#48

Jan 25. 1945

Dear Mother:

Yesterday I got a Christmas parcel from the Womens Auxiliary Air Services in Vanc. Pair of socks, laces, tie, handkerchiefs, writing kit, pencil, razor blades and choc. bars. Not bad is it. I have given up hope of the cake but other parcels arrive. The tongue has arrived, also the jam and fruit. Don’t send any more bananas as I’ve grown quite tired of them. Canned milk would be useful though if I continue to stay around stations like these but this seems rather unlikely at present. I’ve got another 900 cigs from H.M. & Co. I wonder if they will continue to come every month. Had quite a time making a cup of hot drink this afternoon. Started with cocoa but the drink was so awful it nearly knocked me over. Heated up some more water and tried postum. Same result. Made some more postum leaving out the powdered milk. Worst of all. Decided sugar must be washing soda or something and finally got a mediocre drink on the fourth try.

There are only two of us left in the hut now so there is much less cooking and coke. The 5 Canadians who were here used to scrounge about five extra sacks every week so as to keep the fire going all day. The ration is only two per week and this week it didn’t arrive due to somebodys boob. I moved into another hut for 2 nights until ours came today so it is really cold. Seventeen degrees of frost this afternoon and plenty of snow recently. I have been for a couple of good walks around here. The first was on a perfect day. Bright sun and cold. I walked up a mountain road behind the town and found a place for tea. There is a castle up there which I should like to see close at hand sometime. I was alone this time, most of my crew aren’t too keen on walking I surmise, but the next day I got my engineer out. We had to break trail accross one open field and the snow was up to our knees. Another day I bicycled to a town ten miles away with my other pilot. It was very cold and slippery but quite a good outing nevertheless. I must have strained a ham string on this as I can hardly walk now so I’m forced to stay rather close to home.

With love from
Tony.

[Editor’s note: Transcription provided by collection donor.]