V-7987 P.O. Arthur Bergquist

c/o General Delivery,

Midland, Ont.,

June 7, 1944.

Dear Ma Pa & Ruth:

Just a few lines to let you know that I am alright and that I received two letters from you to-day and some newspapers.

Well to-day is Wednesday and I am still at Midland. For the last two days I have been working on the “Chimon”, “Eatons yacht or schooner”.

Yesterday at about 5 o

Clock the lieutenants said they were going to try the boat with all the sails on. Larson and I went too and we got back at 6 o’clock. This afternoon at 2 o’clock we went out on the schooner again and didn’t get back until just before six o’clock. Boy! It sure is a swell boat to go sailing. It sure was swell, and there was quite a breeze. The two lieutenants aboard sure know their business, one of them is said to be the best sailing man in Canada. He has won a lot of races with yachts, and they were saying that the “Chimon” won a [?] race before they turned it over to the Navy, and it has to be a darn good boat to do that. Larson & myself have the job of scraping the whole deck, and it is made out of teak. We re-pitched the whole deck so it is quite a job to scrape it. It doesn’t take long before the scraper is blunt. It will take a couple of days yet before we will have it cleaned up. I took three pictures while out on the boat to-day and one of them is of the lieutenant I went to Toronto with. I am going to take the negatives in to-night and if the pictures turn out I will send them to you.

I sure hope I am able to keep working here all week so I will get away on Saturday to go and see Rub again. I wrote to Lorraine on Monday night and I told her that if I am not marooned on Minnicog Island this week end, I could probably phone her when I get back from Toronto. I thought that I had better phone her this week end if I can, because if I am sent to the island, I might not be able to so easy then, besides I thought that if I phone her she would phone you and let you know whether I would be able to go and see Rubert or not. So if I dont phone her between 8 & 10 o’clock Sunday night it will be because I am on “Minnicog Island” and wasnt able to. I sure hope things work out alright though so that I will be able to go and see Rubert again this coming week end.

Last night I went to the show here and I saw in the Lobby that the picture “Buffalo Bill” will be on Monday & Tuesday, so I sure hope that I will b e able to see it The show here seems to get pictures pretty quick because the picture “Passage to Marsailles” was on last week, and I see in the papers you sent that it is on in Vancouver now.

I am glad to see that you received my telegram alright. Last Saturday in Toronto when Rubert & I were looking around the stones in Toronto we found out that all the large department stores closed on  Saturday at 10 o’clock so we weren’t able to go in the large stores. The smaller stores were all open though.

It sure is lucky that Rub & I were able to get in the Navy like we did, seeing as how they are not recruiting shipwrights any more. I wonder how it will work out with Walter if he doesn’t get another postponement. It sure is a lot better to be in the “Navy” than it would be to be in the “Army”. I guess now that they “Invasion” has started they will be taking a lot of fellows in the Army now alright. May be it wont be long now before this business will be over now, I sure hope that it wont be long now. I sure hope that in three months I will be able to get my leave. I believe I stand a very good chance though seeing as how this place closes up at that time. The officers in charge here seem to be nice fellows so I should be able to make it, I sure am going to go after them about getting leave, I believe if a fellow goes after them enough, they should get it. It sure will be swell to be able to come home again.

Well I guess this is about all for to-night so hoping that you are all alright will stop here

Love to you all

Art.

P.S. I will write again to-morrow and let you know how things are going.