Stamer, Wigtownshire Scotland
2.30 pm 17 Jan 43
Jan 15, 1943
Also a swell night

Dear Pa:

Well how is the old string saver now. You as adjutant should be able to hold your own in the old. I suppose you are dropping the old stink bombs by the sleigh load and devastating acres and acres. Well I hope I can get doing a bit of bombing or at least making the necessary preliminaries. This is a hard country to fly over: the towns all run into each other and so we have to fall back on good navigation, not just railways; but around the coast its easy to pin point and most of this country is coast line. You can't fly without going over the water.

Bonnie Scotland is quite a place, cold, wet and windy. The temperatures aren't to low but its more than our coldest at home. I'm even wearing winter underwear, imagine that. We thought we were practically at the N Pole in Edmonton but you should see me now. If Bill is in the Shetlands I sure pity him. Haven't had any word of him since I saw him back around the first of November. I saw 2E Butler down at Bournemouth one time but so far those are the only guys I have met over here.

I started to write this letter about six hours ago but first we had an argument on the percentage of Canadians in the air crew of the whole training plan, and we six men sure held our own over the rest, and there are six nations represented in our little gang. It goes on from there to a bit of polotics etc. and probably ends up about midnight, so we all go to bed and this is just what happened and here is Sat. afternoon, just got up in time for dinner, twelve thirty. Boy what a life. All we do is eat and sleep, take a few lecture in the daytime. Fly around a bit now and then. I think I have got about twelve hours in in the last five months, but I'll likely get plenty in another month or so.

I had a letter from Olwen yesterday; she put the thirty cents for air mail on and forgot to put a sticker on so I guess I'll have to tell her to smarten up a bit; it took longer to come than yours. Bet wrote the other day too. I don't suppose there is not much sense answering it, she should be finished in London before it ever arrived.

I saw Austin as you say. He's in the Irish Regt. I was sitting in our stateroom and I saw a guy walk by the door and I though I should know him so I chased him about a mile down the corridor and finally caught up with him.

Well there isn't much I can say, nothing of importance has happened since I got here. Flew over a convoy once which is considered as mostly committing suicide, but we got away with it. By Harn I wasn't long answering their challenge with old light.

I'll have to call it a day now and get this posted so I'll be seeing you when the works all done next fall so goodbye now.

Jim