Hello darling;

Well, “Light if my life” how are you today dear? We are just sitting by the radio in our office waiting for the news, good or bad, whether the war is over or not. Things are quiet here, they say another draft from Canada is coming over for the occupation of Germany. I do not know whether we will be getting home any sooner if the war ends. I rather think so but I do not want to build yours or my hopes up. I could maybe stand another 5 months away but if I am not home by then I am going to hitch a ride home.
Well let me see what I have been doing. Saturday afternoon I had a lovely swim in the pool. Saturday night I just sat on a deck chair on the beach and went to the show Sunday night. Last night, Monday, I went to the station dance they have it at what used to be an ice skating rink. It is a very nice place and the band is quite good. But the girls can only waltz or tango and I can’t do either one any good so you can imagine what happened. There is a lot of Jewish people around and you should hear them speak their language with an English accent, it is quite a funny thing to hear.
Gosh darling, we could have so darn much fun if you were here with me. I think of you and Donna all the time and I am looking forward to getting some of those pictures you took. Gosh I am getting jealous. I showed the fellows here your pictures and they think you are a knock out and off the record, so do I darling.
By the way, did you hear the joke about the little rabbit who used to jump on the little female rabbits and say, “Wham, Bamm thank you Mame” But one day he mistook a stone statue for a live rabbit so he said, ” Wham Bamm, Ouch, God damn”
Well dear I think we should plan on our immediate future when I get my discharge. I know it is practically impossible to get a place but I do not want to stay with relatives and I know that you do not want to do this as well. So what are we going to do? I was advised to pick out the land that we want and the government will look it over and see if it is suitable for building. They will buy it for us and we can build any time we want and any design that we want but I do not think we will build for a year or two until we get everything we want.
So dear let me know what you think as to where you would like to stay when I come home.
Well darling I think that is all for now, but I will write you in a couple of days. So ending this with all my love to you and Donna.
Your loving husband,

Bill

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Hello darling;

Well here I am again dear, it is Friday afternoon and I am back off my leave and the first day at work. We are all sitting around the radio listening to a solid hour of records. They have just announced that Japan has accepted unconditional surrender but they are just awaiting confirmation. Nobody seems particularly excited as we did not know if it will effect us for a while but I think to myself that there should be more shipping out but we will have to wait.
Well darling, I had 5 lovely letters from you waiting for me when I come back. I was glad to hear that you enjoyed your holidays and was glad to hear that Mom managed to get up for a couple of days. I am rather disappointed that she did not write Dad but I hope she has by now. I think he feels rather badly about it but I will not stick my nose into it. I wish you had been with me on my leave dear, we would have had such a wonderful time but we will just love each other that much more when we do finally get together. That is the nicest part of being separated that is being together again and this time for good darling.
So little Donna is as much of a live wire as ever. Gosh I like to hear you tell me these little things about her and I am looking forward to those snaps dear so hurry them along.
Gosh they are playing a lovely record now dear, it is “Dreams” by the Pied Pipers, it is really a beautiful melody, if you get a chance will you buy the record for me dear and think of me when you play it as it certainly brings back a lot of wonderful memories to me darling.
Ahem enough of that Lewis or you are going to get homesick! It is a lovely day today and there are thousands of people on the beach. The nights are quite cool though, just the right kind for loving. What do you say Eh?
One of the boys here has just put his wife on a boat for Canada. She is having a baby in November. But he received a letter from her today and they are really being treated well, but if I could get home I would go by canoe if I could. I am lucky when I think of a lot of other fellows and poor Ted not even having seen Judy yet and you can at least be sure that he is coming home, or we can certainly hope that is what his plan is.
Well dear so long for now and as always all my love,

Bill

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Hi darling;

