[Editor’s note: The letter's date was written by Stubbs as “1943” but the postmark and content date it as 1944. Transcription provided by collection donor.]

#11

423 Sqdn
RCAF
Jan 8, 1943

Dear Mother:

Your letters to 9 inclusive all received. I do hope you have got over the flu alright. What a bad time to have it—just at Christmas.

Oh yes, I can write direct to Dick and anyone over here can to me. All overseas mail probably goes to a central depot so writing direct to me would not speed it up. The sqdn. no. helps though, I should think.

Had a letter from Violet today. She said my letter was the first news she had that I was over here. How come? She mentioned having received a parcel just at Christmas. By the way—no dried eggs for me if you should send some parcels. The boys probably wouldn’t no how to cook it and we get fresh eggs after a trip and also on Sunday morning. Canned fruit, fruit juice, cheese, cocoa, chewing gum, anything like that will be very welcome. I will need shaving cream in a couple of months (I suppose you will have difficulty getting it in tubes) but I have many months supply of razor blades yet. Am down to 150 cigs so I will probably owe most of my supply when the first lot comes.

I have joined a riding club here. It has a double virtue as riding counts as P.T. You have to bicycle out to the place so I will have to try and pick up a bike somewhere as it may not always be possible to borrow one. The horse I had was a wild beast—always trying to bite or kick the other horses or buck me off. I don’t want him again particularly. I don’t mind using an English Saddle so much but I do wish these horses would neck rein. It makes all the difference.

They have a hard time keeping our ante room (the living room in the mess) in good repair. There is a huge double sided fireplace in the centre of the room. On top, around the chimney, were Christmas trees up to the ceiling and last night some of the boys lit them (to test the fire extinguishers someone said). Well they worked but the ceiling is in an awful mess. Fortunately it is just a large Nissen so nothing much can happen.

I got Mary’s Christmas card O.K. She had almost, but not quite, picked one with the right aircraft.

I am afraid I overlooked sending a card to H. M. & Co. But for a long time I have had one of the partners down on my list “to be written” so I will do that now.

With love from
Tony