Sept. 11, 1942

Dear Mom;

I have two letters from you now so I had better get busy and write to you, although I wrote you only a few days ago. One letter is July 24th, the other is August 16th. Somewhat a long way apart. I guess one has been traveling around as usual. The Beaver Club letter is one of the fastest I have ever got, 22 days to be exact. It is a very good service they give, only one day from the time they receive it until I get it. You see I just keep in touch with the postmistress at the Beaver Club, telling her my new address as quickly as it changes and in that way, she can re-address the mail as soon as she gets it to me. Therefore you see it is much quicker than if you had my address and sent my mail directly here for by the time it got here, I would probably have moved and then it would have to start looking for me, again! So I really think that it is a good idea.

Honestly though, I don't know what to write about because there is not very much I can say that is new. I am working hard, getting through my course as best I can. We had an exam on Armaments the other day, on the Browning Gun. I got 98% if you can imagine that and even at that I was the fourth in the class. There were two with 99% and one with 100%. I also had my third exam in Morse and got 100% and my first in Aldis Lamp and got 98%. My mark was 82% in Navigation and 83% in Anti Gas. So I guess I should pass. But we'll have to wait and see.

Really Mother, you shouldn't have such a low opinion of your own ability. I welcome and enjoy your letters very much and wouldn't have it any other way. My letters at present are not very interesting I'm afraid, because there is nothing of interest to write about. The only times I go out are on Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the time I am studying all the time. I never realized before what a terrible time a ‘Navigator' of an aircraft must have and how he can possibly make all the calculations and corrections that are necessary in the official time allowed, I - at present, cannot see. But I suppose it will all come out in time, so I can just keep plugging away.

I don't know what to think of Stanley, I am sure. I should like to talk to him before I could say anything but from your description, I should say he is probably having a bit of bother adjusting himself to it. I know it is very difficult for some boys to do, especially if they see girls only very irregularly as we do in the Army. I mean girls to men in the Army are essentially ‘things' that are only seen or talked to during our leisure hours and so it is not unnatural that in time, living under this false atmosphere of abstination, they should be regarded as playthings by the great majority of men. That is one reason why I welcome this change over to the RAF. because here the WAAF.s mingle with the men, they do our cooking and our Clerking, we talk to them, see them all day long and more or less get used to having them around. I definitely believe that it improves the morale and the morals of the men. But for a while - until one can adjust oneself to them, they are a very disturbing influence and if as Stanley says he is training with the WAAC., that may be the explanation. Of course, I am only guessing and may be a mile off-course. Well that seems to be all. Sorry this is such a short letter...wait until I start flying!

Love to you all,

Jim