Feb. 17/46

Dear Mom & Dad,

Many thanks for your most welcome letters of January 28 and of Feb. 7th. I keep telling myself that I should write more often but I never do. I'm truly sorry, but I don't seem to be able to keep up my correspondence with anyone anymore. I hope you'll consider the fact that I have never before been stationed in civilization. There are a hundred things one can do in spare time, and a good few one has to do. Living in a primitive way in B.C. and in Burma, getting letters and writing all the time really helped preserve one's sanity. Now I've got about fifteen letters laying around unanswered. I don't believe I ever wrote a letter before the one I wrote to you from Alliford Bay (after being there a month). I don't know what I'll do when I'm a civilian again if friends and relatives still write to me. I know you don't get much time around the house for writing letters. I suppose you read about the strike in the papers. It may have produced results in the Air Ministry but it sure caused a turn for the worse in conditions around here. I haven't had a leave since early Nov. and won't get one til after April 1st and I haven't had a 48 for a long time now. We're supposed to get one after every ten days work. From now on, we'll be lucky if we get off every other week-end. Because of the strike I had to forfeit my 48 last Mon. & Tues. and Mary was disappointed because she had planned to stay off work one of those days at least. She works 9 hrs. a day five days a week and if I don't get my 48 on a week-end she stays off one day. She'd stay off both, but I say ‘no' and her Mom backs me up. I just hang around the house the day she works, talking to Mrs. Weston or doing something around the house. Sorry to hear about Mrs. Brewster. Did I tell you the baby in the home where I spent Christmas died? Aunt Molly was pretty broken up about it. She died on Jan 5th and Auntie didn't feel able to write & tell me until the 24th. I think I mentioned the Dobson's being friends of Joyce's in one of my letters. I don't remember whether I got those chocolates or not. If I did I must have told you about it. I must have told you I got a box from Eatocks too. I told somebody. That's the trouble with a lot of people writing to you. You mention something to somebody and then forget who it was. Well I had better turn in now for I'm pretty tired. I worked last night and so got today off, so I washed my sheets, my battle dress, my bicycle and my face and I've been tending the stove while writing to you trying to get my washing dry. I've been running around in a pair of coveralls all day. The past few days here have compared with May or June weather. It's most unusual. Oh, I was going to tell you about a little accident I had. I think I told you Johnnie's aunt helped him to buy a motorcycle. Well we were roaring along the back road to the airfield last Friday. I was driving and I hadn't been over that road before and we came to a very sharp turn which I failed to make. We flew off the road pushing all before us, mud, hedges, water and when we ended up it felt as though I were in a wicker basket. My thighs made a mess of the handlebars, or vice versa, it doesn't matter, and a few more cuts would have finished my right ear but it's quite scabby and in fine shape now. My thighs are bruised and cut but the stiffness is going out of them now. Johnnie was thrown clear -- into the water. He rode it to Oxford and got new handlebars on his guarantee and the next day I put her over the same road with a little more care, to get my nerve back. On the whole we were lucky considering the number of stone walls in this country. I hope this find you all well there. Goodnight.

Your loving son,

Joe.

P.S. I got the box of clothes. Thanks.