Lieut. H.S. Burnard
South Sask Regt
C.A.O.

Sunday 14 Nov 43

Dear Folks-

Well this last week I got 2 letters from home and one from both Mae and Edna. I havn't as yet received the parcel with the socks in it. There is one thing I would like and that is a schull cap to wear under my steel helmet. I can't seem to acquire one over here, and they are a help on windy nights. I'm having a great time trying to write this. I started it in one room where the boys are celebrating a few promotions but couldn't concentrate so left. Got into another room where a pocker game sprang up led by our padre I finally took refuge in the kitchen and some cook has a relic of a gramophone which is fierce.

Got a week-end this week but came back to camp early this morning. I and a Lieut Morrison from Yorkton went to Brighton for a sat afternoon and night. Its a large city not far from here and must have been some place in peace time. We found a room and then went to one big building in which there was a dance hall, a theatre and a large resterant we spent our whole time in this one building and then never got up to the op floor to see what was going on.

The dance hall was much larger than anything in Regina and had springs under the floor boards, it seemed like you were going down hill all the time. I met Harry Hockman at the dance.

I guess you'll be worrying about me being in the London dance well I wasn't. We were out doing night training and the raid only lasted about 1 hr but I guess it killed a lot of people with one bomb. One night we were out and Jerry came over and dropped a bomb several miles away. It made a very sharp whistling noise then exploded. The ack-ack guns make more noise than the bombs usually do.

I had a room in Brighton which cost me $1.25 for the night with breakfast thrown in. The breakfast consisted on porridge with cream and sugar, fried toast and tomatoes and fried ham with breat butter and marmalade for desert and tea to drink. We get fed well in the mess. I can buy peanuts quite often gum once & while and get our 2 bar ration of chocolate every week and if there is any left over we get them. I have enough razor blades to last me for 2 years.

Can't think of anything else, came through the weeks night training without even a cold. Hope everything is alright at home. Wouldn't mind getting back for a weekend. I bought a $300 War Bond which wasn't bad.

Yours truly,
Harvey B.