CANADIAN ARMY OVERSEAS: 24 JANUARY 1942

Dear Aunt Jessie:

Well I think it's about time I wrote to you to let you know that everything is O.K. and thanks a million for the parcel. The cake was delicious and I can use the socks too.

I got a parcel from home too but for the last three weeks there has been no mail at all. Did you get the post card I sent you? I hear the ship we came over on was sunk on her return trip to Canada. The last convoy had over 31,000 tons of mail pretty nearly all parcels for the troops over here and a lot of it was squashed and spoiled so they are not going to ship anymore over here.

I was at Windsor Castle last Sunday with a visiting party from this Regiment. A guide showed us around St. Georges Chapel and the other towers and courtyard. It was built about 400 years ago and some of the buildings have strips of wood running through them in Elizabethan style of building when they first started to run out of wood ober here. Henry IV and Henry V built most of them. They shiwed us the tomb og George V and there is room left in it for Queen Mary when she dies. We saw a lot of other tombs of past Kings and Queens also old Norman roads and walls.

We had tea in the superintendants office and then went home again. it's about 25 miles from here. There were ancient guns captured by the British from Chinese was junks and old souvenirs of a past age. The King and Queen weren't there though. Some time I am going to take a 48 hour pass and go to London and see Buckingham Palace.

We have another Regimental parade every Saturday morning and it means a lot of work.

I haven't seen Alf andrew yet and don't know where he is.

We had about six inches of snow here and it was cold just like December at home but it's warmed up and been raining all day and it's all melting. We got a big bunch of stuff from the Red Cross Women's Auxiliary, socks, scarves, sweaters and gloves but each man was allowed one article and that's not much, however, I am well supplied with everything right now.

How is everybody in Kenora right now? Is Elgin Gork overseas or not? Does your hubby still work in the bush?

Well I guess I had better stop asking questions and finish off this letter. Hoping you are all well and best of luck.

Sincerely, Gordon.