March 27, 1940
Dear Alan,
I received your letter yesterday and was very glad to hear from you, as this and your other letter was the only news from home for over two weeks. I am glad to hear that my letters from this side are beginning to trickle in. It is hard to answer letters, as it takes about six weeks to receive an answer and by that time, the news is all stale.
No, we are not camped at Aldershot, but at Borden, as you probably guessed by the heading of the letter. I sent a postcard of a scene taken in camp here which should have arrived by now. Today, I am on fatigue in the Sarg’s mess and find it quite a snap, as compared to the Men’s. The one good thing about “Cookhouse” is that you certainly get plenty to eat and can usually manage to scrounge enough for several nightly lunches. Things are very quiet here, and if it weren’t for seeing the odd squadron of bombers, you would never guess that a war was on.
We were issued with our “hard-boiled” hats the other day, along with a combination rain cape and ground sheet, which has proven very handy these past few days. If possible, will get a photo of yours truly wearing the tin hat and rain cape, which, by the way, is beautifully painted to blend with your surroundings. The work is quite interesting and consists of map reading, gas lectures, foot and rifle drill and daily drives with the trucks, as well as lectures on driving and maintenance of vehicles.
The other day, we had to drive with our respirators on, which is some fun, as the eye-pieces fog up, unless properly treated with ‘anti-dim’, a paste which is rubbed over the glass. Well, there really isn’t much news except that Wes Taylor got a stripe through a job in the Q.M. stores, which nets him twenty cents a day extra. I wonder if you could send me some photos of general scenes in the West, as people here are very interested in pictures of this nature.
Well, I have to go back to the mess for supper, so will close now. Please say “hello” to old Tom Gould for me, tell him to practise his cribbage, as I am getting plenty myself.
