Hello darling;

Well here I am again dear. Here it is Friday afternoon and I have just finished opening your parcel #3 and I want to thank you very much dear. I thought though that you had put a little bottle in it, but I guess you will it in one of them in the near future (I hope).
Well it is really blowing today and is quite chilly. I have not had a letter from you since last week Monday, but none of the boys have had any mail either so I do not feel too bad.
Well let me see what I have done. Last night I went tot he show and saw “The Dougal’s” and it was pretty good. I was in bed by 10 and had a real good nights sleep, which I hope I will not have for the first month when I get home, but I will not mind one bit.
Well they are opening a night club for us here, they have taken over a big hotel right on the boardwalk, on the beach. It is really a lovely big place but there are so many darn men here that a guy has not got much of a chance unless he is a combined Robert Taylor and a Rockefeller, and anyway the women over here are built like feather beds and I guess most of them are used for that purpose. Personally, the Toronto girls have it over them for dress, looks, and everything. A lot of these girls are getting desperate as their chances of them getting a Canadian husband are getting pretty slim. Boy, a lot of our boys are going to disappointed when they start comparing the English wives with you Canadian girls.
Well darling your holidays will be almost over when you receive this. I only hope that you and Donna had a real good time and I do hope that it will be the last holiday you will have to take without me.
Ross is going on his leave tomorrow for 19 days. I am getting mine the first 9 days in August and I a meeting him in London then we will go around together for our leave.
I do not know where I will going yet, but I would like to get to Aberdeen, but I do not know definitely yet whether I am getting all those days off.
Well how is Jack Sherman doing? Cooks are key men over here so I do not know when he will be getting home, but I hope that it is soon as he has been away from home for a very long time, and he will not know his wife when he gets home. That is one thing about us darling we have known each other for so long and we know so much about each other that we will not have to get to know one another when I get home.
Well I better not start thinking too much about what will happen when I get home or else I will be in a heap of trouble. I think I will close off this letter now, as I really do not have much more news to give.
So darling, with all my love from the bottom of my heart,
Loving you always, your loving husband,

Bill

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Hello darling;

Well dear, it is 9:30 on Sunday night and as soon as I finish this letter I am going to go to bed. I have had quite a nice day today. Ross plays on our station baseball team and they were invited to play at an American Army camp, 17 miles from here on their 2nd anniversary, so he took me along too. We had a very nice game and they invited us for supper and what a meal. Fried chicken, real coffee and pineapple pie for dessert and all the cokes we wanted so as I said we had a very nice afternoon.
But their sleeping quarters were surprisingly poor. We are moving tomorrow to another hotel but they say it is quite nice and since we will not have any steps to climb I do not mind so much.
Well darling I received your cheque OK and thanks very much darling, but I am really not short of money, but it is always handy in case of an emergency.
Well dear I just found out that I am entitled to another 9 days eave so Ross and I are going to get out leaves together and go to London First and then up to Scotland. I expect to be going the first 9 days in August. So I hope your parcel arrives before then as we will certainly to able to use it, in fact darling if you do not think it will cost too much or be too much trouble you could send a little bottle over in every box, as you cannot get a thing over here and Ross and I could use a nip once or so a month.
By the way darling do you remember the night you had a shot? Boy you were certainly hot stuff that night, but that will not be anything like the way I will be the day I get home and it will not take a drink to make me feel that way. I certainly love you a lot darling and I am certainly going to try and make you really happy when I come home dear. I know that being separated will not make any difference in the way we feel towards each other and we will have a long time ahead of us, even though it seems so long now we will be together again and it will all seem just like something that happened a long time ago. But if I find out that I am going to be here for another year or so I really do think that it would be best for you and Donna to join me over here.
But Halifax will always hold such a special place in my heart and all the good times that we have together playing house and making up plans for the future. I know that I will always be happy when I am with you darling so we have a lot of life ahead of us and we have so much to do that I can hardly wait until I get home. Well enough of that day dreaming.
I feel so lonely and homesick when I read your letters and hear about all the good times that you are having on your holidays and on the beach. I know that poor Ted must feel a lot worse being away so much longer. But I feel by the way that they are sending home the fellows from over here that he will be home in October or November, and I certainly hope he appreciates that fact that he will be getting home sooner than a lot of the other lads here.
And so I will close now, so for now as always darling,
All my love,

