Letter to George Royall from LAC R W Wheatley

Letter to George Royall from LAC R W Wheatley

Letter, with envelope, describes Wheatley's training in Canada and his desire to remuster as a navigator. It mentions other colleagues who are in pilot training at Moncton and that his own money problem 'is still a hell of a bind'. He asks how George Royall is getting on and suggests that, if he also wants to remuster from Air Bomber, now is the time to do so. Included is a photograph of four airmen with a building behind.

1943-05-01

Four-page handwritten letter and envelope

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EWheatleyRWRoyallGL430501

[postage stamp]
[post mark]
L.A.C. Royall [missing word]
66 Waverley Crescent,
Plumstead
S. R. 18
ENGLAND.
[underlined] ENGLAND. [/underlined]
[page break]
From L.A.C. Wheatley R.W. R.A.F. Swift CURRENT. SASK. CANADA.
[page break]
[Canadian ink stamp]
ON ACTIVE SERVICE
No. 2 of First Series
1807933 L. a. c. Wheatley Red
No: 39SFRS
Swift Current,
Sask.
Canada.
1st May 1943
My Dear [underlined] Roy [/underlined]
Here I am again feeling pretty miserable as usual. We’ve been at the usual grind of fatigues and general mucking around, and still in hopes of a posting, although that doesn’t seem likely till September. The lads who came over with us are either at Moncton still or like us at S.F.R.S’s, but I understand the former have been asked to remuster to another trade. I only wish I could. I’m still living in hopes of being a navigator. Some more of the S on A lads arrived at Moncton a few weeks back. Rev, Thomson [symbol] Smith are there, in training for pilots,
[page break]
so I presume Hugh Les will be over soon. Pilots seem to get their course over and done with very quickly. I learned last weekend that the Canadian pilots are only 8 months from the day they joined up till the time they arrive in England. They must have a pretty hot system.
Out west here, we’ve been having a better time, after working hours. Last weekend I went on a 48 to a place called Leypress Hills, and received free board and lodging, and were treated extremely kindly. I’ve now quite a few addresses of places where we can spend weekends, and Simpson has some also. We should have no difficulty in future of either making up our minds were [sic] to go, or how much it will cost. As I said before the money problem still a hell of a bind. Our application to group for more pay was returned the other day,
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with the remark that we’d have to grin and bear it. The boys are bearing it under protest, but they’re not grinning, although if you were to see some of my photos of them, you would imagine them to be the happiest crowd in this world.
Little flying has been done lately as the weather been pretty mucky. The main task at the moment is digging and towing aircraft out of the mud. I’m on the crash wagon tonight, so expect this to be my main occupation
How are you going along? Still having fun and bags of lovely leave. If you want a remuster now’s the time for your application as they can’t use them over here, by them I mean HBS. When you are posted trust you get a home one, not a South
[page break]
African or here.
Anyway, I’ll listen out now. My regards to Mrs. Royall? Or if not yet, Winnie, and to any of the lads you may been across. Look after yourself, and chins up.
All the best,
[underlined] Ron [/underlined]
[photo]