No. 83.

Capt. G.S. Andrews, R.C.E.

Survey Directorate

H.Q. Cdn Corps.

Cdn Army Overseas.

England, 6 October 41.

Dear Jean:

Didn't get your letter written yesterday as I was away in the country for the week-end, and thought it better to wait till I got back here. Had a lovely time. One of the British officers attached to our Corps, a fine young chap, invited me to drive home to his wife's people's farm in Wiltshire for the week-end. My major said O.K. so we started off Sat pm about 4 oclock. Got out to the farm just about dusk, and in time to enjoy a brief look-around before going into the farmhouse for a lovely supper of fried egg & bacon, & coffee. My host and his wife have been married only about a year, and her sister & sister's husband were there too, also young - and a brother about 18 yrs old - a nice solid farm lad. The mother was away and father dead. Sunday we put on grey pants & Indian Sweater and rubber boots - and rambled around the farm, looked at the stock, ate more eggs - and real butter - what a treat, I never have been able to get used to margarine and prefer to go without usually. It was a typical West country farm - dairy - they milk about 30 to 45 cows. The name of the Farm is Upper Snedshill farm - giant! Sunday p.m. my host & hostess took me for a little run in the [?] Austin 7 - like a baby carriage on wheels, but a good little car just the same. We saw some lovely English villages - Cirucester - a famous old Roman camp - Bibuay - a lovely little village with the famous "Arlington Row" of 16 Century Cottages. It is on the edge of the Cotswold Country characterized by quaint grey stone buildings & churches. I was in another part of this [?] last summer - (Chipping [?] & Powderway). We had tea at a comfortable old "Swan Inn" - and then back to the farm for a buffet supper by the fire at Woodstock. We drove home this morning - I stopped to do some business at an air post en route. It made a grand break - and another insight into English life. They are a nice young couple, and it did me good to see them happy to be together - as we have been - and will be again.

Last week was largely occupied with exercise practice manoeuvres and we were away til Friday pm - slept out under the starry sky each night - nice & snug in my eiderdown and little camp bed. The nights were clear, and it was pleasant to lie there comfortable, relaxed & warm and look up at the stars - and think - they seemed to reflect the vision of my wife and baby - as no doubt they were looking down on Victoria too.
The last night out we camped in our old Roman Earthworks - one of the largest & oldest of the many Roman camps in Britain. Early next morning I climbed up onto the remains of an old Roman Wall - some 2000 years old, and looked down on scores of stream-lined 1941 army cars packed along the hollow beside it - It was a strange and ironic contrast - and interesting that Caesar's choice of a camp site should be ours. We will do our best to insure that the Germans will never occupy that camp tho! While I found the exercise interesting - seeing huge masses of mechanized army units rolling over the country - I couldn't help comparing it with the quiet efficient & flexible moves of our survey position in the wilds of B.C. I think guerrilla warfare would suit me much more than the colossus of huge modern armies in action.

The mails recently seem to have been badly balled up - no letter from you yet - although a September Province arrived to-day - so I guess some letters will come along soon. I fear that some must have been lost - hope your parcel will come through safely - I got a letter off to F.D. Mulholland, but addressed it in your care , because I am not sure of his address.

I forgot to ask you if you could send a good plain ladies comb to Ecila Morris. Not a pocket comb, but a full sized ladies comb - she can't buy any in the stores here.

Next week dearest, is our anniversary - 3 years married - we seem to have been separated for fully ½ of it - However I don't think there are many couples who are as happily married as we are in spite of that - we seem to have the right basis for our partnership. I like to think too that perhaps this separation is more than half over - it is a riddle alright but somehow I feel that we will be together before our 5th anniversary. I think too that we should not lose sight of the possibility of having another honeymoon together - over here - I would so much like to have you see all that I have seen during the last couple of years. We should think about this anyway.

Well dear - I hope this week will bring a letter from my 2 best girls!

Love -

Ger.