Letter 26    From the RAF Radar Station in Portlethen, Scotland
May 2, 1942

(Return Address filled in by censor...original censored)

C.T.C Headquarters
Eglan Court
7 Knyveton Rd.
Bournemouth

May 2, 1942

Dear Mom, Dad and All:-

     Your letter of April 15th received this morning at 7:30 AM.  Nothing else received since Dad's letter of April 15th from home or any of the relatives.  Sure will be looking forward to Irene's box of Fanny Farmers.  Glad to hear you got all my letters and the picture.  About my weight, you'll be surprised to hear that the last time I got weighed the scale read 10 stone, 7 lbs. which, to you yankees, is 147 Ibs.  I don't believe the scale though so will drop in and get weighed at the sick bay to make sure.  By the way, did you get both my long letters?  One of about 16 and the other fourteen pages?  The air mail service has definitely improved coming this way.  Hope it has going your way too.  Did you get my cable?
     The Pouishnoff concert was great and I don't mean perhaps.  We had seats in the eighth row on the left center where we could watch his hands  [--(the next two lines of the original letter were destroyed by the censoring of the return address on page one)--]  certainly was a treat to hear some real music again, played by a master.  Lorna plays the piano as I think I told you and she was thrilled by the performances.  She played Strauss "Tales from the Vienna Woods" in the last show the station talent put on at the [--(censored)--] town hall as a Prisoners of War benefit and acquitted herself very well.  I hope you have received the letter with her picture and some of me that I enclosed.  We are going in this afternoon to see Santa Fe Trail and have tea in [--(censored)--] at the Capitol, one of the best theatres about like the Paramount in St. Paul.  Over here the seats are of various prices even at the movies, which will seem a bit strange to you.  They vary from 15 cents to 50 cents downstairs and from 25 cents to 50 cents in the balcony.  Double features are the order of the day at practically all the theatres except the Capitol.  Next week we are going to see the musical Chu Chin Chow at His Majesty's Theatre, a stage production from London.  Guess I told you that already.
     So Pete's gone in for a bike; that's really funny to hear.  Progress seems to be going backward with the (interrupted to correct some trouble.  Okay now) war reducing the availability of the luxuries taken for granted in the good old U.S.A.  Even the bicycle built for two is attaining popularity over here.  Interrupted again.  The Sarge just came in to check on some defective parts.
     Mail me my calculus book.  I can use it for a review better than these English ones and my own has all the engineering applications considered.  I intend to do a good bit of studying while I have the opportunity and see if I can't advance another rank, although the chances are a bit slim as that is equivalent to sergeant and there is only one to a station.  Don't seem likely they'd put a civilian in charge of that many airmen and N.C.O.'s.
     By the way, [--(censored)--] is one word and you'd better include RAF Station in the address, I don't believe the population of the town is as great as Highwood.
     Just can't think of another thing to write about now so will sign off for the present.  You might include a tin of peanut butter in the next package.

Cheerio,
Bob