30 Cdn Air Svy Liaison Sec, RCE

Cdn Army England.

11 July 44

Dear Jean:

Your letter of 1 July came along today. Alf is our mail orderly and he always walks into my office with a big smile when he brings your blue airletter. Quite a lot has happened around here since my last. Bill Hall arrived with his kit last Monday, (week), he is installed in my room in the opposite corner. He is in excellent shape, and getting pretty tough too. We all walked down to the nearest pub the other night, Bill on his crutches, and back, a mile each way, and up hill on the last stretch home, just enough to neutralize the beer. He made the trip OK. He is mooching around during the days, just getting used to things, and gradually he will be doing some work, it is quite a thing to square up to real work after 7 months lying in bed and having everything brought to you. Another thing he has to adjust himself too, is the quietness of a small outfit like mine. Quite a lot of social life goes on in a hospital ward, especially when the lads get well enough to move around on their own steam. His little batman seems to be alright, and evidently thinks Bill is quite a hero, so that helps. He does a lot of helping out on the domestic jobs around the place too. We also have another officer attached for a while so we are quite sizable.

On Tuesday night Bert Hayward stayed with us, he was on his annual leave, and had to come out to this vicinity to see an old friend who is not too well. In ordinary years he used to make that visit by car, but this time had to come by train, so it was nice to be able to offer him our hospitality for the night. Bill had arrived, so we had a real confab in the evening. Bert enjoyed it too, getting away from his own routine for a change. He and Harry Luscombe always have lots of anecdotes to exchange on the last war, which does them both good. I had to go to town the next morning so Bert and I travelled in together. I went to a very interesting meeting at the American Army HQ, and they seem to be very interested in our stuff. Am trying to write up in a brief way, the technique we have developed so that it may be of some use to others who are faced with the same problems.

Sunday evening I took Bill over to see my old dressmaker friend Mrs Waugh, she had been looking forward to meeting Bill, and had a picture that Mr Aston gave me last Fall to bring to her which Bill recognized as being taken in his own back yard at Denman St. After having coffee with her, we went on to Morris's for the evening. Bert Hammond, my friend from Victoria, was there, with his new crowns up, he has been promoted to Major. He deserves it well, a quiet, consciencious worker, and not by any means dumb. Later in the week, one of the American officers came out, planning to stay for a couple of nights, but was called back a day earlier. He hopes to come out again and study our stuff. He is the lad from Wyoming, who studied at La Jolla. A very fine lad.

I surely wish I could see your garden now. It sounds like just the kind of effect I like. We have some fine roses in our garden, and when I see a specially nice bud, I think of my wife, and wish I could take it to her. Also think of Mary on tip toes, leaning forward to sniff them. Axel was here yesterday for a while in the afternoon, too bad your letter hadn't arrived then so I could have told him about his mother. I may be seeing him on Saturday, and will take your letter for him to read that part. While Axe was here, Ruth Macdougal's wedding cake arrived, so Axe and Bill and I all had a piece with our tea, and wisher her everything good. I felt very honoured to be remembered, because no doubt there were a lot of people whom Ruth would be sending a piece of her cake to. I always considered Doug one of my best friends, and it was swell to share in his happiness and that of his whole family. Just imagine how wonderful we will feel when Mary goes to stand beside a real fine husband.

Bill and I were very interested in your paragraph about Mulholland and the Forestry Commission. What a break it would be if they gave him a top flight job in a modernized organization. I often wonder what the future holds for us, and your remark that you and Mary would back me up made my heart swell with pride and happiness that I have you both there pulling with me for whatever comes along.

The weather here has been lousy. To think that this is the time of the year when the sun really has some oomph, and the sky is forever overcast. It seems weve hardly seen the sun since D Day. Last year about this time, I was starting on a leave on the Thames, and it was just the same, clouds clouds grey skies. What a country, I'm getting very fed up with it. Only the fact that I can work work work makes it bearable at all. Those damned Boche seem to have a diabolical flare for having the weather on their side. 1940 was a perfect year for their overrunning of France. Now when we need it, storms, rain, sky plugged up so that our air recce and punch is restricted. It makes one realize that our human affairs are very paltry in proportion to the detached and grand phenomenon of Nature.

HEAPS OF LOVE to you BOTH

....GER