Bill

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Hello darling;

Well dear, here it is Thursday. I came off leave yesterday after really having a wonderful time. I am writing this from my bed so please excuse the scribble. Well, we left my aunts place in Birmingham last Friday morning and arrived at Weston about 2 PM and what a place. My Aunt had the largest bedroom which is about the size of the bottom floor of our house. I had one not quite as large.
I went to a dance Friday night but it was not too hot, there is no getting away from it dear, I miss you so much. I just wandered around and rested.
Saturday and Sunday I looked around town. Monday we went to a lovely little place called Cheddar and went through some caves there and took some pictures, they were making a motion picture there and we watched them for a while.
We had our tea at a very nice hotel there and got back about 6PM. What a stock of liquor my uncle had, but of course Willie here had to be on his good behavior. Well, I got 5 dollars from my aunt and another $2.50 from my other aunt. I received a letter from you and 2 postcards and a letter from my Mom. Thank you darling. I received you first of 2 parcels OK after I received your letter darling.
I wished more than anything that we will be together again soon, it is not right that two people in love as much as you and I should be separated. I really need you and want you dearest and if I thought it was possible I would have you and Donna come over.
Both my aunts said we could live at their place if you did come over. There is nothing new on when we will be getting home but I do not think before Christmas for a lot of us. I guess Donna must be quite a little girl now, I wish I was with you both. But you can bet that when the next one comes I will be home. The main thing is that you are happy with Donna and that she reminds you of me.
They went wild over her picture at my aunts. Dad is well and is leg is a lot better. He has written to London to make arrangements for his trip home but as of of yet he had not heard anything.
The weather the last couple of days has been really nice but there has not been a night where we could not have gotten through without a blanket. But it is very refreshing weather and it helps keep up your appetite.
We are very lucky in Canada when we see some of the poor people over here practically in rags, the girls save all year and just manage to scrimp enough together to spend a week at a summer resort, they get very poor meals too.
Well darling I will end it here so for now dearest, all my love,
your loving husband,

Bill

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Hello darling;

Well I guess you know I am on my leave by now dear. I am staying at my aunts just outside of Birmingham and she has a lovely place. It is almost in the country and there is a golf course just across the road. She is quite a gay old gal and smokes lots of cigarettes. I first knew that my Pop had arrived when I received a letter from my aunt then I received a letter from you and Mom. I managed to get away Monday morning and arrived here at 2:30 in the afternoon and as they were not expecting me until 630 I came out to the house by myself.
I was in bed that night at 10PM. Tuesday we went to Stratford-on-Avon to see Shakespeare’s home and spent the day there, it was quite old England and I had quite a good time. Wednesday, that was yesterday, Dad took me around town here and showed me where he grew up and the Church he went to etc.
Last night we visited my cousin, she is 47, but she has a daughter of 18, who looks an awful lot like me. I have never seen anything nicer in Canada in regards to homes as I am seeing here, and most of the houses here have huge gardens. I played a little tennis and listened to records pretty well all night. My cousin brought us home in her car.
Today I am going downtown to look around by myself, I think I might even take in a show. We are leaving tomorrow for Weston to visit my other Aunt and Uncle and that just about winds up my leave. I brought Donna’s pictures with me and boy am I ever proud after all that they have been saying about her. They think that she is the most beautiful baby they have ever seen and cute in her swim suit and I hope you are both enjoying your holidays dear.
My Aunt has our wedding picture on the mantle, she is very nice but all together different than Pop. She is quite comical and is a really good sport I have had breakfast in bed yesterday and today.
Oh dear, if you and Donna were only here with me I would be really happy because no matter where I am I only think about you darling. I am just living for the time when we are all together again darling, as I am very much in love with you.
How is Marg, well I hope and I hope she is enjoying her holidays with you darling. Just do not let any of those summer resort fellows get too friendly.
If I am going to be here for a year or two I am going to bring you over darling, that is if you would like to come. But nothing is definite over here as things change by the day if not by the hour. Does Marg know what Ted is going to do? I guess they have it worse off than we do seeing as Ted has never even met his baby delighter Judy yet.
Well darling that is all for now but will drop you another lone on Saturday darling and so for now,
All my love,

