R201958
A.C.2 Steel, W.G.
No 14 S.F.T.S., R.C.A.F.,
Aylmer, Ont.
May 8, 1943

Dear Bill,

I was pleased to receive your letter of the 5th and to learn you are getting some breaks and are having lots of fun.

First I'll give you a summary of events since I left ye ole Nlaw-sheen!

We arrived at the station see above address, which is a couple of miles from the town of Also Alymer, a small town and ten or so miles from St. Thomas, a slightly larger town.

While I was at No. 14. I did a few "Jo-Jobs" and our ITSA Group were made time-keepers in on the aerodrome, a sort of soft but hellishly boring job. It is a new system they are trying out.

Then five of us were sent out here to "R1" a substation of Aylmer to carry on here. That is the low down as far as work goes. We work Saturday and Sunday too, hence no 48's. Bastardly, that!

The discipline is not the same at these stations as at Lachine. People eat in the mess in their pajamas occasionally and you are allowed to smoke there.

There isn't a hell of a lot of excitement, though there is a bunch of W.D.s at No. 14, onto one of which I have gaffled.

Her name is Godwin and she is almost as tall as I am, 22 years old, dark blonde, nice lips, nice teeth and so on. She is a photographer here and her home town is Edmonton, Alberta. She is most unusual and interesting.

Last night I went into the main station to see her and didn't return until 0030 hours, half an hour late. So I am under open arrest. I wrote myself out a pass today and got it approved, I only hope it is signed before the cunts catch up to me as I have a date with my W.D. to go dancing at the Masonic Lodge at St. Thomas tonight. She reminds me of Norma.

Doris wrote me another letter lately, ending it "Your friend, Doris" and full of questions about what I think of the women up here and what I am doing and so forth.

I got a letter from Gord yesterday he says harry and Eddie are both in town and that he himself expects to become discharged from the Air Force.

Matheson, the Halifax boyfriend, arrived in Lachine just as I left. What rotten luck.

Norma sent me a parcel containing fruit, candy, cigarettes, and a 1/2 lb of cream cheese. All consumed now, God god bless her Her.

I wrote Brian a letter recently with a cartoon of the latest Harvard training plane with twenty-six cockpits, one for the instructor and room for twenty-five students.

All the planes in these two stations are Harvards except for a handful of Ansons.

A few days ago I was up for my first spin in a Harvard. It was fun but not as thrilling as I had expected.

We are with a bunch of Aussies here. They are hot shits. The other night as I came in from social maneuvers I barged in the barracks on the most beautiful barrack-drunk I ever saw!

As soon as I got on in bed they ripped me out and fed me some gin and so I watched the fun. They got two P/O instructors over here that night and exercised upon them what they termed "low flying," which went like this. Three or four Aussies (LAC's) would pick up an instructor (PONFO) and stampede like mad bastards down the hallway with him parallel to the floor and about a foot from it. It is a wonder nobody got killed.

There are some chess fiends here and I have an opportunity to play now and then, it is rumoured that we may buggar off to ITS soon.

You are certainly to be envied, still in Montreal. Maybe we will run across each other again.

I don't wear our gold collar pin anymore either, Doc.

Your Costa Rica woman sounds very exotic, the way you describe her; what about that, Doc?

If you don't climb aboard Tillie if you get a chance I shall be very dissapointed in you. Don't forget where she works.

Who the Hell is Mattie2? The little brunette?

Something I must try to accomplish this summer is getting some swimming down.

Four of the orderly room lice worked on me to buy a bond for an hour and a half but I refused. I must pay off my debts first.

I note you wrote your letter at the "Home away from home" HEH, HEH.

Pardonnez-moi, whilst I roll a makins! Aah! Heavenly!

By the way. I have grown a mustache which is being noticed by all. It really isn't bad. You should see it.

As I leave to get to work now and I have run out of news, I must close Please write soon,

Your brother.

Wink.

P.S. I sent Mum a 25¢ Mother's Day card.