R208467. L.A.C.MOORE,J.L. #436 SQDN. R.C.A.F.
INDIA COMMAND
Dec. 22/44

Dear Mom and Dad,

I received your welcome letter of the 8th Dec., on the twentieth, which was very good time. I got one from England today in seven days, the best yet. I've been rather busy lately preparing for a trade test. I went before the technical officer this morning to try for my "A" group. It was a stiff test, but the sarge told me this afternoon that I made it. It means my pay will be $2.25 a day now but it may be a month or more before it goes to records in Bombay and comes back to my pay book. I may increase my savings assignment later if I am still isolated. I guess Aunt Emma will be surprised to get bacon for her birthday. That reminds me, yesterday I got the August 13th San Francisco Examiner that Aunties were sending to me at Coal Harbour. It went to Lachine, London, Karachi, and finally up here. I'm glad to hear the mail is travelling well between here and there. I doubt very much if I'll ever get a chance to fly to England on leave, in fact I don't think I'll even get leave to go to Lahore which I think, is the only city within reasonable travelling distance. I would certainly like to spend more time with Margaret as you suggest. I suppose there is a possibility of losing interest but there isn't much I can do about it, not being able to feed the fire, except by correspondence, which isn't exactly romantic. Thanks for the "gen" on Jim & Gwen but I have had mail from them, and a lovely wedding picture, except for Jim's R.A.F. tunic. That's too bad about Gwen being repatriated. Surely, they could pull strings somewhere and she could be allowed to stay with Jim. Yes, there were about thirty chaps I knew very well that came on this job when I did. My eyes are sore from the lamp so I'll finish this tomorrow noon if I can. Here I am again. We get together some evenings in one of the huts around the fireplace and toast our bread we save from meal times. Someone usually has something to put on it, that was sent to them. Once in a while someone gets hold of some tea or coffee and we make it in a tin pail over the fire. We sing sometime too and talk about Canada and what we'll do after the war. It's all right to talk about it but being uncertain of our stay here we cannot really make any plans. I've heard we are having Christmas dinner but I don't know what they'll make it out of. Those servicemen in Canada don't know how lucky they are to be back in civilian life again even if only for a while. I would certainly appreciate it. I guess this is the end of the paper for this time anyway.

So long for now, Joe.