LIFE OF A GUNNER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 178, 10 November 1941, Page 3

LIFE OF A GUNNER

NIGHT FIGHTER WORK IN

ENGLAND

LETTERS FROM LOCAL FLYER

(Continued from last issue) July We are no longer gents of leisure. I have done as much flying the first five days this month as I did in the whole of last month. A lot of air„ gunners have been transferred to other squadrons, and there are now only enough gunners to' go round, no double banking as before. I landed on my feet when rearranged, as the flight commander took me. He is 21, and sucli a deccnt chap. I told you how he baled out some I weeks ago. There is not much enemy activity lately in spite of lovely weather and a full moon. Jerry is I presume giving everything he's 'got to the Russians. We are expecting Mr Peter Fraser here any day now, as one of the boys met him at the N.Z. Club and he promised to come, as we have 10 New Zealanders here now, which is a lot. It is still terrifically hot and I have lost 81 bs of my extra stone. We are getting well organised in our new camp now, and it is not half bad as; it is at present. I went to Lincoln recently and had a swim in the afternoon in baths rather like the Blue Baths, a bit bigger, and cold. They had diving boards, water chutes etc. which put them a bit ahead of the Blue Bath, and the local talent was exceedingly good. T don't know what has happened to Jerry lately, he is sending nothing over. Has his hands full with Joseph S. I guess. I had a flight in. another type of kite yesterday. It was being delivered to another station. This chap had flown them out East, and he gave me p great dash of acrobatics. He sure could handle it. Its beautiful weather, but days are drawing in, its dark at 11 now. August Oair station is now complete witl mess, baths ctc. You will be getting a letter one of these days fron the people with whom I have spen 1113* leave the last twice, as'they recently asked for your address. It „ has becomc a liome away from home. Though they keep an hotel they do not charge me now, and pressed mc to return upon my next leave. There has been little enemy activity lately with the exception of a sharp blitz on one town in our sector. One of the observers who came across in my draft received the D.F.M. lately, the first, of our lot to be decorated. I have lost both my cabin mates, 1 suppose you read how they had gone west. They were both on bombers. Later Well you see by this that I am in hospital with appendicitis. I felt very crook one day and I' was a fool to go up again. That finished me off, and I was packed off here at 2 a.m. and hacked up early next morning. I have been here 8 days noAV. The funny part is that my room mate at our camp is in the next bed to me. He came in 8 hours before with the same thing and we were operated on one after the other. He was rather staggered to wake up and fmd me alongside him. Wo haven't done badly here, as the NV S. ladies give us plenty of cigarettes, and I had a parcel and letter from the Overseas League which came n handy, also a parcel of tobacco from you and I hear that the shoes you sent have arrived at the camp. My others are like the wreck of the Hesperus now. My night nurse is a pretty little Norwegian* t « If I am not compelled to go to a convalescent home I shall be going to mv friends of whom I told you, ns they are most insistent that I do SO - September: Baelc on the camp a-aln after six weeks. They treated mc wonderfully at the R, where I| told yon t was going to say if pos-| sible I am giving you the addres , so will vou please bo sure to write to tlieni. They did everything possible for me. Thinking 1 wouk be broke after a spell in hospital tliej even wished to lend mc money, but strange to relate I actually had money. lam now introduced a. their "adopted son from N.Z." I . came before the medical board at X yesterday and as I expected aa as grounded for a further two weeks \ AV.A.A.F. drove me down and we stayed for tea in Lincoln. I will be afte;- them again before you receive this air mail.

"Essential to Asthmatic and Bronchial patients"—Dr. Hair's renowned remedy. F. G. MiackloWj Central Pharmacy, Whakatane.