Sunday [?] 18/42

My Dear Jack:

First of all I must congratulate you on the nice newsy letters we have received from you lately, your numbers 9-10 & 11 arrived all in one week, the eleventh on [?] 9th followed by 9 & 10 on the 13th and 14th., respectively and it certainly was a pleasure to read them I can assure you and we hope from now on that you will live up to the reputation you have now established. You appear to be having a good time in the squadron and we are glad to hear that you have got in with such a nice bunch of fellows, you also appear to have leave pretty frequently, but I guess they don't come too often for you. Auntie M and uncle Jim are still with us and we certainly are enjoying their company Uncle Jims leg is quite a lot better than when he first came but he still has a lot of pain with it at times. I do hope it will clear up entirely before he has to commence work again I think their visit here has bucked [?] up a bit too as she seems to be a lot stronger than before they came, although, of course she still has to be very careful and take lots of rest; We all went to visit Ada & Mel in their new apartment↑ on Wednesday last (Corner of Stanley and Begbie) over the grocery store. They appeared to be very comfortable, but I imagine it wouldn't be any too warm if we had a real cold spell. They moved from Amphion and Leighton road a couple of weeks ago. They both sent their kind regards to you and asked us to thank you for your good wishes to them. Mr and Mrs Andrews & Mrs Bridges, Senior, were over here on Friday and we had a very pleasant evening together.

Several people have left our vicinity since the Japs took the lid off. The Mitchells and Mrs Bamborough packed up during our black-out period & went back to the prairies and there were quite a number departed for [?] east at that [?] and [?]. We are all being advised what to do in the event of an air raid and have received a R.P. instructions etc. regarding alarms and so forth. There are to be no outside lights such as Neon and other advertising signs not even a porch light is supposed to be showing from now on. The windows in the Buildings have been taped, blacked out etc & certain of the basement corridors have been designated as air raid shelters for the various departments, these corridors have oil lamps hanging on the walls on case of need. We are to stay in our own office and get under the desks etc in case the need arises. Mr [?], one of our wardens, was over the other evening with the instruction card. He told us that [?] had been home on a 48 hour leave from Vancouver, where he was transferred from Cape Breton at the beginning of the year. I think he is attached to a bomber squadron which was recently sent there but [?] is in the accountancy end of it. Bob [?] is stationed at Pat Bay but we haven't seen him yet. Some guys get all the breaks don't they? I guess Bob didn't see it that way though, when he was quarantined during training, but the delay then may have [?] in his being where he is now, who knows? Bill [?] is awaiting call to the R.[?] and Jack Hewison arrived in Toronto a week ago yesterday his dad Dad told me, but I am not sure whether he is to train as a Pilot or not. We hope that you have at last contacted George & been able to see him. From what Auntie Ethel says, he was stationed at Saffron Walden at one time and I don't think he is so very far from you now. Please give him our very best wishes when you do see him also Ted & [?]. Now, I have about exhausted the news for the present and will close with my very best wishes for your future health and safety, and remain,

Your loving
Dad.

P.S. Glad to know that you had such a good time at the squadron [?] & hope you will have many more of them in the future, also hope the chicken pie and other eats will increase in excellence. Who puts these affairs in for you? Dad