No. 132

Major GS Andrews, RCE

Survey, HQ First Cdn Army O/S

20 Sept 42

Dear Jean:

Your airletter of 1 Sept arrived on the 16, it was so nice to hear about your birthday, and to know that the flowers were what you like, and they got to you on time. They made you happy, that is what I wanted, I told the people here to put the order through the Ballantyne Bros, I know Clyde B. and felt sure the flowers would be nice, I'd like him to know that I appreciate the way he handled everything. It looks as though your birthday cake got special attention too. Had a letter from Axel he has finished one course and is waiting for another tone to start. It was thoughtful of you to share your flowers with my girl friends, Tell Anne her message gave me a big thrill. I think Mac would be very unwise not to hold out for a commission. His qualifications and experience would be wasted otherwise. I sent a book home, one which I bought in preparation of my paper, it is a good one on Alaska and the Yukon. Hope Mrs Morris's birthday present reaches you, it is a lovely bag. The old lady is getting better gradually. Evidently the chicken saved the day for her. You needn't send soap, or shaving cream. I have enough of the latter to last me a year, and we have no difficulty getting soap with army coupons, which are ample. I have just made myself a glass of lemonade with your lemon powders. They are very good. The Klim is most acceptable, milk of any kind is very scarce, and the klim enables us to make a cup of cocoa, coffee etc at odd times, when it is a real treat. Had hoped to make a trip to Haywards this week, but have been too busy. May get down there next week end. The weather had been decidedly rough today, so it is just as well. Had some interesting trips last week, and wish I could tell you more about them. It meant leaving here bright and early in the morning, and getting back for the tail end of supper or just after it is officially over. However the boys in the kitchen are pretty good to me, and I don't go hungry. One interesting thing, the Sitka spruce that I surveyed from the air in the Queen Charlotte Islands in '36, has now come across my path in a very important way, and the experts whom I have been seeing in the manufacturing end were very interested to hear about the story behind the important wood they are using to help beat the Nazis. One of these men was in Canada last spring, and stayed with a professor there who was a playmate of mice in Winnipeg before the last war. The secretary to the head of another fire told me she was going out to Canada s soon as the war is over, said she had a brother on Vancouver Island, he owns the Sunset Seed farm out of Victoria. In a huge machine shop of the same factory, I was looking at some equipment, and one fellow came up to me to say he had lived in Canada, returned here to retire, but like thousands others, is back at work to help out with production. In the same shop somebody else started whistling "The Maple Leaf Forever", no doubt for my benefit. It is an inspiration to see these people working in industry here. The women have been superb. Young slips of girls, middle aged women, grandmothers too.

Heaps of Love, -----GER.