Letter from Bill Akrill to Mary

Letter from Bill Akrill to Mary

Wishes her happy birthday, no news of next leave. Is now ready to leave West Freugh with its eternal training. - the Operational Training Unit must be better. Notes Scottish band passing by 'they are for ever making no end of a wild din dancing around the camp'.

Had a good day bombing yesterday in good weather (unusually) and will be night flying tonight.

1942-09-02

Three page handwritten letter

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EAkrillWEAkrill[Mo]420902

No 1436220 L.A.C. Akrill,
Hut 20,
R.A.F. Station,
W. Freugh,
STRANRAER.
Wednesday 2. Sept ’42.
Dear Mary,
I want to get this off, if I can, in time to wish you many happy returns of the 4th (I hope that’s right, but I make so many mistakes on birthdays that I feel a bit nervous about getting mixed up these days.)
Anyway – happy birthday, and many of ‘em. Afraid I couldn’t find anything in Stranraer or Girvan that was worth sending you but I expect its best to do without things these days.
Afraid I still don’t know anything about leave but if we get any I think it will be on the 25th as our photography exam is pretty definite for the 23rd – during the week originally planned for our leave. It’s possible that we’ll be passing out and leaving Freugh in 5 weeks but thats [sic] not sure. Everythings [sic] very uncertain at the moment. I expect we’ll
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suddenly get exams rushed at us tho’. I’m fed up & I think everybody’s the same. I shall never leave a place more gladly than this and never [deleted] am [/deleted] was I more ready for leave. The Freugh itself’s alright and I’m happy as anything here but it’s the eternal training, training, “binding”, and working and all to no encouragement that is sometimes [deleted] is [/deleted] apt to be a bit wearing. To have 3 tapes & a brevy at O.T.U. will seem like a timely reward & will spurt us on a bit! Anyway they’re bound to give us a good leave after O.T.U. It’ll be rotten luck if I miss Dave. I wonder if you saw him last week-end. I fancy he may have been up. It seems years since I was home. [deleted] [three indecipherable words] [/deleted] There goes the Station Pipe Band again – Bagpipes, drums an’ all. They’re for ever making no end of a wild din dancing around the camp. There was to be a display of Scottish Folk Dances one night but, as usual it rained. What with bagpipes and the hills and moors all around just a glowing purple mass of heather we can feel really in Scotland.
Wonder how the corn’s going. I dare say the weather’s still been pretty good with you
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How is the garden? Expect the Michaelmas Daisies asters &c will be coming out. You’ll be having plenty of tomatoes I guess.
Nothing happening here. Had a good day on bombing yesterday. Weather was fine & it was lovely. Bombing’s rotten when the weather’s bad as it was on Sunday. We’re night-flying tonight and I’m thinking I’ll have to stop and collect my belongings. Expect it will be cold tonight its not a very good night.
I shall be ever so pleased with any letters anybody feels like writing.
Love to all
[underlined] Bill [/underlined]