大象传媒

Thursday Dec 9th 1943

Dear Everyone,

I am, up till now, enjoying life in the RAF. I haven鈥檛 got my uniform yet, but I鈥檓 definitely in it because I鈥檝e got my number; 3008677 and I know it off by heart. We haven鈥檛 been really busy up till now, but we鈥檝e had a lot of waiting about which is not too nice in this weather. It is misty and very cold and muddy. It鈥檚 no use cleaning your shoes 鈥� so we don鈥檛.
We shall all be very busy tomorrow (Friday) as we are going to be kitted out. There鈥檚 a list in every hut of the things issued, and it is about a foot long and closely typewritten. The whole outfit costs, so they say, about 拢25. It probably weighs a lot more!! We get six 鈥渃ollars, blue-grey鈥�, one 鈥渃oats, great, blue-grey鈥�, and one 鈥渃aps, comforters鈥� (scarves) and many other various stuff.
A lot of the chaps come from Sheffield, and 鈥榦op North, and sometimes you can鈥檛 understand them.
One comes from North Wales. A chap who came up on the same train as me only got 9 out of 100 in the intelligence test, and he was sent home! I got 90 and the chap in the next bed got 99.
I have been accepted as a wireless mechanic. It is a 10 month course and one long bind.
The food is pretty good and I eat whatever they give me 鈥� or I have a go at it any way. I can鈥檛 give you my address as I shall be moving on before you can answer.
The two huge airship hangers are still here. The repair and test barrage balloons are here I think. There are a lot going up and down all day.
I haven鈥檛 spent much yet, only the bus fare in London and 3d in the canteen tonight.
The chaps I palled up with yesterday and to day are somewhere else now in the camp, so I don鈥檛 know many around me. We have to get up at 06.00hrs and lights out is at 10.25hrs.
I have got my pay book which includes a specimen will and a blank one!
I am in another hut from the one I slept in the first night and it has no wireless. Did you hear the programme on Wednesday evening? (it is not much use me asking you questions, you won鈥檛 be able to answer them for a week). You get allotted certain jobs in the hut according to your bed number. Mine is 5 and my job is to dust the lamp shades.
There鈥檚 a notice with some important orders on it and to make sure that everybody reads it he marked it DON鈥橳 READ THIS in big letters! Of course, everyone does.
There are all types here. There is a man with a grey beard, he said he was 51, but he is 61. Then there are some proper cockneys 鈥� gor鈥檅limey! It is very amusing listening to them. All they talk about is how to get out of the RAF. Most of them are married.

Well I鈥檒l sign off now,
All my love to you all
George

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