Letter to his sister from Ellis Edwards

Letter to his sister from Ellis Edwards

Thanks for parcel she sent, especially as night flying had precluded his from shopping for essentials. Continues to describe activities around Christmas 1942 including being on search and rescue standby on Christmas day and a sortie to Lossiemouth and Newquay as well as a Women's Auxiliary Air Force non-commissioned officer's party. Notes that he has only one more operation to go.

1943-01-05

Three handwritten pages

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EEdwardsEDEdwardsM430105

[underlined] R.A.F Strad [/underlined]

5/1/43

My dear Maggie

Thanks awfully for the nice assorted parcel which I have just collected from the Post Office.

They all will be very useful especially now I was out of Shaving Cream & had only 20 cigs left. We are now flying every night so are unable to get out to replenish the stock.

Well as Regards Xmas it was quite OK but couldn’t do a lot because on Xmas day we were the only crew who were sufficiently advanced to be able to fly as a crew so were standing by in the event of Air Sea Rescue being required

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[underlined] 2 [/underlined]

but luckily we were not called on.

On Xmas Eve we were flying until about 5 o’clock, and on Dec 22 we flew up to Lossiemouth & back the next day Thats [sic] the reason the Xmas cards were late arriving. Xmas night I was invited to the WAAF NCO’s party had quite a good time there, plenty to eat and drink Free and since then have not been flying on the Sunday after Xmas we flew down to Newquay Cornwall & back quite a nice trip but flew over cloud the whole way never saw the ground once either there or back.

And each day since we have

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been night flying and even if the weather is bad when we are due to start we still have to hang about to wait for either better or worse weather to come We have only one more night trip to do here so shall be moving on again

Well I think thats [sic] all for now except to wish you all the best for 1943

Thanking you
Your loving brother

Ellis