#25

May 23. 1944.

Dear Mother:

Two more parcels, #6 and #9 have arrived and 300 cigs. It will be a miracle if the next lot of jam is in as good condition as the first because the parcels seem to take a terrific pounding. Solder connections are often broken and the arrowroot biscuits were ground to dust, not a piece bit enough to eat. The jam will last a long time anyway as we don’t often have bread in the hut and sometimes like last night it is an egg that goes on the bread and not jam. I will need some more shaving cream and soap sometime, if you please.

I thought you would be the last to believe in water divining but there may be something in it. Personally I would have to see the water before I would admit there is anything to it. However you must have some faith to propose digging 50’ for it or else the water situation is now desperate.

Last week I got a cold and a sore throat when I spent a long cold night on the flare path. I know now that it is the first time I can ever remember having a sore throat. Whenever I’ve had tonsillitis I have been asked so many times if it was sore that in desperation I used to say it was a little sore when in fact it only felt quite normal. But this time I didn’t even want to smoke. I was grounded for a few days and during that time the crew were detached to a different base and are still away. Consequently I have had nothing special to do for quite awhile and am rapidly going crazy with inactivity. I could spend many useful hours in the intelligence library but it is always cold in the place and it is cold that started the whole thing.

I had quite a bit of exercise today. After tea I played four sets of singles and then after supper some softball. The softball game was between the regular league team of 423 officers and a pickup team from other 423 officers. We were beaten of course since the regular team is at the top of the league but it was a good game and by no means a complete rout.

Your letter dated May 15 arrived today. Once again—very fast travelling.

A navigator has recently been posted here who was in my class at elementary. I got to know him fairly well there as he was the last one to wash out and so we were both waiting around after the rest of the class had left.

I have run out of material about which to write so this last space will have to be wasted. I should be due for some leave soon.

With love from
Tony.

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