitimate item. I want you to have all the pleasure you can that way, that is one of the satisfactions of having our own home. Have you been able to find a puppy for Mary yet? Glad you got the money at last. Everything connected with the army seems to take time, but they get there in the long run. And we'll get to Berlin too, someday. Have you been able to get an Electrolux? Would like you to have a really good Vacuum cleaner, because it will help out on the heavy work, and there will be plenty of that anyway,
Beaconhill must be lovely now. Am glad that Mary has her mother's love of flowers, and especially roses. I find myself thanking God continually that we have her, we are so happily fortunate.

If Russia succeeds in turning back Hitler's onslaught, the rest of the world won't have to worry about her as an aggressor for a long time, because she will be staggering from the blow, and if she can cripple the Nazi army in the process, the end of the war will be fundamentally nearer.

The week past has been a very busy one, and a lot of running around between one place and another. Have been making quite a bit of contact with the physicists at the Research Laboratories of the Kodak Company in Britain. They have a wonderful organization, and have done some wonderful things to improve and in some cases revolutionize technical photography for this war. I have been particularly interested in some apparatus for our Canadian Squadron who have been doing our air photography, and getting it adjusted and into operation has taken quite a bit of my time. These trips and consultations take time, and hold up my other work, so it keeps one going to try to keep even. I am to give a course of lectures to our Cdn Survey coy next week, and that has taken a lot of time in preparation, because some of it is new stuff that I have had to work out from scratch myself. These are some of the reasons why my friends back home don't get more letters from me. An other reason is that every so often, I have to get some relaxation, so have seen the odd movie. One last week I thought was very good, "Pride and Prejudice".

Another diversion was to let Miss Morris drive me down to Dorking to have tea with Haywards this afternoon. It had rained, refreshingly before lunch, and cleared off bright and crisp during the afternoon. Haywards have a lovely view from their home, and it was particularly vivid and lively today. Then my friend Capt. Rothery came to have supper at the mess with me, and left fairly early to get to his H.Q. before dark. Don't see so much of him now, an he is in a different H.Q., However we seem to enjoy the odd visit all the more. He hopes to have Mrs R. down for a couple of days, and we will try to have a little dinner party. I bought a pair of swim trunks but have not had time to try them out, however will get a chance before the weather gets cold.
Mr. Hinks of the R.G.S. has written, and wants me to review a book and eventually, if I get time, to write a short article for the Journal on Air photog. in British Columbia. I may be able to do something for him, but hate to give him anything but my best, and that takes time. He is a splendid old man, and was genuinely interested in my wife and baby. I think he misses his own wife, and now his boys are seldom home.
These long summer days, and the 2-hour daylight saving time have made the black-out pretty sick. Its nearly 11 pm now, and I have just put up the blackout screen. We have had some really hot weather, and I've enjoyed it.

My working conditions are vastly better since I have been attached to the Survey Directorate. Have a small office to myself, and very little interference, also the Major i/c and the Captain, 2i/c are very congenial to work with. It Is a good mess too, quite a few officers whome I knew before, and I have a small room to myself with h & c water and a bathtub nextdoor. The Sargeant in this office is from Medicine Hat, Alta, and knows Uncle Ashton Andrews very well. We have a Col. Chaplain too, who is a great character, bubbling with anecdotes, and good ones too. My batman is a bit of a sleepyhead, poor fellow, but no worse than the last one I had, so we don't do too badly, and your husband tries to look fairly respectable.

Heaps of love

Ger.