Bournemouth, England.

July 22, 1945

Dear Mom,

Here I am at Bournemouth, England!

We had a bit of trouble during our journey here- delays that made the trip quite tiring- on lorries and trains. The best part was on the boat trip across the Channel. It was a beautiful day for the crossing.

Just before we left for here, we had a stop at Blankenberg, Belgium. It's a holiday resort town on the coast, and what a lovely town it is. I was there just before I joined the Squadronon my way to Rheine, Germany, but it was in April, so it was not as warm as now. Lots of sun and a lovely beach.

Bournemouth is like that also- lotsof sun and a swell beach. And what a lovely town it is also -very clean and right on the coast. The whole place is like a garden. All the wealthy people used to come here for their holidays, before the R. C. A. F. took over the hotels to accommodate us. Super, eh !

And what meals! Quite a change from what we ate on the Continent. I'm afraid I'll grow a few feet taller, if they keep feeding us so well.

Oh, yes. I sent you two parcels. The heavy one contains only pieces of paper, about which I will tell you when I get home. You don't need to open it, just keep it until I return home. The other one contains gifts for you - from France, and from Holland. I hope you like them.

In a few weeks time something else will be arriving. The order originated in Holland, but the present will be Canadian. Let me know when they all arrive home. Later I'll send you a Postal Order for the balance of the cost of Joyce's present.

I'll write more later. Love, Lewis.