Sqd. #2. Flight: "F"
Nov. 2/40
Dear Mom,
Your nice newsy letter just got here & believe it or not I'm answering it right away. Ordinarily on Saturdays & weekends I go for a trip or something. Today however I'm catching up on some letterwriting. The other night a couple of fellows & myself came in rather late & we were given 4 days C.B> (Confined to Barracks) so here I am getting a lot of much needed sleep.
Thanks for the Postal Note, I hope to be able to return it in a month or so. The shorts arrived about a week ago but I'm afraid they were about six sizes too large. Fortunately I was able to sell them to my lunch mate for $1.50 & I intend to get some new ones when I get around to it.
We've had all our Math, Sanitation, Accounts, Physiology, Administration, Law, Armament, Drill, Discipline and War Gases examinations. They sprung our Mathematics test on us last week & somehow I managed to struggle thru with a mark of 97. I could hardly believe it myself & that put me 6th out of a class of 80 or so. I expect my average will be somewhere around 89 or 90. (Not bad, hey!)
They haven't as yet notified us as to our air crew classifications but we expect to be out of here by the end of next week. One of the most persistent rumors has it that we'll be in either Calgary or Edmonton, but nobody really knows. It is generally felt also that they are rushing the entire course thru as gunners; however, I still have hopes of becoming a pilot or observer.
I believe everyone is given 4 days or a week leave between Xmas or New Years but we have nothing to say about what we want.
They gave us an M2 (2nd. Medical Exam) & boy, was it ever tough! Several fellows failed it but I happened to be lucky enough to pass. They pummelled & pounded us inch by inch for an entire afternoon, gave us innumerable coordination tests using various aeroplane controls. We were put in a huge decompression chamber at the Banting Institute which was the equivalent of climbing to 25,000 feet. It takes about 40 mins to get up there & almost twice as long to get back down again. We were given a pencil & paper & a set of codes & at specified altitudes we stopped & were given 3 mins. To decipher them & I always managed to finish mine 20 or 30 secs early. For the last 8000 ft. they gave us oxygen thru special masks. Also at the B. institute we had various psychology tests, where wires were posted all over our heads & a huge piece of apparatus picked up & made graphs of the electro impulses. All in all they seem to be making a pretty thorough examination of all of us.
Blanche & Mary took me out to dinner last week & were just as interested as ever in everything. They had just received a letter from Trace & were very very pleased to hear from the kids. I haven't had a chance to visit Henry & I really don't expect I'll be able to before leaving.
I'm awfully glad to hear that you are finally getting settled for I can well imagine in what a muddle you must be. Those gov. loans you mention are every bit as sound as you say. Here in Toronto there are hundreds & hundreds of homes built on the housing plan & its really been a great success. Back in Alberta it's practically unheard of in comparison to the east. Are you sure that there are no complications in building a duplex under the plan? I hope not.
Tell Eric that I was very pleased to get his swell letter & that I'll drop him a line in a day or so. He & Trace will be have to do a lot of homework to keep up with their new class mates. I'm sure they will be good boys & try their hardest.
Give Louise a great big kiss for me. I'll bet she is becoming as spoiled as anything with all the attention she's getting.
Don't bother about those shirts. We've been issued with a couple more from stores & I've enough to get along with now.
What's this you mentioned about Ev? Is he really joining the airforce? I thought he would be getting an army commission.
I'm sorry to hear that Zille missed Toronto on her New York trip as I'd been looking forward to seeing her. However I may see you all in Vancouver in a month or so. By the way would you ask Zille if she knows a man in the dress wholesale business by the name of Vickers. Pete Vickers bunks beside me & he tells me his father probably knows Zille well.
If I write anymore I'll probably have to send it parcel post or get it bound & published or something. I've even surprised myself in filling up two sheets of saying nothing.
Lots of Love,
Newton.
P.S. After a lot of red tape & arguing I managed to get a claim in for an allowance for you. There isn't much chance of getting it but I think they'll send an investigator around to see you.