Bill

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Hello darling;

Well here it is Saturday afternoon and I am at work so I thought I would write you today as I am going on leave tomorrow. My Dad arrived on Thursday and my Aunt Annie wired me to come down as soon as I could. So I am away for 10 days. I am looking forward to it, but not nearly as much as I would be if I was going to spend it with you and Donna.
I received your last letter yesterday dear and I wrote your Aunt before you sent over the parcel and she answered my letter. The weather here has been just so so the past week, it certainly has not been hot anyways. I guess you are all ready to go away on vacation dear, gosh I wish I was going with you up north for your holidays.
I had yesterday afternoon off and I went to the show and saw, “Picture of Dorian Grey” it is rather a grim picture but I really enjoyed it none the less.
I received a letter from Mom and she was telling me about the strawberries and cream that they had had from their garden. Sounds like she had quite the haul from the garden this year.
Gosh darling, I look at the pictures that you sent me of you and Donna and I get to thinking of all the good times that we have in store for us in the future, just the three of us. We will have a months vacation somewhere, it will be just like another honeymoon won’t it darling? That is the only thing that I look forward to over here, is getting to own our little place. I am going to ask you to write away for some books on how to garden so that when we get out own little place in the country we can figure out how to grow our own produce and fruits. I like a place out in the country would be a lovely thing don’t you darling?
By the way I have not seen Bill Gillis around for the last 3 or 4 weeks. I think e has been posted to a Command Centre in the Pacific, but if I do come across him I will tell him to write.
I went for a swim yesterday afternoon at the baths, I got to keep in shape for when I return back home and not show off my belly that has grown due to all the sweets and biscuits that I have been eating.
Thanks for send the money dear, I have just about the same amount as when I left home, but I imagine that I will be short when I finish my leave as I do not want Dad to be spending all of his money.
I will close now but I hope you have a lovely holiday dear and just keep an eye on Toots that she does not get into trouble.
Your loving husband,

Bill

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Hello darling;

Well I am just sitting here doing nothing this afternoon so I thought I would drop you a few lines. It is Friday afternoon and it is a very nice day. I am off tomorrow afternoon and Sunday so I was just wondering what I would do.
I received 2 letters from you yesterday, a parcel from the Church and a letter from Dad, so it was a very nice day. The parcel had a pair of socks, 2 handkerchiefs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, razor blades, gum and candy so it was very welcome. I wrote the church yesterday thanking them for it.
Things are really quiet here now, I think that they are going to make the station into a Repost depot, for the fellows that are heading to the Pacific. They are staring to come through already. I just hope I will not be one of them! I do not want anything to get me side tracked to get me home so I can settle down with you and Donna.
She is getting to be quite a live wire eh? She certainly must be a lot of fun, if I was only home with the two of you. At least you are sure that I will be coming home in a not too distant future. I will certainly be looking forward to that parcel you mentioned in your letter.
I hope Pop Booth has wrapped it up good as I have had only one little snort of Scotch since I have been here and with the beer being the way it is, it has been really rough.
I have been to 3 shows already this week and since they are having a staff dance tonight I think I will be going there. They certainly serve really good food and lots of it. The girls are waifs and they all look like something that the cat brought in from the cold, but it is really just something to do.
We are getting powdered milk at noon now, At first I did not like it but I do not mind it too much now.
It is now Sunday night I am just getting back to my letter writing. I spent most of my day today on the beach and taking pictures around town. I think I got a pretty good tan, well that is what the boys are saying around here.
People are just flocking to the town now, and the price that they pay to stay at the hotels around here is quite high. I guess now that the majority of the war is over people are starting to get back to some type of normal life, with family trips to the beach. We will soon have our own memories to make up north once I get back home.
Well darling, I will end it here, but hoping to hear from you and the family soon, so with all my love I will close now,
I remain forever your loving husband,

