Dear Mom, Dad & All:-

     Received Dad's air mail letter the first and was glad to hear the latest, especially about Bug.  If there's a chance of him going overseas you'd best get him a Valet Auto-strop razor, a dozen blades, and two cakes of Yardley's shaving soap in the round boxes.  This will take care of the shaving situation for a year as a blade lasts a month easily and one cake of soap about six, shaving daily.  Tell him to get a small flashlight using standard batteries and to take an extra dozen along.  He'll have to have one in the black outs no matter how good he thinks he can see at night.  A small glass mirror is better than a metal one which dulls rather quickly and the chances of breaking even a glass one are small.  On the medical side he could use a small first aid kit and a batch of bandaids, a box of Quinine (I have Ammoniated Quinine), Aspirins, and some Iodized Formamint tablets.  I don't know if you can buy the quinine tablets over there without a prescription, but they're the clear ticket to knock a cold or flu.  Last night I came home from work feeling terrible, a cold, headache, and every part of me ached especially through the small of my back, and my neck was getting stiff.  I took a quinine tablet and two aspirins and sucked one of the Formamint tablets before going to bed.  I thought sure I was going to be sick today, but I woke up feeling fit as a fiddle, no headaches, backaches or anything else.  I  sure sweat during the night.  Quickest I ever cured a cold.   I mention these few items as they are usually not given any consideration until you can't get them and need them.  I've shaved several times without a mirror.  I got a Valet razor when I went to Eire, so won't need any more Gilette blades.
     Dad asked about my still being in the Infantry.  I can tell you without violating any regulations that as my Reserve Commission is in Infantry, I am ordered to active duty as such, and assigned for duty with the Electronics Group of the Signal Corps without having to acquire all the additional knowledge required for a signal corps commission.  It all amounts to the same thing in the end and the purpose for which I joined the C.T.C. has been accomplished, a good deal sooner than I expected, to be sure.  The Japs saw to that.
     What sort of a Technician is Bug?  And is he on the ground or in the air?  I'm still in doubt as to what he's doing and how he came to get in the air corps.  Now that they're going to take married men, how does Art stand?  I suppose his occupation will defer him for quite a while.  Sure must seem strange without George around the house.  I suppose Knoll will get called now too and the Gov't will take care of his mother.
     I went to George Huff's wedding last Saturday in Tonbridge, Kent.  It was a Church wedding and the usual empty Protestant ceremony.  We met at the Eagle Club, there were about eight CTC fellows and George's chum from St. Paul also a 2nd Lt. in ETG who was beat man.  We got there about 2:30 and the wedding took place at three.  After the ceremony there was a reception in a small hall near the Church where drinks and a luncheon was served.  Then dancing and more drinks, etc. until about nine o'clock when the party broke up.  The bride and groom left on the train at 7:30 to return to London and thence to the south coast for a weeks honeymoon.  I met a very charming cousin of the bride called Evelyn and we sneaked off in the late afternoon for a walk and to explore an old castle nearby and view the remains of a Roman wall.  We were gone about an hour or so and when we came back everyone was feeling pretty good.  We joined in the dancing for the rest of the evening.  I had originally planned to go back to London with George, but meeting her upset things a bit.  I stayed overnight there with another cousin who had a spare room.  Evelyn is from London and was returning there the next day so we planned on going together.  Next morning I called for her about ten o'clock and after walking around the country a bit we went over to her grandmother's and who should be there but her mother.  She had come down on the morning train to see her own mother and to surprise Evelyn.  She did!  The three of us then returned to the cousin's, George's wife's folks, her mothers sister, where we had a fine home cooked dinner.  It sure tasted good to me.  After dinner Evelyn and I walked downtown to find out the time of the trains and did a little more sightseeing.  We returned and picked up her mother and went back to the grandmother's for tea, after which we caught the train back.  They invited me to return again and I have a standing invitation to visit Evelyn whenever I get to London issued by her mother.  It's hardly any wonder the Americans over here have a reputation for being fast workers.  I stayed at the Eagle Club and got an early morning train back to my station after a pleasant weekend full of surprises.
     I just took time out for a nice hot bath, before it got too late.  Thursday night is my bath night.  I have a lovely room here now.  It's about the size of our dining room at home and has a writing table, dresser, bed, wardrobe, fireplace, nice easy chair with a cretonne cover and a large rug on the floor.  There's a lovely bouquet of flowers on my left on the table, I don't know the variety, but they're very pretty.  There's always one there too, changed about twice weekly.  The roses were beautiful when they were in bloom.  George would like them.  They grow on huge bushes over here like trees.  I didn't know what they were at first.  I am awakenad every morning at seven-thirty by my landlady, a woman of about forty, with a tray containing a pot of tea and a couple of cookies.  I eat at the post where I work so this is just a preliminary to breakfast; I then get up and shave, she has a pitcher of hot water waiting in the bathroom, and buzz off to work, don't usually get back before eight o'clock in the evening so there hasn't been much subject matter for letter writing.  I'm not at the same billet I was as a CTC member which was furnished by the RAF.  This one costs me $4.20 a week.
     I now have all my uniforms either in my possession or "on order" as FDR says.  The cost of them would stagger you.  Here's a sample of how my money went.

2 Coats with cloth belts @ 48.00 96.00
2 OD Trousers   @ 19.50 37.00
1 "Pink" Trousers          20.00
1 Overcoat     52.00
2 OD Shirts (GI)   @  3.60  7.20
1 Field Jacket (GI)         6.00
1 OD "GI" Work Trousers  @  5.00     5.00
3 Kakkl Shirts (dress GI)@  2.25   6.75
1 Trench coat with wool
  button-in lining   36.00
1 Overseas cap     5.00
1 Dress cap      9.00
1 Pair Field shoes (GI)    3.40
1 pair Drass shoes (GI)    3.40
Ties, socks, belt etc.    5.00

    All the items marked GI are US made and bought from the Quartermaster which accounts for the lower prices.  When I get my check this month I will have all of it paid for, too.  Clothes are certainly expensive over here, but the materials are the finest obtainable and of course everything is tailored to fit individually, Saville Row, of course.  A pair of lieutenant's bars cost $1.50 here, when you can get them.  The cheapest officers dress shoes are $10.00.  Then of course there's 10% more for tax on all the items I mentioned.  Gas Mask & helmet are issued, thank heaven, so I didn't have to buy them.  All the prices are standard so you can't buy anything cheaper.
     Dad said Mom wrote, but I haven't received one since the last of August when I was at the Eagle Club.  You can send my packages to the Army address since the weight limit is eleven pounds that way.  I get cigarettes weekly so unless it's Regents or Herbert Tareyton don't send any as I can get all others from the post Exchange, five packs a week at 12 cents a package.
     The merry winter breezes are just beginning to blow here, though I don't suspect it'll be as cold or at least that I'll feel it as much as last winter.  One of the other boys thought it was here last week on a particularly cool day and went uptown and bought himself a pair of flannel pajamas part wool.  Cost him $8.40.  Imagine paying that for something to sleep in.  Wow!  I suppose prices are up at home now too, though.
     Well, the clock in the priory just struck twelve, so I'd better be getting some shut-eye.  I've made a solemn resolution to write weekly on Thursday nights whether I've got anything to write about or not, so you'll hear a bit oftener, henceforth.  It's doggone hard to write unless you're in the mood and have something to say, I'll send a picture or two separately as soon as I get one.  I had some cheap ones (25 cents each) taken, but they're not much good.  However, I'll send them anyway.  Also one taken the last week I wore the CTC uniform.
And so good-night.

Love to all

Thatch