Dear Mum, Dad, Sis and Jack the Commando:
…I am working at the B.O.R. (Battalion Orderly Room) as I said before and so far it is very interesting. There is one thing that is a lot different than in the orderly room of the company and that is that I have to be very careful that everything is accurate. Of course things have to be accurate in the company orderly room too but a great deal more so in the B.O. R…. There are five other clerks working there besides myself so you see we have some work to do. There is a sergeant, two corporals and three of us privates. The sergeant wants me to take a trade test so I can draw my trades pay, but I want to be darn sure I can pass it before I take it. If I did pass it, it means 25 cents a day more and I can sure use it. However, I have a lot to learn yet and I want to be sure they can’t catch me on anything. I also get a lot of hush-hush stuff because everything that comes into the regiment goes to us first so I am among the well informed. Of course you understand I can’t say anything about it.
Yesterday we were inspected by the King but we only had a glimpse as he walked past. The whole second division was there which is close to 20,000 men and besides that there were some Canadian nurses there. I never saw so many soldiers in my life before. We were lined up three deep on a stretch of straight highway not far from our camp and as far as we could see either way there was nothing but troops. We were three deep on both sides of the road so you can imagine how many there was. There was a little piece in the paper today and it said we were lined up for five miles and I can well believe it. I cut the piece out and am going to send it to you. It also said that the King was inspecting his invasion troops so we were not so far wrong after all. He looked very old and very pale to me but I guess that is only natural. The only ones he talked too were fellows who won the Military Medal or some other medal at Dieppe, etc. Of course he couldn’t stop to talk to everyone or we would still be there and it was quite long enough. We stood to attention from 12:30 until 4 and boy it was cold standing there without being able to move.
The Queen wasn’t there and I was rather disappointed, I wish she had been there. Now that he has inspected us there shouldn’t be any more for a long while because everyone who has any authority has looked us over….
The best in the world to the swellest folks a soldier ever had.
Lots of Love to All,
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