Jan 15. Saturday 1944

# 195561 Pte. J. F. Watson.

A wing #2 C.I.R.U.

Canadian Army Overseas.

Hello Dad and the rest.

How are you all keeping back home. Fine I hope. Well I’m going on leave ion the 21st for sure, I hope. I’ve written the folks up in Glasgow and told them to expect me on the 21st or the 22nd. I haven’t heard from them but I hope I do soon. I haven’t got your cigarettes yet but I hope they’re here by the time I go on leave. Cigarettes are sure hard to get. I’m smoking limey’s now. I’m on duty tonite and I’ll be on duty tomorrow nite. I’m getting pretty fed up or as they say over here I’m getting browned-off which means the same thing. I’m getting so that I don’t care what they do with me. I’ve asked them to give me a course in my days off and they won’t do it. I’ve got nothing to do for 48 hours, after I come off duty, but sleep and I sure get lots of it. I’m getting so darned lazy that I don’t do a thing. I’m getting soft to. I can’t walk up town now without puffing like an engine I’m telling you I’m fed up all round. They can send me home anytime. I have been put on permanent establishment or P.E. which probably means I’m here for the duration. I’m still A-1 category too. This camp gets crazier everyday. They issue an order and there’s an order right behind it to cancel the last order.

Did Andy get my letter yet? I sent one to him about 3 weeks ago. I never received the 10 bucks you sent me yet, but as I said in my last letter I’ll sure use it to go and see Peggy in London. Mom tells me you have 6 pounds for me in Glasgow that sure is going to help me out a lot because I’ve only got 3 quid to go on leave with now. I went and took out a $50.00 war bond in November and it drains quite a bit on my pay. I got $16.00 in my pay book for Jan. And that got to be kept for my leave.

Well the weather has been swell today up until tonite about half past ten and then t got quite foggy out and it’s rolling in heavier all the time. The airforce took advantage of the good weather to-day too. I seen two big flights of American Forts go over and a lot of R.A.F. & R.C.A.F. twin motored bombers go over to-day. Since noon there has been a steady drone of planes heading towards France. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of that raid.

I’ve just seen that show of Bob Hopes and Betty Hutton in Lets Face it. It wasn’t bad at all it was pretty funny. I go to a lot of shows over here. The theatres aren’t bad at all some are pretty high classed. One of the cooks showed me a stub from a ticket and he paid 13/6,13 shillings and sixpence for a single ticket to a show. They have a funny system of prices for seats here. You pay 1 shilling and you sit right up at the front, and you pay 1 shilling and nine pence and you sit in the middle then you can pay two shillings and you get a seat right in the bay. The 1/9 seats are the best you can get.

Well Dad it seems I can never get enough to say in my letters as a matter of fact there isn’t much exciting things happen around here. We haven’t even heard the air-raid siren for about two weeks. So I think I’ll just close here for this time. So good bye for now. Lots of love and I hope you are all over the flu by the time this letter reaches you.

So Long

Love xxxxxxx

Jimmy

P.S. I’m glad you’ve decided to send the cigs in 1000 at a time thanks a million.