WW II Letters To My Mother: May 23, 1942

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German Divsions in Finland 1941

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During the dark days of WW II, when it seemed that the Axis powers were unstoppable, Canadians enlisted to help defend our country and Europe.  These citizen soldiers handed over control of their lives, sometimes for years. Uncertainty was the normalcy of the day.  My twenty something father and his teenage bride were just one couple out of thousands.  On November 11, take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices these people made to ensure our freedoms.

May 23, 1942                                                   Brandon, Manitoba

My Darling Babe,

I received your very welcome letter Honey also the one before which I was quite surprised to get.

I've been feeling guilty for not writing more often but I've been trying so hard to get some information on the length of my stay here and about my Signalers Course, also about your fare here, etc.

I asked the Sergeant Major on Friday and he said he would have to look it up.  I asked him again on Saturday morning and he still didn't have it, so I'm not much further ahead.  I inquired about the fare and a return to Edmonton is $41.00 and something and a one way fare is $23.30 for a civilian.  I don't know yet what the fare for a soldier's wife would be, but I found out that I could only get it one-way.  It would have to be less than $18.00 to be worth getting.

The SM told me if I happen to be attached to a certain Battery, I might be going over seas in about three weeks.  If I get a chance to take signalling, that will take about three weeks, but I might have to go to Ontario for that.  So you see how it stands, things are pretty much in a muddle.

I would certainly love to have you here My Darling because if I go overseas, that soon, it may be a long time before I see you again.

That guy that told you I was at Shiloh is nuts, there is a camp there alright but all that came from Grand Prairie are here.

It's too bad about your Dad having a horse die, also about the pigs.

If Bill and I are here when this War is over, he wants me to go to B.C. with him and look the place over.  He said we would want to stay there once we saw it.  If I do come back I hope I'm not a cripple to be a burden to you.

Bill and I saw the show "Keep 'em Flying" with Bud Abbot and Lou Costello and we certainly enjoyed it.

...Too scorching hot to reprint...  It's easy to talk like this when one's so in love, but it also gets pretty hard ?? so I'd better change the subject. 

Give my best regards to Edgar and your Dad.  Bye-bye for now my Sweetheart and please write soon.

Yours only -- Johnnie