V79878 P.O. Arthur Bergquist,

Princess Alice Camp,

Minncog Island,

Midland Ont.

June 21, 1944

Dear Ma Pa & Ruth:

I received your letter to-day that you wrote while on the boat bound for Victoria. I am glad to see that the weather was nice on the way over and I hope it stays that way for as long as you are on the island. I guess you will be home when, or not long after, this letter gets to you all.

I will be going to Toronto to see Rubert this week end and will be in Toronto at 11.30 Saturday morning. There is a lieutenant in charge of all the boats and he is known as Captain D. He is my boss and he okayed my week-end leave to-day. so I will be leaving the island Friday afternoon. It sure will be swell to see Rubert again. I hope he gets the whole week end off because it is harder for me to get a week-end leave from the island here than it was while I was in “Midland.” I hope Rubert gets his uniform for the week end because I will then be able to take his picture. He said he wrote home to you Ma to send him some money so he could get his uniform.

To-night after supper another fellow and myself were out picking wild strawberries and we picked enough so that we each had a bowl of strawberries with sugar and cream. The mosquitoes were thick though so I got quite a few mosquitoe bites. These wild strawberries are not very big they are no bigger than an ordinary sized raspberry. They are sweeter though than the strawberries you buy in a fruit store. In a couple of weeks the blueberries will start to get ripe so I will then have to start picking them.

That sure is swell stationary that you got on the boat Ruth. It is kind of hard to write on a boat I imagine,  but you did alright. Your writing is a lot better than mine was on the train—but then I’m not much of a writer anyways—the train sure jerks a lot though, they are a lot rougher than a boat.

Since coming to the island I am kind of saving on my dress uniform and my Wellingtons. I had my uniform pressed just before I left Midland and I havent worn either since coming to the island. In Midland I was wearing them almost every night and I was beginning to get kind of worried that I would have them worn out by the time I come home. I wont wear them out up here though so that is okay. I sure hope Rubert gets a uniform like I got, mine sure is a good one. The uniform Larson got doesnt fit him as good as mine does.

Larson got a letter from his wife saying she was leaving Vancouver to-night for Midland and would be there next Wednesday. She know some people in Toronto so she will be staying there part of the time. Larson was kind of worried about her coming to “Midland” with him being on the island and not knowing how often he could get off of it.

Well seeing as how I will be going to see Rubert this week-end I will be able to phone you either Saturday night or Sunday. I’m not sure which it will be but if you prefer either one I would phone on the night you like best. If I phone Saturday night the call would come through about 10 o’clock your time or if I phone Sunday the call would come through about 7 to 10 o’clock your time.

Well I guess this will have to be all for this time so hoping that you are all okay I will stop here.

Love to you all

Art

P.S. How are you making out with your cooking, Pa?