Okanagan Mission, B. C.
June 2nd /43
My dear Tony
My hearty congratulations on your achievement. We are all tremendously proud of you getting a commission. I always knew you would of course! It was a sad blow not getting any leave, but I suppose we mustn’t grumble as we had you for a nice long time in the winter. For once we were all ready for you—even your bed was made! and we had treasured up the last unrationed roast & laid in some grape nut flakes!! I should like to see you swanking round in your new uniform, you must have had a great time getting it. I shall look forward to getting a photograph. Do you still have to polish your own buttons? I dont [sic] seem to have heard of batmen in the air-force. Dick [Stubbs] will say you look sprogger than ever!
It was too bad you weren’t up to enjoying all the celebrations. I dont like all these bouts of flu or tonsilitis [sic] you get. I am sure you ought to have the tonsils out before you go over-seas if it is at all possible. They may let you down at a critical moment. If you get home for long enough after this course perhaps it could be done here. Its [sic] only a matter of a couple of days or so in hospital, I think.
I hope you have got Daddy’s note and our contribution towards the great coat, you’ll be needing it if your weather is anything like ours. I shall be interested to know what sort of a place you have got to now, its [sic] quite a new part of the world.
Daddy and Archie [Stubbs] have been spraying all day. [They were orchardists.] Ramsey came up himself and seemed awfully fit—he has taken a new lease of life since he had his goiter removed.
On Saturday we went to tea with Mrs Claude to meet Archdeacon and Mrs Catchpole. They have been here nearly a year but it was the first time we had come across them. They seemed very nice. Jock had a nasty accident about a fortnight ago. He was innoculating [sic] a horse and got kicked in the face. He did not think it was serious but next day he saw everything double. I suppose he must have had concussions. The doctor said he must keep quiet for four days but of course he wouldnt [sic] and the last time we heard he was still seeing double when he looked down.
Hugh Dunlop is in hospital with something wrong with his heart and she has just had mumps! Mary [Stubbs] bicycled into town on Monday and spent the night with Anne and came back yesterday. We were all axcited last week when someone phones to say she had a bicycle to sell and arranged to go and see it on Saturday. Then, a few hours later they phoned again to say it was sold! That’s the only answer to the advertisement which has been in for two months.
Do I send along the odd cake or cookies or does the officers mess prove adequate? Toast for breakfast now I suppose.
Daddy had his drink on Friday to celebrate the wings and another the next night to console him after getting your letter saying you were not coming back. Yesterday he bought his June quota—13 ozs.! It has been reduced again. Fancy being able to acquire all that Scotch! I hope you and P/O White are enjoying it in Toronto.
Well August will be a better time for this part of the world anyway. We have been having another of our near-zero spells.
With best love
from
Mother
I feel quite puffed up with an officer in the family and your father is more bucked than he has been about anything in years!