Letter 18: November 13, 1941

Letter 18:  November 13, 1941      postmark whited out

 

 

 

 

MERRY XMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

No 2 Letter
Sgt Pilot Piper F J R85176

Canadian Base (Overseas)

Post Office No 1

England RCAF Station 

Thurs Nov 13/41 

Dear Ellen

            I hope by this time you have received my other letter, I’ve been kind of long in writing this one, but with moving around so much & other things I can’t seem to settle down & write letters. I’m going to try & number my letters in rotation so that you will know if you don’t receive some of the [cut out].

            I have been transferred [from] the station in the south part of England, I’m now stationed in Wales and out in the sticks at that. I’m stationed about 8 miles from the nearest cities. I sure enjoyed myself at the other place as I mentioned in the other letters and lot of pleasure. I don’t think I’m going to like this place as well though because there isn’t a hell of a lot to do here.

            I’ve only been up once in a plane since arriving here & that was just as a passenger. I expect to start flying tomorrow if the weather is fit. The weather has been bad ever since I arrived in this place, rain & mist & wind. The flying I’ll be doing here isn’t very dangerous as it is a [word cut out] Station.

            I am the only Canadian pilot on this Station at the present so that don’t help things out much as far as enjoying myself is concerned. There are two Australian Pilots, one New Zealander, one USA, six or seven Polish, one French, one Indian from India & the rest British, so you see Ellen there is quite an assortment. Most of us boys that came over from Canada together got split up all over hell.

            I wrote to Dads two brothers and sister and got answers from them all inviting me to come & visit them as soon as possible. A also wrote to Mother’s sister, but the letter was returned unopened, so they must have changed their address.

            I’ve applied for leave from this station for 10 days starting in about a week and if I get it I’m heading for Aunt Janet’s on the first train. I also wrote the other day to try & get in contact with Les Clark & Scottie and some of the other boys from home.

            I’ve been into one of citys near us a couple of times, went to a show one night with Charlie McCarthy & Edgar Bergen. I went to a dance the other night & it was a fair dance, with lots of Jive & Jam, and I never saw so many girls standing around the floor, about 3 to every man.

            We have about 200 WAAFS on this station & there seems to be quite a few nice ones although I haven’t me any of them as yet (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force)

            Well Ellen dear I guess there isn’t much more to say for now so I’ll say goodbye for now & I’ll write another letter soon.

            Your loving brother

            Fred

NOTES

Fred was stationed to Pembrey, Camarthenshire, Wales, where the R.A.F. No2 Air Gunnery School was located. Pembrey is located about 7 miles northwest of Llanelli, the closest city.