V-79878 – P.O. Arthur Bergquist

H.M.C.S. York,

Toronto, Ont.,

April 15, 1944.

Dear Ma Pa Rub & Ruth;

Just a few lines to let you know that I received the newspapers to-day, and your letter yesterday. I am okay but I sure get homesick.

To-day is Saturday and I got off at 1 o’clock. It is raining here again to-day, it sure looks and feels like winter. It sure is different from the weather in Vancouver. Last night I was on duty watch, so I didn’t get a chance to write. Had to work putting up new beds until 9.30 and the lights go out at ten in the Barracks. I sure was tired too because we sure have been getting a lot of marching lately. Everybody else in my outfit were saying how stiff and tired they were. I guess after these four weeks of training are over it wont be so bad.

This afternoon I looked around the stores. I went into “Birks” to see about “Lorraine’s” bracelet but I wont be able to get it until a week from Saturday. Just as soon as it is ready I will be sending it to her. Has “Lorrain” phoned since the Friday that she got my “Telegram”. I sure hope she is alright. I haven’t heard from her yet so I don’t know whether she got my letters or not. She said on the phone last Sunday that she hadn’t received a letter at that time, so I hope that nothing happened to them. They say that there have been some bad snow storms over the “Rockies” so I guess the “Air Mail” may have got held up a bit. OH well! I will probably get a letter from her on Monday. I sure hope so because getting mail here sure makes a fellow feel better. Thanks a lot for the chocolates you are sending, it sure is swell of you to send them to me.

I think to-night I will take in a show. They have a lot of shows here alright but they are spread all over the place. The theatres don’t look as good as the Orpheum & Capitol in Vancouver. As far as I can see, I would rather be in Vancouver any day than I would be here. Everybody that came here from Vancouver all say that they sure hope that they will be sent back to the West Coast. They say that after you have been in the Navy for 6 months a person is entitled to 2 weeks leave. If I don’t get back before that time I sure am going to see that I get those 2 weeks and will head for home just as fast as I can get there.

This afternoon I had a piece of steel fitted on the back of the heel of my “Half Wellingtons”. They were beginning to wear down on the back of the heels so the piece of steel will fix that. It only cost 45C so that wasn’t so bad I also had a hair-cut. To-morrow morning they are going to have “Captain Inspection” so I thought I had better get it cut. I didn’t have lunch at the “Barracks” to-day. Jim & I thought we would go up to the canteen and have lunch there. You can get a pretty good dinner at the canteen for 34C. Maybe to-morrow I will go to the “Chicken Palace” again and have a Chicken Dinner. A fellow can’t go there too often or I will not save any money that way. To-morrow being Sunday I will be able to travel free in the street-cars, which sure makes it handy to get around.

Well I guess this is about all the news for now. I will write again to-morrow or the next day, so hoping that you are all okay I will stop here.

Love to you all

Art.

P.S. I wonder if you could send my camera to me. If I had it I would take more pictures to send home to you.