2 December 1937

Dear Dad:

I will certainly be glad to get home and see you. We will have many long chats eh? I say old chappie! These English!

I hope all your collections are in by the end of December - if not I'll use my authority as an officer of the Crown to force payment!! Well four weeks more and I should be hitting the north Atlantic.

Our new single seaters are wonderful and lovely to handle and as manoeuvrable as a kitten (however that is). Terrific clouds today with slight continuous rain - clouds right on the ground. About three o'clock a gap or two appeared in the clouds and a few of us went up to do aerobatics for 40 minutes - we no sooner got back when it became overcast again and got really stormy. I suppose it is real cold in Calgary now. Even with rain here it is comparatively warm.

I'm afraid I will have to be stingy with Christmas presents this year or I will not be able to get home. I'm very hard pushed as it is. The Squadron's yearly dance comes off this month and if I'm not there it will be a black for me. All this takes money and you can't miss it because of the old school tie etc. Our mess is really great. Terrific size central heating but still a huge open fire place with coal burning makes it very cosy. My room here is really warm which is a strange state of affairs for England.

Did I tell you Ronny Thomson's squadron will be at armament camp in Aldergrove, Ireland with us in June. We will have a real good time.

I have been having visions of some good meals (real Canadian) such as buttered beets, macaroni, suet pudding, pancakes and syrup, porridge (à la Dad) fudge (never heard of in England) - real cake, lemon pie etc. None of the above are seen in England except the suit pudding and porridge. And let us not forget the English coffee which is boiled and mixed half hot milk - half coffee (what a concoction!).

S'nuf

Love
Bill
41 (F) Sqdn.