Dear Mum, Dad, Bette and Commando Jack:

Received your letter written Dec 28th and as usual it was the biggest event of the day.  Those letters are really swell, when the mail comes all war operations cease [in my mind] until after I have read it. The major always says “Cameron got a letter from his girl, let him read it in peace because he will be no good until he does.”  I get a kick out of him.

I suppose you read about the new rocket ship they have over here, well we saw it go over a couple of times. Talk about something really fast—that is it. The only noise you can hear is a slight whistle and we learnt to always look away from the sound because it is past when the sound reaches you. All you can see is a thin trail of smoke in the sky and a black dot moving so fast you can hardly follow it…. Pretty soon there will be rocket ships out like those in the funnies, when they do I am going to get one and then I can go over to see you every night.

Do you remember me mentioning Sgt.-Major Merry, the fellow who got me in the orderly room?  Well, about a month ago I came in here and he went to Italy for three months to learn some things on the battle front. The other day I got a letter from him and he is in the hospital. His right leg was blown off right below the knee and he is all through the war….He said he got into a fight with a German mortar bomb but he got the worst of it. He is just as his name says, and merry all the time…. He was sure a swell fellow and the boys figure on making an even score of it for him.

Glad you folks all had such a swell Christmas and Santa was good to you all.  It was good of Joan & Burton to invite you over for dinner. You did a swell job for 25 years and it is time you took a rest on the big day Mum. The best in the world to the best folks a fellow ever had.  All the best in ’44. Hope to see you soon.

Lots to Love,

Bill