Oct. 28/44

Dear Edna,

Well once again I'm sitting back and taking life easy. I'm at a rehabilitation unit were we get physical training - the main idea is to build up the muscles in my leg. I get P.T. for three hours a day, besides riding bikes and going swimming, which is the best part of all.

I was at the convalescent home for five weeks and then got two weeks leave. One of my chums got the same so we went down to Bournemouth, London and then visited the Hawksworths in Lancashire. When I returned to the unit the Doc. Says I have to have a medical board before going back on ops, so I was in hospital again for a week while they took x-rays and fooled around in general. There is still four pieces of flak in my knee, besides some fluid, and quite a bit of muscle wastage in the thigh. The Doc's have a conference and decide to have another operation as one of the bits is in the joint. Then at the last moment their mind is changed and decide to send me here-fattening the pig for the kill, so to speak. My knee is still being x-rayed and if the bits are not moving around I don't believe they will operate. However, every Doc. I see has a different version of it so I have ceased to think what will happen next.

We also get every weekend off so last week I went back to the squadron to get caught up on the news. Do you remember the chum I talked about when home last? Wally, from Vancouver. He went missing on his second last trip. I talked to quite a few boys who were on the same target and there was little flak but bags of night fighters so it looks kind of doubtfull.

My own crew has also had another shakey do. They had their two inner engines knocked lout by flak while over the Rhur. The spare bomb aimer got a piece in the head and was killed while the engineer had his right hand blown off. They managed to get back to this country o.k. and crash landed on the South East Coast. They went through a house in doing so and the skipper has his legs cut up a bit. Both he and the engineer are in hospital but coming along o.k. It was the bomb aimers last trip and the crews third but command had them finished then as everyone was getting a bit jittery.

I'm going in to Birmingham this weekend as the gunners, navigator, and wireless op. are on leave there. I expect it will be a bang on time.

I received your last parcel o.k. Edna. It had been waiting for me on the Squadron for quite a while, but everything was swell-including the chicken. Thanks a million. Well I see the boys are off for the gym so must leave you for now.

Love to all,
George.