Monday, Dec. 15, 1941

R.A.F STATION, BOTTESFORD
NOTTINGHAM.

Dearest Mum -

It certainly is a grand feeling to come back to your station after leave and find a nice pile of letters from home waiting to welcome you. On Friday I did just that and it was a special treat to get your two Mum (Oct. 29, Nov. 6) as I had received none for almost a month an I was beginning to worry if they were going permanently astray.

I also received today the Dad's Cookies that you sent Mum and they certainly are acceptable for it is practically impossible for us now to get off the station + even if we could I doubt very much if we could find any such scrumptious morsels. Thanks a million Mummy darling.

I was glad to hear that you spent such a happy Birthday Mum but I was sorry to hear that my letter gift couldn't arrive in time, my letter being unaccountably help up as Fran no doubt has explained to you. Still, better late than never.

I do so appreciate your looking after the flowers for me on the "14th" Mum and in Fran's last letter I could easily tell how thrilled + pleased she was with them. So, Mummy, if I know that you both at least one day every month will have cause to think of me just that much more dearly then indeed that will be a happy day for me. Yesterday I could not keep from imagining that we were all a little closer at least through just that.

Yes I finally did finish [?] and indeed found it very gripping throughout though it did end rather lamely somewhat akin to the nightly drama over the radio that gets so hopelessly involved that the only solution is to curtail the programs!

I have no doubt that I will do a good deal of reading on this station as there is so very little else to do of an evening or during the day for that matter.

By now Bryan should be well completed with his Course - a full fledged Pilot! Oh how I wish I were there to see him - he'd be so proud but not a quarter as much as I! It seems quite on the cards now that our Canadian boys may be kept at homes to guard our West Coast now that those Yellow Devils are kicking up such a rumpus. My immediate reaction to such an eventuality should it materialize - and Bryan's too, I suppose would be on of keen disappointment but no doubt a minute as so reflection would change our minds. It would be grande if he could stay home or near home. Still even as I write this he may be practically on his way over - be sure + cable me Mum (deferred rate is quite reasonable) if Jeepers is coming over or not. Of course no dates or places need be mentioned.

It does seem a long time since I wrote last but I have been in as big a muddle as our poor old world has been I think. We did finally finish our Course at [?] - in fact we were the first Crew finished and as a reward (?) we were posted to my present station here which is our Operational Squadron. Ours so the only Crew to be posted here so once again I must set about making friends all over again. It is however not an extremely difficult thing to do and I should certainly be used to it by now but nevertheless it is always with a very deep feeling of regret that I part with fellows I have known and lived with for months.

C'est le guerre!

6 weeks ago Thursday I went up to London for seven days' leave again and did I ever get a surprise on arriving at Earl's Court! Auntie Lil + Uncle Oliver were there but no Irene! It is now Mrs. Ronald Lane and it has been so for over a month.

He is a Lieutenant in the British Army and has been out in Africa for three years, the last two spent with the army cleaning up the Italians - evidently they had planned on getting married whenever possible and when Ron came home on leave they did just that without even time to let anyone know. Auntie Lilly didn't even have time to tell Aunt Daisy in time for the wedding which was held in a Church in Earl's Court.

Naturally, while I was in London I saw a good deal of them. They had two weeks in Bournemouth and while I was in London were staying with Ron's parents in Beckenham. He rather expects to be sent Overseas again. He really is a grand chap - very good-looking and plays the piano marvellously which wiled away a good many pleasant hours for us all. They do make a lovely couple - I'm sertain God would forgive me being just a wee bit jealous of two young people with the courage to snatch their happiness from amidst this mad seething turmoil we call War.

Aunt Lilly said she would write you Mum so she will probably supply you with any details I have omitted. I had a very enjoyable week altogether though I hardly got around to see anyone - somehow I just couldn't bring myself to spend my time troubling about though I did enough of it as it was.

I did manage to see a couple of shows though - Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirits" - forget the name of the theatre but it was in Picadilly Circus just behind the Regent Palace - and a musical show "Tune Games" at Prince's. The former was very good + I thoroughly enjoyed it but through the second show was also very good I didn't appreciate it anywhere near as much as the other - I doubt if English humour of the "music Hall" variety could ever throw me into raptures of delight!

The evening we went to Prince's, my Pilot, Johnny Walker was also with us beside a girl friend of Irene's The five of us all went back to Earl's Court for refreshments with Aunt Lil + Uncle Oliver - in fact all in all a very nice evening.

It really would be something if you could be here Mums - you + Fran + Jeep too - for London does seem the place to have a good time even yet.

To come back from London to this mud hole we are now on was rather a let down to say the least. It is a very new station and as a result our personal comforts are not as well looked after as at Finningley + we are at least 10 miles from Grantham, the nearest place of any size - ten very difficult miles to traverse too! Still, we get along O.K. food's good which is definitely something isn't it? I have a very pleasant warm room so most of my time will probably be spent reading and writing either in bed or by the fore. The latter just now!

I haven't as yet done any Ops. Trips but sure hope to pretty soon; am getting quite fed up with simply waiting around.

Well Mumsy I mustn't ramble on for ever + I have dozens of letters to write it seems - mail has been plentiful lately - got a very nice parcel from Aunt Anne t'other day.

Love and kisses galore and a real nice hug -

Den
xxxxxx