Dear Family

I just got Mum's Special Delivery yesterday because I just got back from a weeks leave and then a weeks manoeuvres. It was written Sep 21 and posted in London Sep 29, which is pretty fast work.

I've just written to Hairp telling her as much as I knew about James, which wasn't much, because I only had one day to get to [censored] for the funeral and then catch up with the regiment which was going in the opposite direction. It was a bit of a blow about Tommy all right. I hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks, but he called me the Sunday before he got it to get me to come up to Town for the day. I couldn't because I was just leaving on a course. I've heard several stories but the concensus is that he hit another plane, probably German and went into the sea off the coast of France. I'm terribly sorry for Mr. & Mrs. Little, and if you get a chance, drop in and chat with them.

We're getting a bit used to that over here. [censored] and someone is always getting it in the neck.

I wish we could do something instead of sitting around in England. We're all pretty fed up, and aching to get a crack at them. We got a lot of their bombs last winter and we wouldn't mind giving them some of their own back.

I'm glad you're settled down. It's a very handy place to live on Redpath. I haven't heard of Don Galloway for a dogs age. Poor old Max must have a few grey hairs chargeable to our accounts, give him my best. I think Tommy and Gal gave him a pretty hectic time.

You'll be hearing my hoarse baritone over the radio around Xmas. Were making a record on Wednesday which will be broadcast over CBM, and you'll be notified when it is, "Hellow Maw, hello Paw, Mamie, Gladys and Rubie, give my best to the boys in the poolroom etc."

The parcels and cigarettes come in regularly and boy! are they appreciated. By the way, I think Eatons make pretty good parcels. Ask Hairp about it. Not that Dionnes don't do a swell job. Maybe Eatons wont allow you to slip in those Philip Morris cigarettes or something. I always like those.

Here's a list of stuff that's hard to get that might be useful to people sending parcels over here: Butter, Tinned stuff, milk choclate, Nescafé (tinned coffee), Razor blades (Schick for me), Film, fruit juice, Lighter fluid, cigarettes, pipe tobacco (for them as smoke pipes), Eveready batteries, Hot choclate, and stuff corners with Kleenex.
You can see by the above that you've been doing pretty well by me.

For Xmas, Dear Santa Claus
1. Subscription to Esquire, 2. Metal shaving mirror, 3. Schick blades, 4. Scarf, 5. Film 35 mm., 6. Motor boat, 7. Car, 8. Pearl necklace

However, away from these mundane things. You'd be surprised how well we live in our own strange way. My room is hardly a page from "House and Garden" but its very comfortable, and we eat darn well. I've seen some shows in London, which are pretty corny, but very topical and filthy, so they're good fun. Plenty of jokes about rationing, the Home Guard, Lord Woolton, Hitler, the B.B.C., the Ministry of Information, black-out, etc., etc.

Haven't heard a jerry plane since May10th, so we're getting out of training. Most amazingly quiet.

Well, cheerio and I'll see you on the radio. All my love, Geoff.