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Date: October 13th 1941
To
Jill Leir - (girlfriend)
From
Denys Beames
Letter

#11 S.F.T.S.,
Yorkton,
13/10/41.

Dearest Jill,

I just got your letter at noon, so I’m stealing a few moments of my navigation period to tell you how much I appreciate it darling. Really Jill it has pulled me right out of the dumps. Not that I’m really low, just a trifle disgusted with the scurvy way in which fate has chosen to treat us.

We are to be a class of guinea pigs and fly the new twin engine Cessna’s which have just been sent here. This means no dog fighting or aerobatics, but actually it is a much higher standard of training to be able to fly twin engine jobs so it’s all for the best I guess.

Darling, I was really kidding about the Teachers and in case you don’t know it a bottle of it would cost a small fortune – in fact its darn seldom I can spread myself to such an extent, so don’t put your few shekels out on it just send the picture because thats what I really want.

So you’re up to your neck in homework again. Lady yo’all ain’t alone in your glory. We are now at the final and hardest part of our course, putting in 7 hours a day in ground school until next week, we start 4 hours a day in school and four hours flying plus at least half an hours P.T. and what homework we have the energy to do.

This station is something of a backbreaker, what with all the mental strain and the heavy P.T. and rotten grub in comparison to what we received in Regina however if they can dish it out we can take it if any one can.

It seems that we are wanted overseas in time for the big push, or at least so it seems and if we can only get through here we are practically sure of getting over for the spring offensive, so we really have something to keep up our moral.

My only thought against going over is the idea in my head that it will be another year away from you but a year is not so terribly long in our young lives is it dearest? With all the varied knowledge I am trying to absorb here I should be able to settle down to a decent job if I really set my mind to it and forget “the other side of the hill.”

I still dream about all the places I want to go, but I can see that if I let myself do them I’ll be in the poor house, so I intend to try to settle down after this little joy ride is over. It seems all rather far away now, but times goes so fast when you are in constant action, as we are and I know your time is pretty well fill up, so we shall just have to wait and see where Destinies little lamp will guide us.

I sit on my bed and think about you darling, then I simply have to put my thoughts into words, so you get a line of rather disconnected thoughts which you must find rather hard to understand and I guess any one else would have to have you decipher them, but I believe you know me well enough dearest to understand it all and I know you aren’t bored. We get a 48 hr. pass next weekend I believe, so you can expect a fairly readable letter soon. I get rather disgusted when I read over these supercharged letters I send you darling, because I know you’d appreciate something a little more worthy. Do try and tell me a little of what you do, when you get time – I love you know and that means I’m dying to know what you do every minute, I’d give my right hand to be doing it with you, but it can’t be so.

By the way did you know that Bud has gone to sea on one of the new Corvette’s? No one seems to know where but he’s gone so he’s right in the thick of it too. I’d like to see the old slug again and see if he’s any tougher than he used to be. If we’re lucky I guess we’ll all be together at Xmas time or just after and that’s going to be a wonderfull reunion.

It is getting onto the time when I simply must do some work sweetheart so I’ll have to say adios.

Remember I am always with you in spirit and love you more than ever.

All my love Dearest,
Your Den.

Original Scans

Original Scans