No 98.

Capt GS Andrews, RCE

Survey Directorate

HQ Cdn Corps

Cdn Army O'seas.

25 Jan 42.

Dear Jean:

Am afraid this will have to be a short letter, as usual have left the thing I like doing best, writing to you, till the last thing, and it is now late. No mail last week, although Lt/Col Meuser (he has at last been promoted to the rank his job calls for) got a letter dated 2 Jan from his wife during the week, Perhaps my mail will filter along this week. Am looking forward to hearing o f your Christmas activities.
I feel as good about Major Meuser's promotion as tho it had been myself. He is one of the finest chiefs I have ever had. He is an interesting little fellow, about my size, but only about 30 or little more. He is a professional soldier, went through the Royal Military College and all that, and took an engineering degree at Queen's later. He is originally from Regina. He was sent over here just before the War attached to the British Army, and was also sent to the International Congress of Photogrammetry in Rome, so he is quite conversant on air survey matters, although he had not specialized in it. I think he is of French extraction as he is very latin in appearance. Incidentally he is quite a lady's man, although not in any way promiscuous, however, the gals always seem to fall for him, and he is not exactly impervious to their charm. One thing which makes it very easy for me to work with him, is that he treats me like an equal, and respects my advice on technical matters. However, I have maintained, of my own accord, a certain formality with him, always call him "Sir", and never by his first name, which is incidentally the same as mine, although others often do. After all, this is the army, and the army has rules, in civilian life it would be quite a different thing.

My room mate, Major Bloomfield, of whom I have written before, has gone on a job for a few weeks, or more, and in the meantime another officer has come to substitute, so temporarily I have a new roommate. He is a lieutenant, but middle aged, veteran of the last war, and seems to be a congenial fellow, he is from Sarnia or Windsor Ont. Bert Hammond came down for supper and an evening of billiards last night, and stayed overnight, as it was a long walk back to his mess. This morning I walked up with him for lunch there, got a package of tobacco from Andrews at Abbotsford which had been addressed to the Intelligence branch, and walked back after lunch. It was a lovely day, windy, but not cold, bright, and fresh after an all night rain cleared way all the snow which fell during the first part of the week, when it was cold and wintry. The sudden change reminded me of Victoria winters, and today was just like it often is at home, and made me think of our winter in Miss Fidlars cottage.

Am writing my friend Ted Sturgeon, ex Lands Dept Victoria, in Torquay to tell him that bert Hammond and I are arranging to get away on leave on the 14 Feb. He wrote at Xmas saying he thought he could arrange to get us accommodation there. It will be a new part of the country for me, and about the best part of England for a winter leave. I hope to have a lot of work cleaned up by then, and plan to attend to a lot of personal correspondence during my leave. Some fine air views arrived from the FB last week, and I was quite ashamed when I saw the postage on them, $8.50 by air express. However, it will be very good advertising for BC, and for the FB too. It made me feel that they still thought something of me, too, which is nice.

Was up to town again last week for a day, but rushed as usual. Spent a couple of hours at BC House, and picked out half a dozen slides which will be OK for my lecture. It was an awful job, as I to look through several hundred, all covered with dust, and very badly mixed up. They are feeling the lack of staff there too, but all were very nice to me, including the secretaries.

Have also been testing out a new instrument which we have had made experimentally, and results are very promising. It was in connection with that that I made the last two trips to London. The Col has been away most of the week, so I have been busy running the office as well as these other jobs.

So time flies, although the war news has not been too good lately, and they begin to talk of a long war, in earnest now, however, I'd rather take a sober view of it than be spoon fed with a lot of super optimism, which hasn't been justified by fact in the past. However, time is with us, and Victory will be ours in the end, there's no doubt of that. I only hope the war does not move near to my home and loved ones, and I don't think it will, but if it does, you will have to bundle up Mary, and make a round of visits with all my relatives, who will love you both as I do, and you will love them too.

Well dear, I must get a letter off to Ted Sturgeon. Our FB friends will remember him.

Love,

Ger.