June 1, 1941

Banks of Davis N.B.

Dear Pauline,

Received the money and both letters, much obliged. You keep addressing the mail as is. I am feeling fine although I lost some weight, but that is to be expected. We are on field rations at present to keep the men from getting lazy. After we complete our foot drilling, we will receive Garrison rations, which have more of a variety. As it is we can always go back for seconds. That is after all the men are served, and if some men are still hungry, they can line up and get another serving. Breakfast, for instance, we have scrambled eggs and bacon, bread and butter, coffee, ½ pint milk and corn flakes.

As far as clothes are concerned we receive plenty. Each man receives a cap, raincoat, overcoat, coat, trousers, two shirts, belt, three shorts, three ‘kerchiefs, two face towels and one large bath towel. You also get a fatigue suit. It’s like a suit of over alls, hat, coat and trousers, as you dress in these articles. There are also dress gloves, leggings, pack sack, hover sack, pup tent, mess kit and a flock of smaller items.

I’m over at barracks, where we have a foot locker, two woolen blankets, a pillow, two bed sheets and a pillow slip. At the end of the week we turn in the used bed sheets for clean ones. Some of the boys in our barracks went on guard duty for the lot time. There are seven posts in our Battery, and each man has to patrol a certain section. He works two hours on and four hours off for 24 hrs. When he’s off he has to sleep in his clothes, that is, in case of a fire or some disorder.

There are eleven general orders one must memorize word for word. It took me three days to learn them. This studying, learning, and drilling ain’t no joke, especially when you are a slow thinker. It makes my head swim to think of all the other stuff that’s still coming. Woe is me.

Listen, Pauline. In my last letter I asked you to send me a small Browne camera. Well, don’t send it. I managed to buy one from the boys here. He paid $15.00 for it and sold it to me for $5.00. He was raring to go to town; he must’ve had a hot mama lined up. Being troubled with the shorts, he sold the camera to the 1^st guy who had the film – so I got it. They have no films here. If you want to be a nice gal, you can send me a roll of films. The name is Agfa Superpan Supreme – 35 millimeter and takes 36 pictures and the film costs 95 cents – Well, see you later and thank the folks for the do, re, me.

Your bro,

Pete