Well dear I am sorry that i did not write you sooner but I just could not get any of these air letter forms anywhere in Birmingham until yesterday and then I could only het these 6 penny ones.
Well darling I have just had a very nice leave but not nearly as nice as the ones that we had together darling. I left Weston on Sunday and had a nice trip up here to Birmingham and got in about 5:30. I went for a lovely walk up into the hills at the back of my aunts place. Monday I mooched around the house until after supper and then took in a show. Yesterday it was not very nice and I did not do very much at all. We have a lovely big fire going in the room and it is very cozy and comfortable. How I wish you and Donna were here with me dear.
I mentioned to my aunt yesterday that I would not mind staying in England if I had a place as nice as hers. She said that if I was serious and she had of known it before, then she would have turned her post office over to me. She made $65 a week there. She is very comfortably off and is really a very good sport.
Oh yes dear, she gave me $10 for a wedding present as they could not send anything out of the country when we were married.
So what do you think we should do with the money? I’ve got Donnas picture in front of me right now dear. I take it with me when I go on leave. I hope she knows me from my picture but I doubt it very much. I have not had a letter of yours for over a week since I have been on leave and I am looking forward in receiving one very much.
I sent you some comic post cards, they really have a big variety and as you can see by the ones that I have sent you they would not allow them in Canada and yet they show them right in store windows over here. It certainly is nice to be in a home again with all the conveniences and my aunts place if even more modern then out so you can imagine I am making myself at home.
My Dad is expecting to hear from the shipping company any day now and I think he should be getting away this month. He is anxious to get home and is rather disappointed that Mom has not written him. I wish she would and could you drop him a line or two dear. The address is 53 Ridoal Hill Lane, Ridoal Birmingham England make it out to C/O Mrs. Friemann.
Well darling I will end it here as I am running out of space to write so loving you very much and missing you even more and sending my love to you and Donna.
With all my love,

Bill

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Hello Darling;

Well here I am your old Toronto wife writing you a quick note to say hello and let you know how everything is going back at home. By the time you receive this letter I am sure that you will be galivanting around the English country side having the time of your life with your pal Ross, but I certainly hope dear that you do not forget that your wife and daughter loves you very much and misses you even more.
We finally have returned from our holidays up north and when we got back home we were in the middle of a heat wave and I certainly do miss the beach darling. When we got home the house was so stuffy and hot that you would think that we lived in an oven. The first night was almost unbearable and we all just slept on the beds with no covers just hoping for some relief. Dad was besides himself with the shape of the back garden so we all went out the next day and help him tend to it. Donna just sat on a blanket and slept for most of the day as I am sure the heat was worse for her as she could not cool herself off.
I have gone back to work darling and nothing to report there. It is the same old people as before and we all just talk about going back to the beach or somewhere cool.
Your Pop must still be over there and enjoying his time with his sister, and I certainly do hope that you get a chance to see him and spend some time with him so that he can come home and report to all of us how you are making out and if you are behaving yourself and taking care of yourself.
I spent the weekend with Marg and the baby and she was just the same, worrying about Ted and when he will be coming home and what they will do when he finally does. I cannot imagine dear what it must be like for her knowing that Ted has not even seen his child and there seems to be no rush for him to come back. I do hope that when he finally does that he treats poor Marg well, and it he does not I know Mom and I will chase him with a broom and give him what for.
The usual cast of characters have been by since we got home, Jess and Irene stopped in to say hello, and they are excited as everyone to start their lives but I think everyone is feeling the same now that the war is over and the lads are starting to come back home to Canada.
Well darling I will end it here as I am sure that you will be just getting back when you receive this letter and I am sure that you will be busy. I will make sure that I send over another parcel for you and Roos soon, and make sure that you let me know if there is anything that you need me to send over, and please do not ask for a little bottle as I got the message that last few times when you told me.
I love you with all my heart darling,
From your wife,

Doreen

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Hello dear;

Well here we are Thursday night and Ross and I are writing in my uncles and aunts place at Weston at 10:45. We have just come in from a long walk along the ocean front. But I will start from the first and tell you everything that we have done this week.
I left on Monday at 2:10 from London to meet Ross. I arrived about 5:10 and went to the Beaver Club for something to eat and met Ross there at 7PM. They gave us an address of a club to stay the night at, a service club so we went there for the night and what a night there was about 30 of us in a large room and they kept coming in at all hours of the night, dropping boots and putting the lights on and off. So next morning we said that enough of that and headed for Birmingham.
Well they gave us another service club to stay in, but we were too smart for that again and so we got a hotel room for $2 each to stay in.. That was not too bad but we figured it would not ruin us for money and so we came here yesterday afternoon.
My Dad is still over here, but he does not know that I am on my leave as of yet. Ross and I think that Bournemouth is still the best place of them all. We are free to come and go there and do not feel like we are imposing on anybody. Today we went to the bathing beauty contest and you ought to have seen the girls, just like small elephants. They were well built but there was not a real good looking one in the bunch. But it was a really swell day and I got a dandy tan so I do not think that the entire day was all together wasted.
I see a lot of couple walking around here with babies and gosh, it just reminds me how much I love you and Donna, and I do not think I tell the both of you as much as I should. So when I get home I will not forget to tell you every day that I love you.
Gee, everybody here has a baby and they are dress right down to their undies on the beach. I have never seen something so open in all my life. The women and men uses towels and drop their clothes and into their bathing suits. But the kids, up to 6 or 7 undress right there on the beach. And the girls did not even flinch when they see a boy in the nude. I guess they are just used to it over here.
Well I imagine that you are back from your holiday by now eh? I just hope that we will be together for the next one that you have and the way things are looking I think we will able to holiday together soon.
Well dear give my love to our wee daughter and tell her that her daddy loves her very much and misses her and mommy very very much.
Goodbye for now darling, all my love,

