Flying spitfires was dangerous

Christmas 1944. Keith was with his cousin Phillip's young wife, Mary, and their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Vinall.

• Mr. & Mrs. Vinall were the parents of John Douglas Vinall, a friend of Philip's. Phillip and John were both spitfire pilots. They flew together in Malta in 1942. 
• John Vinall died in Malta on 12 October 1942, and Phillip maintained a friendship with John's parents. 
• Mary is 'feeling low' because Phillip was reported missing on 19 November 1944. 

On 9 June 1944 Keith explained to his mom how he made the acquaintance of Mary and the Vinalls.

' I wrote to Mary Phillips wife a couple of days ago & I received a reply today, I hardly knew what to write about not knowing what she was like but now that I have heard from her I have found that she is really swell, she is going to have a baby in September & she sure is proud, Auntie Aline is sending the christening set, Phillip has made friends a Mr. & Mrs Vinall parents of a boy who lost his life in Malta & they want Phillip Mary & I to celebrate our meeting at their place so I sure intend to go, once I get on ops we should get plenty of leave'

Merry Christmas (1944)

Here is what Keith wrote to his mother just after Christmas in 1944. Some of it relates to events I haven't posted about yet so here is some brief background.

• Mr. & Mrs. Vinall were the parents of John Douglas Vinall, a friend of Philip's. They flew spitfires in Malta together in 1942. 
• John Vinall died in October 1942, and Phillip maintained a friendship with John's parents. 
• Mary is 'feeling low' because Phillip was reported missing on 19 November 1944. 

Letter from Keith to his mom, 30 December 1944.

'I had a very nice Christmas with Mary, we went over to some peoples place for the day and we really had a good time, Mr. & Mrs. Vinal(?) are really swell people, it’s a good thing Mary has them to turn to when she is feeling low. We aren’t doing anything right now, I am on picket duty in new years eve which should be very nice. Thank goodness I didn’t get it on the 2^nd as Robby & I have the same birthday we are having a birthday party at the local pub to celebrate. ... Say you talk about it being foggy in Vancouver weill I hitch hiked to London and back at Christmas and on the way back it got as bad you couldn’t see the side of the road so I had to take the train back. There was a restriction on trawl to 20 mi for the ? at the time so I had to ride free & then climb the fence when I arrived in the station.'