Letter 24: February 20, 1942
R85176
Sgt Piper F J
RCAF Attached
No1 AGS
RAF
Feb
20/41
(incorrect date,
should be 1942)
Dear
Ellen
Hello Nell how’s every little thing
with you. I received your number 13 letter the other day & thanks for
writing me so regular. I haven’t written you as many letters as you’ve written
me but then you understand because I have so many to write. You asked about the
cigarettes, yes I received 200 from you Ellen & thanks ever so much. I
thanked you in another letter which you should have by now.
Well Ellen as far as flying is
concerned there isn’t much I can say about it as I just came back from 10 days
leave on the 17th Feb & I’ve only flew one hour since so you see
why.
I had a nice leave and I travelled
over a lot of territory, first I went to the south of England to see Les &
Scotty & had a very enjoyable time, it sure was good to see them & we
sure had a swell visit. Then as Les had a 48 hr pass him & I went into
London & I met his wife who seems to be a very fine girl. I knocked around
London for a few days looking the place over (especially the Pubs) then I went
up to Scotland to Auntie Janet’s where I stayed the rest of my leave. I went
into Ayr on the Sat afternoon with one of our cousins Hugh McEwan & some
other fellows & some of us went skating at the Ayr artificial Ice rink
which I really enjoyed, then in the evening we Pub Crawling and visited several
of Robbie Burns favourite Pubs. And then at night we went dancing. The next day
I went skating on a Loch (we would call it a slough at home) the ice was a bit
rubbery but it was okay. Auntie Janet said that many times Dad had gone skating
on the same Loch when he was young. Auntie Janet is fine she had been sick with
the Flu but was felling fine when I was there, both school teachers were fine &
also Margaret McDonald the little evacuee. Miss Simpson (the elder) &
Auntie Janet were talking about when they saw you as a little infant & you
had those big brown innocent eyes of yours. I met some more of Dads old
cronies & got some more low down on him. One fellow said that if the kids
now a days done some of the things that him & Baldy (that’s Dad) & some
of the other fellows used to do they would be put in jail.
I didn’t go up to Edinburgh this
last leave as I didn’t have time, but I hope to get up there the next time.
There was a big dance in the city
last night so six of us fellows went on a party before going to the dance, only
four of us came back on out own power. We have a special little Pub of our own
which we go to & I have quite a but of influence with the wife, the boss,
she thinks I’m a pretty good Joe, when she is a little shore of whiskey &
she knows we’re coming in she puts a bottle to the side for us. I was asked to
be Master of Ceremonies at a dance in a town close to the camp, it is to be
held in March, they are going to put in on the advertising bills Sgt Piper
RCAF MC.
We are going to have another dance
in the Sergts Mess on the 27th of this month, this should be another
good night. While I was on my leave I left my bicycle with one of the mechanics
in our Flight & he overhauled my byce & painted it and it runs like a
clock now. You wouldn’t no it was the same byce.
Say Ellen I’m sorry I never sent you
greetings before you birthday, but anyway I was at Auntie Janet’s on your
birthday & we both said it together, Many Happy Returns of the day to
Ellen.
I heard Mary Clark speaking over the
radio to Les & Mac the other day & it sure seemed funny to hear a voice
one knows all the way from Canada.
I had a letter from Dorothy Piper
yesterday and she was telling me she is in training for a nurse. I also had a
nice letter from Nettie Dewar & is she ever a scream in her letters, she
just writes the way she talks, one sentence I got a bang out of was “I wish
your were here so I could have a good dance for a change, these plough-jockeys
don’t know what its all about” She also sent me a picture of herself.
I’m enclosing you a couple of
pictures, one of Aunt Janet & one of myself in battle dress, you’ll notice
my strips on my right arm, this is all we wear in battle dress.
Well Ellen I guess that about all
for now so I will say adieus for now.
Your loving brother
Fred
NOTES
Hugh McEwan: is the grandson of Jane Piper, a sister of Fred's grandfather William. Hugh and Fred were 2nd cousins
Dorothy Piper: is the daughter of Fred's 1st cousin William Piper in Alberta. Fred and Dorothy were 1st cousins once removed.
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