July 12/43

Dear Marg and Marie,

Well girls here I am finally getting down to business and answering those air-mail letters I received from you. I also received a telegram from Mum and Dad. I got your air-mail Marie the same time as the telegram and I received yours Marg about five days latter. I was one of the first in our hut to receive mail but I haven’t received your other mail as yet, probably I am getting a little over anxious, I will most likely get it all in a pile.

I haven’t had a change of address yet, I am still in the same place and getting tired of it. I am taking the same course as I took in Camp Borden and it is really monotonous going through it for the second time.

You were saying in your letter that Scotland should be a favourite haunt of mine now, well it is but how you knew it should be is beyond me.

They have girls in the army over here by thousands, I met one the other night, she was a full corporal, I have taken her out a few times and didn’t have a bad time either, but they can’t come up to the Canadian girls, the girls over here have all got big ankles and legs like stove pipes. Most of them are well reared, they are almost shaped like the letter S. I had to laugh at the corporal that I took out, they really believe in blowing you up. She was telling me all about the tender look in those big brown eyes of mine, and that soft silkey hair, it reminded me of Wimpy in the funny papers when he starts telling Popeye how strong he is and then winds up telling him all about his empty stomack (it’s exactly the same over here.)

On Saturday morning we heard that the Allies invaded Cicily, it was really good news and came along in the right time. The paper over here such as they are say that they are really moping them up in a hurray, but by this time you probably know more about over there than we do here at the present.

On Sunday Al Perryman and I went to some Miss [Daniell’s?] soldier’s home and had supper, the supper wasn’t too bad but it all ended up in a religious service, we should have known in the first place, what it was going to be, but we got more out of them than they did us because I really ate a whopper of a supper, I thought I might as well seeing that it was all free.

I was to Mass and Communion yesterday for Bill, and intend having one offered up for him the first opportunity I get.

Well girls, there is a free show going on right now and I would really like to see it so I’ll say “so long” for now and I’ll be waiting for your mail, as well as writing. Oh and another thing I’m not forgetting that shampane [“champagne” written in margin, date/author unknown] party that is soon to come.

Your big brother,
Lloyd.