30 December 1936
To Bob
Dear Bob:
My machine gun instructor at Reading was a peach of a guy and was crazy about stamps - especially Canadian ones - I would be more than gratified if you would send me one of each type you have in our stamp collection. If you want any money for them I'll pay anything to get them.
There was a 12 cent one on an envelope and he asked me for it and I like a fool tore it opening the envelope so I want to recompense him - at any rate he showed me a lot at Reading. Send them to No. 3 F.T.S. Grantham. Today we had gas drill - without masks we walked through a smoke screen with our instructors. Then they told us to walk back through it and then return to them on the road.
The skunks had gently inserted a tear gas bomb with the smoke ones. We cried like babies for half an hour.
Brother we could have murdered them. Later we went into a poisonous gas chamber with masks. They said it would be all right if the masks didn't leak. Well thank God they didn't.
Love Bill
Please send stamps right away.
royal air force,
uxbridge.
Telephone: No 217 uxbridge.