30 Cdn Air Survey Liaison SEC, RCE

Cdn Army England, 13 Sept 44

Dear Jean:

This letter is a day late in getting off, last night and the night before, I worked, just a little rush job on, Your letter written on your birthday arrived in good time, Saturday, the 9th, Am glad to get all the dope on your eye, and evidently the operation is a success, and you should by this time be feeling more like your old self. Will be looking forward to your next letter in hopes that everything has gone as it should. Evidently the operation was quite interesting, and I'm glad they treated you so well. You were brave to go through with it dear, and it is a great relief to me to know that the thing is cleared up, and no longer a source of bother and worry. You will be quite up in the social scale now, having a delicate eye operation to talk about.
We've had real fall weather, cold nights, clear, with all the starts out, bright mornings, warming up a bit at noon and just after, but still cold out of the sun, clouding up a bit toward tea-time, and clearing off again before dark. Once in a while I get out at noon, just after lunch for a brief sun bath, but the poor old sun has lost its oomph, now, and its hardly worth while. Feel as tho we've been cheated out of our summer, this year, and it makes me all the more resolved to have a good long holiday after this war is over, in a good sunny climate, where I can get as tanned as a nigger. How would southern Calif do? We will miss our car.

Sunday afternoon III got away on the bike to Morris, and finished up the wood, and stayed to supper, rode home after the 9 o'clock news. Have to use my light now, all the way if I leave after 9. The nights are closing in noticeably, and it will be even worse next week when they put the time back an hour. Usually try to get most of the way home from there before the pubs close at 10, because just after, all the people pour out into the roads, and are not in too alert a mood, and are a nuisance to traffic, even bikes. The pubs are quite a feature of English life. Generally speaking they are much nicer than our beer parlours at home, they have quite a decent atmosphere about them, figuratively speaking, and the publicans, or owners (managers) are quite respected citizens of the community. Also the bar maids who serve the refreshments are not in any way questionable characters, in fact they are usually very smart and respectable girls. Speaking of atmosphere, during the blackout season in winter, the air in the pubs is so thick that you could cut it with a knife, the ceilings are often low, especially in the old houses, and full of people, smoking and drinking, it gets pretty awful. Am not a pub fan myself, as you can surmise, but don't hold it against those who do frequent them. My idea of a pleasant evening is in a private home, like the Morris's, or else working. Have been to 3 shows in the last 2 weeks, once to "For Whom the Bell Tolls", with Bill, quite good, "The Way ahead" with Ecila, a very good army picture, and Bill and I went to one the other night which had a very interesting short on the Doodle Bug defences. The fliers, the ack ack crews, and the balloon units who took part in the fight against the buzz bombs certainly deserve full credit. It has been wonderfully quiet for over a week now. London will become busy and expensive again. One of the papers last week published a feature picture of Bert Haywards pickle works burning as a result of a doodle. Bill & I called there last week, and certainly made a mess.

Fortunately none of his people who work there were hurt, the bomb arrived on a Saturday pm, and the factory was practically empty. They are busy cleaning up the mess, and salvaging quite a lot of stuff, Bert thinks only 30% of his people will be laid off as a result, till they rebuild the wing which was destroyed.

Bill goes on leave Friday, and harry Luscombe returned last Monday. He went up to Scotland, had a good trip, but has caught a cold, and is pretty miserable today. I've had a delay in finishing my report, due to the current rush job, so will not get away so soon for my leave. Am beginning to feel I need a break now. Bill is doing pretty well with his new leg. We went out for a short bike ride tonight, he got a ladies bike, and does very well on it.

Glad you had a nice birthday, even tho your eye must have been a bit of a drawback. Glad too that the flowers arrived on time. Next time the paymaster comes will arrange for a search to be made about the 100 $ check for Olive Andrews.

Weather favourable, I may go down to Haywards for the weekend. Your parcel of tobacco, cookies, jellow & lemon arrived Sat. Cookies are marvellous, tobac is welcome, and all my friends like the jello. The lemon was hard as a rock, must have got moisture in it, but it can be used ok. Will take it down to Haywards next time.

Heaps of LOVE to you and Mary.

...GER.