#6   Nov. 19. 1943

Dear Mother and Dad:

I hope this will arrive in time for Christmas even though it is two days after the last mailing date. It has been hard to get Christmas cards. Except for the enclosed they are all RAF despite the fact that this place is all RCAF. As usual I have left everything to the last minute.

I hope you are getting mail from me O.K. I certainly aren’t getting any fropm ;your side. Soon I shall give up even asking for mail.

We are beginning to get fed up here. It is the ground school that does it for we learn almost nothing—its only to keep us busy. Roll call is hourly and so when some of the boys missed a lecture they were caught and had to report for six nights every half hour for three hours. We had link for two days which was useful and also this building is kept reasonably warm and you are allowed to go down town when not busy.

Today we had swimming in an indoor pool. Temp of the water was 73 so I got warm for the first time in days. They want us to be able to swim three lengths but not many of us did and I’m afraid several had their names checked off as having done so when the only water they had touched came from the hot shower.

I’ve spent the last two days operating on the alarm clock and have got it just about back to normal. I had one cog left over at first which didn’t seem to make any difference but I found its home anyway.

Dorothy hopes that if Dick and I can get leave Dec 1 we shall come down to Moreton-in-M. Just in time for the pig killing and hence lots of work, she says. Now what were some of those other addresses. Oh well—probably won’t get leave anyway.

We had a talk from two OTU officers one day. They said they were here to build up our morale but about the only thing I remember their saying is that even we G.R. trained pilots will go, along with everyone else, onto heavy bombers. Looks like I may never got my Sunderland.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

With love from
Tony.

[Note: Transcription provided by collection donor.]