Bill

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Hello Darling;

Well here we are on a bright Tuesday afternoon dear and It really is lovely and warm. We have only really had three really lovely days and I have got myself quite a tan. I have been spending my noon hours on the beach on a beach chair. It is really like a vacation really. I received your letter of the 9th today dear and was tickled to hear about Donna walking for the first time, boy she must have been cute. I just wish I had been there. I have not received a parcel yet dear. I would not worry though as it is quite likely it got held up somewhere.
Well I have been doing nothing exciting lately except Ross and I had a little excitement the other night. We had a big feed of cheese, pickles and chicken and then we had gone to bed. Well I woke up and could have sworn that there was a girl in our room, but of course it was a nightmare. I woke up Ross and told him there what happened and he told me that I was nuts and to go back to sleep. I think our little mouse friend has left us and I really miss him. Tonight I am going to the show with Ross and then down to the K of C and listen to records.
I have certainly been doing a lot of thinking of the swell times we have had together dear and I am so glad you and I will be able to plan our future and that I have you and Donna to come back to. Also with the gratuity that I will be getting, we can get started in our own little home in the country.
They are forwarded me some additional literature on the holding proposition and I think with your help we can make a go of it. We can raise our children there better than we can in the city. Just think fresh fruits and vegetables all the year around in you own freezer and all the privacy that we will have, Oh boy don’t get me started on that.
But I have got big plans for us darling and I just hope that the Lord is willing for you and I to get started on it someday soon.
I have just finished writing my Mom and Dad, oh by the way I just received a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Mackie saying that they received their parcel OK and that they would be very happy to have me on my leave.
Dear, would you send me my tweed suit, that is the light brown one, just send me one pair of pants and maybe a new shirt and tie and put that all in the box that would be swell.
Gosh dear, when you say that you are planning on taking Donna downtown to show the girls at the office how big she has got I do wish that I was there with you showing her off like a proud Papa.
So for now darling from a husband who love you very much,
All my love,

Bill

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Hello Darling;

Well here it is Saturday morning and as thing are rather quiet I thought I would give you some news. It is a very nice day here today but as of yet I do not know if I am getting the afternoon off. I really do not care one way or another, as I would just go and sit on the beach anyway. I received a few of your letters yesterday and was glad to hear that everyone is keeping well. I was sorry to hear that the weather has not been keeping so well lately.
We are still having some trouble with our little pal “Hortense” the mouse. The night before last he got into my uniforms pocket and ate the chocolate that I had stashed in there. He is a likeable guy and we just put him out of the room when we catch him, so we do not bother with him very much, he bothers with us quiet a lot.
I went to the show and saw “Here comes the waves” and it was not a bad picture but it was not up to Crosby’s best.
So Donna is a fast little thing eh? Gosh I wish I was there to see you and her darling. I wish I was there to see you and her in the playground walking and laughing and playing all the time.
By the way dear did you read in the papers where the Americans are going to send servicemen’s wives and families to England if they are going to be there for more than a year? I wonder if we are going to do the same, it would be a a dandy trip for you and Marg. I would be great but we are so slow here in the service that we would be home before they even started to think about it.
I do not blame Ted for being sore about they way he has been treated but I do not think that they will send him to the Pacific unless he asks for it. But you never know, he is has been misbehaving in the service they just might send him as an example of his behaviour, but you never can tell can you dear?
As I will be here for some time still dear another parcel of good would be lovely if you could send it away soon. I would need some shaving cream, some jam, canned meat, spaghetti and of course anything else you would like to put in would be appreciated.
Gee, from the letters Mom and Pop really think that Donna is wonderful don’t they? I just wish I was there to go out with my beautiful wife and daughter, that would be a pretty grand day but I guess that will have to wait for a while.
Well darling I am running out of space on this airmail so I will end it here.
So for now darling loving you with all my heart, and giving you and Donna kisses to share,
Your loving husband,

Bill

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