3/1/44

Dear Mother:

Well here is my first letter of the new year to you and I hope that it finds you well. I sure hope that you spend a very good New Year to make up for the one I spent here in camp. well not exactly in camp but in the village 5 miles from camp. I did see the New Year in but we didn't even sing Auld Lang Syne. This makes the second New Year and the 1st Xmas I have spent away from Home and each one makes me feel worse. This girl there looked after me quite good but since you don't like having English girls in the family maybe I had better get posted. We are expecting to be posted to a squadron in about a fortnights time so I guess that we are finally going to see a little action. My friend Kiwi has already been posted and so have the rest of the gang so I am the only one of the old bunch left here. We have had a picture of the crew taken and I will send one along for you when it is ready and you can see just what the score is. We usually get a day off every week from here but the skipper went to London on his last day off and didn't
turn up for flying so now we don't get anymore. We really gave him hell for it to but it didn't seem to worry him much. I made quite a good trade with shirt you sent me. I got two for one which is quite a good bargain I think don't you. Victor sure isn't taking after the rest of us is he, he sure is starting out pretty cocky anyways. So Dad is sponsoring a Hockey team well I wish them the best of luck. I listen to the Hockey broadcasts every Sunday so I keep up pretty well with the series.

I haven't opened the last crock of whiskey yet I don't what I am saving it for but it will keep I guess. So you finally got yourself the coat I was always promising you. How about a picture of you all decked out in your finery with Dad in his too. All the crew is in the billets to-night writing letters and telling jokes so if I happen to have any in here just ignore them and read on. Well I guess I will sign off for and write somebody else a couple of lines.

Orval