Princess Alice Camp.

Winning (?) Island,

Midland Ont.,

June 24, 1944.

Dear Ma, Pa, and Ruth;

Just a few lines to let you know that I am in Toronto with Rubert again. It is now two o’clock and we have just come back from the Royal York where we tried to get a room. The fellow said they were all filled up but to phone back at 4 o’clock and we may get one then. I sure hope we get one because it sure is a nice hotel. It will costs us 6.50 for a room for the two of us. Rubert has the week end off too so I will stay in Toronto until 9 o’clock Monday morning when I will have to get the bus back to Midland. My leave is until 2 o’clock Monday afternoon. It sure makes a nice long week end for me seeing as how I got away Friday evening.

I wasnt able to leave Midland though until 8 o’clock this morning and arrived here in Toronto at 11.15. Midland is 90 miles north of Toronto and it only takes a little over three hours by bus to get here which isnt too bad.

I went down to “York” to meet Rubert just as soon as I go (?) here and we went of to see about Ruberts suit right away. It wasnt ready but the fellow said to come back at 6 o’clock and he would try to have it ready by then. I sure hope they have Ruberts suit ready because I would like to have a picture of Robert with his uniform on.

Rubert is having brass button on his uniform. I sounds like it is okay to have from brass buttons on the dress uniform so Rubert is wise to have them put on right away. I have my brass buttons but I have not put them on my suit yet.

This morning at a quarter to eight I went into the “Ontario cafe” in Midland to have my breakfast-----I had a cup of coffee and toast with jam—and the Commanding Officer was having his breakfast there too. He had just come back from Toronto. I asked him how were the chances of being confirmed and he said from what they told him a York that we would be at the end of August. He said though that he would see if he couldnt get us confirmed before the end of the summer. This “(?) Island” is a training place for young seaman and it opens up this Monday so the C.O. figures just as soon as the camp gets running smooth he will have time to see about getting us confirmed.

I have only seen Laurie twice in the last two trips to see Rubert, but I sure have heard a lot of him. He is the same old Laurie. There was a fellow here at the canteen talking to us about Laurie just a few minutes ago. He started telling us about a fellow who came in as an acting chief shipwright. I asked him if he new his name and he said it was Laurie Geddes He sure is quite a guy. This fellow was telling us about how he was supposed to phone a girl up on Sunday, but while he was here at the canteen he met Laurie and another fellow. He said they were talking for a while and then Laurie left. An hour or so later he said he phoned this girl and as she wasnt home he waited and dropped around to her place in the evening. When he got to the girls place the lady told him that the girl had gone out with Laurie. It seems that Laurie phoned the girl in the morning and made out he was this fellow, and then later in the afternoon he phoned again and told the girl that this fellow had to work but asked him (Laurie) to take the girl out for him. So you can see that Laurie is still up to his tricks. He appears to be a big shot in the Navy already, he borrows money one day and the next he tells the fellow that he has eight hundred dollars in the bank here. He sure must be quite a guy a least he talks as if he is, but it doesnt take long before the fellows get wise and then wont have anything to do with him. It is too bad though that he is like he is.

Rubert and I will go to a show to-night after supper. There is not much else to do here except maybe to go down to “Sunnyside”.

I figure on maybe phoning you late to-night or maybe to-morrow night.

I sure hope enjoyed your holiday, Ma and Ruth and that you made out alright with your working Pa. Well I will have to stop here for to-night so hoping that you are alright I will stop here until to-morrow

Love to you all

Art.