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Date: January 1942
To
Jill Leir - (fiancée)
From
Denys Beames
Letter

My darling Jill;

Here I am safe and sound in England, still a little bewildered, but pretty happy about the whole thing, (with reservations).

I thoroughly enjoyed the voyage from start to finish, having the good luck of not being seasick at all as many of the boys were. We found plenty to do and we didn’t have to make all our own excitement by a long shot!

Jack, Cosentine and Dave Halcrow were both on board, Jack being in the same mess as I am, so with most of our Yorkton gang and a few other B.C. boys, we had a very lively gang. We spent the majority of our evenings in one of the big smoking lounges, holding sing songs and various games. This was aided and abetted by a bar, selling beer and liquor at very reasonable prices, for a few hours every evening. After a few drinks we would get one of the several excellent pianists, and get down to business and have a really good time.

There is really very little I can tell you about the voyage at present and I have seen so of England that as yet I can’t tell you much about that. However dearest I am writing the odd thing down and you shall recieve it all as soon as I get back to you.

There are one or two things I haven’t straightened out yet which I shall try and do now. One thing I promised you, darling, was a bill of sale for Amigo. I am enclosing this and I think you will find it satisfactory for any purposes that you’ll need it for. You might ask Mum to send you the old bill, and get Dad to cancel it for you in my name so that everything will be in proper shape.

Since I didn’t get a decent picture of you for my folder, please try get me that single one of yourself, when your mother gets some. I really wish I had been able to bring that with me, but I suppose I can use dream pictures till they arrive.

I must close now sweetheart but I’ll write again in a day or two when I get settled.

All my love darling,
Keep your chin up,
Den.

[added at top of second page:]
Address.,
Canada R101215,
Sgt. Plt. Beames H.D.,
Attached R.A.F.,
R.C.A.F. Overseas

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