Bill

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Hello dear;

Well darling, I hope that I will have time to dash this off before I go on my leave in about 2 hours. I am taking the 2:30 train this afternoon for London where I am meeting Ross and will stay there for a couple of days and then buzz off to see a little of the country. I think I will be able to see my Aunt in Llandudo Wales.
Bournemouth is really crowded now, it reminds me of Midland. Do you remember those days that we spent there on our honeymoon? It seems like a very long time ago doesn’t it dear? Well anyways I had yesterday off and so I got up about 10AM, bought a couple of papers, went down to the beach and sat on a deck chair until noon, had something to eat, went back down and sat on the beach until 4:30, had a piece of apple pie, played a round of golf on the putting green with an American and then saw a show. It was ‘Bride by Mistake” and it was pretty good. After that I went to the Y had a cup of tea and some cookies, went home and finally crawled into bed.
Of course my little mouse friend woke me up and I threw a boot at him. That is the second night that he has done that. Anyway, I have moved this morning to across the street to Russell Court, it is not nearly as nice but there is still just 2 of us in the room and it will be a little quieter at night because it is well back off the street.
Well dear your holidays are all over and I think you must have had a good time from what you have said. I was watching a little girl about Donna’s age on the beach yesterday and was just thinking what a good time I would be having with Donna if I was not stuck over here. She will be 2 when I get home and that is not too bad and she has such a wonderful mother looking after her. I know she will be alright.
By the way dear when do you want another one (HA HA) how about in 2 years. Let me know and I will see what I can do about the situation. Now that I think about it I do not think I can do anything right now.
Darling, have you got the cheque from the Government yet? I just cashed your cheque this morning and I have about $45 so that is just what I came over with so I am doing alright.
Well dear I will be writing from London next I imagine.
So for now dear, all my love,

Bill

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Hi Dear;

Well here it is Thursday morning dear, it is a rather dreary day and I feel very low and no ambition about the whole thing. I received a letter from Mom and 2 from you yesterday, one was dated the 29th of June so that must have been the one you lost. I think that you are right about my suit, you do not need bother sending it now.
Well things are just about the same dear. I am all set to go on my leave next week, if only you were with me darling, everything would be perfect. There is certainly a lot of people down here for their holidays and there are a lot of Yanks around now too. They are here from 3 or 4 convalescent clinics around here. The RCAF are taking over a large hotel here and making it into a real night club with a lounge, restaurant etc. All for free of course. The Yanks are doing the same thing too. I cannot seem to get particularly interested in any thing though these days, most of the boys I have spoken to feel the same way. They all want to get home. But I have a lot more waiting to do than they have and I think that I am pretty lucky darling to have a loving wife and family waiting for me at home. If only I knew definitely what will happen to me and when, and what I will do when I get home. I know for certain that I do not want an office job, it is a poor paying proposition.
I would like to learn a business and then get some money from my mother and go into business for myself.
Well dear the funniest thing has just happened. The personnel counselor has just been here and I have just had a little talk with them just about what I was writing about above in this letter. The government will pay 1/3 of the cost for a place just outside of Toronto, and I can pick any type of house and builder that I want. They will place me with any type of company that I want and I can learn the business and pay us the same amount that I am making in the service. I can get training up to 12 months.
I know that you will agree with me in regards to the future of my work life, but I think that I have big ambitions and I truly want the best of everything for you and our daughter, even though we both agree that we could live anywhere as long as we are together.
I just received your letter of the 19th telling me about Donna walking in the puddle. Gosh I get a big kick reading about her and the little things that she gets up to. She certainly is a lively little girl now isn’t she?
Well darling I will end this letter here, but I will write you on Sunday again and so for now dear as always,
All my love,

Bill

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