Letter from Jimmy Doughty to his sister Winnie

Letter from Jimmy Doughty to his sister Winnie

Writes that they now have a radio in their hut property of one of a Canadian crew that had moved in. Also he had some Canadian cake that had more fruit in a square inch that an English bakery. Continues about other food. Mentions that he had been air sick after violent evasive manoeuvres (practice with English fighter) and mentions some aspects of the flight. Continues with some general banter about his current life.

1944-05-08

Three page letter and envelope

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EDoughtyJCDoughtyW440508

[postmark Selby 9 May 1944] [postage stamp]

[underlined] W [/underlined] 28622 Pte Doughty,
Frog Island, P.O.
Leicester.

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1386802
c/o Sgts Mess
R.A.F. Riccall,
Nr. Selby
Yorks

8-5-44

Dear Winnie

Thanks for the letter, & how many more weeks pay have you got to lose, to pay for the boat. In our hut now we have a bang on radio, property of one of the Canadian crew that has just moved in, & I have just eaten a piece of canadian [sic] cake which has more fruit in one square inch, that [sic] in a whole of an English bakerie, [sic] & am about to start on fine big jug choclate, [sic] after which there is some dried bannana [sic] of which I shall partake.

Incidentally getting away from the

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sublime to the horrible. I was air sick for the first time, after a very violent evasive action with a figther [sic] (an english [sic] figther [sic] for practise), we had 5 other bodies aboard apart from the crew & when we landed apart from the instructor pilot who was with us every one felt pretty bad, well the spare “bods” got out & we whent [sic] up again & made a bumpy [deleted] landy [/deleted] landing & that just stapled the [deleted] sale [/deleted] seale [sic] & I couldn’t hold it.

Still our WoP was sick today so I had a laugh.

That little red stripe you mention is also in my possession, but I have not yet gathered sufficient energy to sow it on, well I’m now going to get some hot choclate [sic] inside of me

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& sleep the sleep of the good, & dream of bags of leave, plenty of days off, bags of good food, more money, & great dirty fogs that stop flying, then wake up to be very disapointed, [sic] get up early for first detail eat the usual breakfast, find its wonderful flying weather, & tear off to the parachute store & so to meet the sun half way.

Well a further instalment of how to be a daring (?) aviator in 2 1/2 easy lessons will follow later (nowing [sic] my letter writing very much later)

Best of luck, I now going to gaze at a smashing photo of Betty Grable before going to dream land.

So keep handing out pay

Love, [underlined] Jim [/underlined]