32nd Cdn Recce Reg't (RMR)
1 Cdn ACRU, Cdn Army Overseas

Dear Family

I haven't written for a while because my new job at the CACRU (Cdn Armoured Corp Reinforcement Unit) has kept me pretty busy, and we've been out on a long scheme.
I have my pin-up pip on, and am Captain Turpin, for the four months that I have the job. I don't see much hope of keeping it when I go back to the unit, because the CACRU is full of majors and captains just over from Canada. However, Ill worry about that when I come to it. I still jump a bit when someone says Captain Turpin, and wonder who theyre talking to.

The scheme, above mentioned, was a honey, I inspired and covered plenty of miles on a motor bike. I ate bully beef cooked so many different ways that I cant remember the number. The only way we didn't have it was au gratin. And hard-tack. The good thing about hard-tack is that you're so tired after eating one biscuit that you arent very hungry.

I slept in barns, hay-stacks in the open, in vehicles, on the bike (no fooling) and in a bed one night. My bike broke down outside a hotel, so I decided that the only thing to do was to hole up for the night. Inside, I found four other umpires so we had a party.
My job here, is to run the squadron training. The only time I'll be squadron commander is when the major goes on leave. He's going next week, so I'll have fun.

Thanks for the letter, Mum, Dad and John. I almost fainted when I got your letter Dad, it was much appreciated as were the others. Keep up the good work.

Played baseball tonight for the squadron. We were trimmed by the 8th Recce, but not badly.

On Sunday, I had a golf game with the C.O. He's an old friend of yours, Dad, from the stock exchange, Alec Patterson. Or, he said he knew you and played golf with you. Hes quite a good egg, but I don't think he has much idea of what goes on in his unit. It doesn't do any harm to know these blokes anyway, most of the people down here are scared stiff of him. I don't know why, and my stock went up a lot when they knew that I'd played golf with him. The adjutant called me "Sir" over the phone the day after. That's the life in the re-inforcement units, which are a sort of back water in which to shunt all the no goods in administrative jobs. I think at the end of 4 months I'll be glad to get back to the unit, where things are a bit more on the level.

The above seems a bit mixed up, maybe I'm getting out of practice in letter writing.

Well, cheerio until next time. love Geoff.