#24

423 Sqdn.
RCAF.
May 11. 1944

Dear Mother:

I had word today from my friend who got my posting and I am a bit envious. He is in Ceylon. He recommends the place for sunshine, good food, Canadian whiskey, and the extra $75.00 per month for overseas pay. The first day he hit India he had 4 chocolate milk shakes, two egg nogs, bananas and oranges despite the fact they had had a fairly luxurious boat trip all the way.

Did I tell you I got seven Couriers one day? I wonder where and how they all collected together. I still have not got the copy describing the boat trip. The ‘Digest” is coming over O.K. now as I have the April number already. I have got all your letters up to no. 28 inc. except for no. 24 No parcels or cigs for some time now.

I thought Yellowknife had closed down long ago but I suppose the place is so firmly settled it takes a long time to move out the population if that is being done. In the old days at least one of the cafes was enterprising enough to have fresh eggs flown in.

Yesterday a bus load of us went to look at a radio station and two incidents within half an hour decided for all of us that flying was by far the safer means of travel. We started out by removing the castle gate, a metal affair in the archway leading to the courtyard. Shortly after we sideswiped a truck. ripping a bit out of our fender. The roads are so narrow there just isn’t room for two heavy vehicles but the M.T. driver hadn’t taken this into account. Nothing further happened but this all took time so we did not get time to stop over for a meal at a strange town as we had planned.

“It never rains but what it hails”—or something. That’s what my skipper thinks. A week ago he was promoted to F/L. Now he is back to F/O as someone decided there were too manys F/Ls on the the station. This was yesterday and on the same day results came through about that course I was on and our crew was not very good and some keen type orderly officer turned in a good report that our NCOs hut was in rather a disorderly condition. Some of the lesser responsibilities of a captain are the ground school education of his crew, the cleanliness of their huts and their physical training.

I believe MacLeans had an article on those pictures I told you to look for in the “London News” so no doubt you have read it by now.

Our huts have been fixed up quite nicely now with lino covering on the cement floor. Fires are out now until next fall as we get no more coal and coke won’t start without it. Luckily I still have my electric heater for tea coffee and soup. I have finished my coffee now but its Bordens ‘Coffee, condensed with milk and sugar’, Reindeer brand, 8 oz tins just in case you can get some more. You people may not think it is coffee but its the nearest approximation I have had anywhere this side of the ocean.

With love from Tony.

[Editor’s note: Transcription provided by collection donor.]