No 144

Major GS Andrews, RCE

Survey, HQ First Cdn Army O/S

13 Dec 42

Dear Jean:

Your airgraph of the 22 Nov from 20 Marlborough arrived on 9 Dec An airletter from Bill Hall, a card from Gert, and a note from Jack Benton who is in Scotland, and an invite from Bert Hayward for Xmas, were the other items of the week's mail. Glad to learn that you are home safely, and getting settled down in our own home again. Your trip back must have been pretty strenuous, but with Mary along, it certainly had its amusing incidents. Guess you will have plenty to do now, getting things arranged the way you want them. Finally got a parcel off, of odds and ends, mostly the Smedley stuff, there are some books to come, but am having them repaired first. Thought the old hyan book etc were not worth it, The pips stuck on the piece of Flannel are mine, now supplanted by my crown. The darkest ones on the outside are the 1st as a 2/lieut, when I joined the RE's, the next darkest are those added on joining the Cdn army, as a lieut, and the newest inside were for captain. I thought they would be nice to have as keepsakes. Will not need pips any more now unless they either demote me or promote me. Hope the former will not occur and am quite sure the latter will not occur. Will be sending some more odd books occasionally, some additions to my collection on BC and the north-west. A few of them look a bit shabby, but they are old timers, and like old friends, its what's in 'em that counts.// Wish the war had finished in time for me to be home to make Mary's news bed, but thank goodness her growth and development is one thing the war hasn't interfered with. It was thoughtful & kind of the Garmans to have got the stuff over for you before hand. Glad the wedding picture arrived, have borrowed some negatives of some more from Chris Bloomfield, which will get printed soon, one of him and me, and one of Meuser and me, and one of our temporary home in Sussex last spring. Poor Harold has had quite a session in hospital with appendix, but is out now, and is promoted to Captain.// I've been as busy as ever, and liking it. An American Col & Loot-Col came to see us yesterday , both in my line of work, and it was nice to know that our work is such as to make people come to seek us out. // Tomorrow nite a friend of mine is giving a paper to the RCE so some of us are going in to the meeting to hear it. // Have been wanting to send you some money for the Insurance etc. but I don't seem to have been able to get much ahead lately. Also the army are pulling off one of their prize turns, recalling a $100 allowance they issued 2 ½ years ago to buy camp kit, binoculars & compass with. Well of course one simply couldn't buy decent binocs, so most of us never got them, and I prefer to keep my compass, so guess I'll have to dig up the $100. The small amount of money they will get out of it will be more than lost by the extra fuss of accounting, and time lost by everybody getting mad and talking about it, and lowered morale. It is the typical case where a louse minded person has wormed himself into a position of high authority.

Looks like the end.

LOVE to you both,

Ger.