October 21/44
#436 Squadron
R.C.A.F.
Overseas, India

Dear Mom and Dad --

Once again I have gotten around to writing home, although there isn't anything to write about, really. I could write pages and pages if it weren't for censorship. I was just in England long enough to want to stay there. I was getting used to the money, customs, people, etc. It is too bad I never got to see Jim, but I couldn't do very much about it. I know now that I could have gotten to see Aunt Molly & Joyce but I was afraid to try and find them. I didn't want to get lost and be a.w.o.l. That is very serious under our circumstances. I believe you once said I would not like the English girls. On the contrary, I have met a swell girl named Margaret Hampton and we were getting along wonderfully. Don't be surprised if I bring her home someday, that is, if we go back through England. I shall try very hard to work it that way. The English girls are entirely different, fascinating you might call it. I expect to be down here a couple of years anyway so I can't make any plans for the future yet. The money is not very hard to use here. A rupee is about 33 1/3 cents or 3 to the dollar and is also divided into 16 annas. One anna being about 2 cents. The people here are peculiar. A boy makes up our beds, morning and night, polishes our shoes once or twice a day, and fills our water bottles and other little things like that for one rupee a week. We can't get used to this. The mess is like a restaurant. The black boys are running all over the place, and carrying about six plates in each hand or fistsful of knives, forks, spoons or mugs. This afternoon a funny thing happened. My chum and I went to lie down in the tent for a while and we kicked our shoes off. A boy appeared from somewhere with his kit and polished them. Than he kept saying, "bottle", to us so we gave him our water bottles. He disappeared and returned later with them filled. In a while I felt like a drink and discovered I had someone else's bottle. I had to chase all over the camp to find the boy. They all look alike and it's hard for them to understand us. I finally got my bottle back though from a chap about four tents down the line. Well, it seems the paper is full now, so I'll close hoping this finds you both well, so long for now --

Joe.