#38

Oct 26. 1944.

Dear Mother:

My electric heater nearly did me in one night. I had it too close to the bed and during the night the sheets came untucked. I have no idea why I woke up but I did at the very moment when the sheet broke into flame and the fire was quickly smothered. Someone else had worse luck when they put a heater underneath the chest of drawers to dry out his clothes. After a day or so it charred thru the bottom and burnt all his clothes.

I have soloed at night at last. This should have been done long ago but we seem far behind schedule and I have visions of a prolonged stay here yet. We waste considerable time when not flying nor at ground school. For instance the other day I was out sailing in a rubber dinghy. It is an ingenious thing with a centre board, rudder and two sails and it was quite good fun but we do not carry that type in our aircraft.

I have had two more letters from Peter who is in Holland now. He managed a day off in Ghent and had quite a time but such occassions are few and far between. Once he had his radio on for a whole week and I guess it is mainly his responsibility to listen out on it.

I hope you have managed to find an adequate amount of boxes. The cardboard variety don’t sound as if they would load very securely on a truck. What is the grand total of all varieties and is there a good market?

With love from
Tony.

[Editor’s note: Transcription provided by collection donor.]