Showing posts with label New Years Eve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Years Eve. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 December 2012

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 2nd 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.'