June 14. 1943.
Dear Mother:
Your airmail letter arrived on the 11th, postmarked the 8th in Kelowna which is pretty fast travelling. Soon I had better think about coming home this way myself when the course is over as you have to make reservations a long way ahead.
I am afraid I never got around to mailing a birthday letter to Dad. I thought about it at odd times in Montreal and Toronto but not when pen and paper where handy and it slipped my mind when I did write (if I did. I can’t remember.)
What happened to Hugh Dunlop? Perhaps there is another letter covering this. Also what is Henry. taking accounting for when he is a radio mech?
Our little holiday last week did not take us very far—only to Charlottetown. We decided that to go further would be useless expense as we would be travelling most of the time. Stayed at the CNR hotel which cost 5.75 per day each being European plan. What a quiet time we had—that town is dead. We had a party the first night but had to pay 10.00 for 25 oz of rather poor rye. A few days late we went to about 6 different doctors to try and get some scrip for a bottle but of course there were none left as they each get 25 on the 1st and 15th of each month. I had more to do than the others because my chum P/O Doug McGrath and his bride who he married when he got his wings a month ago have an apartment and I spent much of my time with them. Doug is an amazing chap—you can’t help feeling good when he is around, he is always so darned happy. One day we rented bikes and went to a beach about five miles away. This island with its gentle slopes and paved highways is the tops for bicycling and we had a great time. The beach was supposed to be private and so we had it to ourselves. We should have had bathing suits because the water felt very warm (the water is supposed to be 60 – 70 F in the summer despite the cold winters).
I was a little envious to hear that at Charlottetown GRS the officer students are two to a room instead of in barrack blocks and don’t have to wait in line for meals but there are probably compensations. We don’t have PT, they do.
I have hardly got into the course yet but far enough to see that it will require a great deal of work. Some of it will be really interesting as, being secret, it is absolutely new to me. On the other hand I imagine ship recognition will be deadly.
I doubt if one can influence ones posting from here very much. I still think I would like to go overseas as soon as I can but a course at Nassau might be interesting (and a proportion of each class goes here). The third best seems to be Pat. Bay.
With love from
Tony.
[Note: Transcription provided by collection donor.]
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