June 21st, 1943

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Dear Mom,

I have been meaning to write to you all this week but you can guess what it is like when I am on leave, I simply never seem to have an idle moment. But I start back tomorrow, so I suppose you will want to know why I didn't come home since I had 15 days leave.

Well, I didn't have enough money to pay the fare and I didn't get enough time before I started home to wire for more. So I decided to come to Winnipeg and wire home for more and trust that you would understand the reason why I hadn't come home. I started off with $13.50 and my fare was $10.00 so you see, I was cutting it pretty fine. I was hoping you would send the whole $15.00 I asked for because I wanted to buy my watch before I started flying. But I'll have to get that later on. Stan has been in on four days leave too, went back tonight and as he was nearly broke, I gave him $10.00. I owed him. We have had a swell time together, quite the best I have had for a long time. I don't think you need worry about him going Overseas anymore, as I don't think he'll be going over now, no matter how long the war lasts. He was telling me that he has just found out that he is on the camp staff at Shilo, has been placed on Home Establishment and according to all accounts, is due for promotion pretty soon. So that should keep him over here for quite a time. He also seems very happy and interested in his work which is a very good thing.

Now here is something else I want you to do for me. I have taken out a $1,248.00 Life Insurance Policy with the Imperial Life Insurance Company of Canada. My premium is $3.00 a month which I am going to have deducted from my pay as soon as I get back to camp. But as well as paying the $3.00 a month - which means $36.00 a year, I have decided to pay the first year's premium in one lump sum. In this way, my premium is $1.05 less but best of all, I am always one year ahead of my policy and if at any time in the future I run into a hard year, my policy can lapse a year and still be good if I start payments again. I have also paid the first $3.00 premium so that what I want you to do is make out a cheque or money order and address it to, F. Bjarnson, c/o Imperial Life Insurance Company, Winnipeg, Manitoba. The amount is $31.95 and must be made payable to Imperial Life Insurance Company. You will get the policy sometime within the next 10 days and can study it at you leisure. Incidentally, you are the beneficiary. Here is how it works. Paymasters have requested that the premiums be made in round figures to facilitate their accounts. The premium on a $1000.20 pay Life Insurer is something like $2.86. So they decided to use a $3.00 premium instead of the $2.86. In order to do this, the policy automatically rose to $12.48 in my case because I am 22 years old. In Stanley's case it would be $1,336.00, something like that. Now at the end of 20 years, the cash value of the policy is $450 - in round figures, plus the dividends (around $27.50 every 5 years if past figures - years premiums are anything to go on) which are added every five years. These dividends also collect compound interest at 3%, so if I do not cash in on my policy at the end of 1963 but let it go till - say 1975, it will be worth approximately $600.00 Seeing that the total amount of money I pay for the $1,248.00 policy is $720.00, I think that that is pretty good. The war clause of course becomes effective now. Here is how it works. If I am killed while I am training anywhere in the Dominion of Canada, in USA. or while within the 3 mile limits of these places, you automatically receive the full amount of the policy, $1,248.00. But if I am killed while serving Overseas or while outside these 3 mile limits, you only receive the premiums that I have paid in, plus any dividends and compound interest that have accumulated. I have been thinking for some time now that it was time I took out some Life Insurance because I am certainly not getting any younger. And with my rise in pay of 75c a day becoming effective on the 27th of June, I will certainly not miss the extra $3.00 deducted. The Imperial Life is a good sound company, assets $375,000,000.00, liquid assets $175,000,000.00 and Blake says it has a good name. He didn't know anything about the plan until after I had taken it out though. Stan may be writing to you later about the same thing as he was with me when I bought mine. I guess that is enough about Life Insurance.

I am starting off for Ottawa tomorrow because I have to report to my new station on Sunday morning, which actually means Saturday night. I have to collect my luggage in Ottawa too, so I guess I won't have too much time. So far as I know, my address will be,
Cadet R225139 LAC. Baker, ITC. RCAF Station, Mountain View, Ontario, but I will let you know definitely as soon as I can. Don't forget the ‘Cadet', it is very important. I am looking forward very much to starting work again as you can imagine, and am frankly frightened that I have forgotten too much!

I am afraid I didn't get very much of my book written on this leave as I had intended. Time simply flew by and I had quite a few late nights with consequent late mornings that I never get anymore. However, I got a bit done. I have been riding twice too, dancing a lot, and been to two parties, one with Em and Blake, Sadie and Stanley last Saturday night. We had a smashing time, quite the best I have ever had at a party! Em and Blake are fine, the house is really looking swell. I'll have quite an album to show you when I get home. They have a lovely garden here, both vegetable and flower and a beautiful lawn set with oak trees and lilacs. Inside it is quite nicely fixed up and they are adding more to it every day. Blake simply revels in it and is never so happy as when he is doing something to improve the house. He has had another rise and is expecting more soon. He has a very good job now, is Chief Labor Cost Accountant with added responsibility for the Time Office. Must close now.

Love as ever,

Jim