Letters of Ronald Henry Etherton, November - December 1943-Part 3 of 6

Conflict:
Second World War, 1939–45
Part of Quest:
Letters to Ronald Henry Etherton
Subject:
  • Love Letters
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
AWM2020.22.4
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 9

10 Missdean AVRE 13007 -17257, KOMONTON Alberro Cono0O ty Tlo Rs Pat b to to latte as or roade to se f o you find ny belles ideing no was to one to you gte but sacl lae I sear shil how she is slve the will be weviig Proasg the aswe is nothing wu to thes a chag ofpr w only so De fear written. And, just as noaiay fd ms shirking about you. If I could put ny shoughs ws words it would se off but usually I dont s Isted of welig to nt duing ih y bu prgeti upo wing. Maybe it'll help if I sats a rote of the she I shal of the. If I doent Ill gust ave so are ny oughs a cs so s. Ths is how it will go- fee you'rs setutiful, you she is so pest, you yes so seary, you hay so sot, you hav so soolh and you ups so sout now I now for whon I waited. If I have gone to it diloe Glade one righ a fir to be vaig ye Do you sit I i Thusday 10t Rs h swayi bolles slla . Alow, ll clrs it as te end shelp wt te able to asoei togethe is 1804. If we can. Pll sate the day of th4 s0 aa about you all day lose ter 4 am AAAAMN
tose 4s Tuesday 10 h00 41 Deaner fear sn astens to aen the I have i writte ag the best 100 days enly seceuse te see ase at having to staye tospital, Iee ptt like waing or the wall the n0 is an ols sem and so or bet thee are sweset 20s as ioon soald was which ano Imay Hho are who has bee seeig in her a britlion idea. Hh your roas he said tat, the sare colou s the the segns with siutious tha the col is paily an sul that of the rse dop fan lived as having the sconge of high flyn sta ows of low abswa aureraft with Jery shoog itt the comorgay he can lay hards on at us it nother to came around today sols b how sell I fett and will probbly beout I do tht to msed my wo yet Tell ne, did you father sife from broschius bepore he left ths co, and dia sho an alacephere of Eaoston help it euch? This is why I ask. The shippe has goo bee in tatting His alseys estig about the cleacts of vaises plaas wive ben so His wife suffer por as he and though het noy said so, I gues he isends to nove way from this cony ofter howae. Hs not the only one either Ihaugs I dont menbe hearing any of the Englishmen in Caus tor sey that they werase to go back qe the ca noo of tho0e her who trad say that hey are no certainly going to w. Other who hav been is with aus vay to redu the whill noor of those who have not been away for e conwant to go to astala Ol Pond Cies is a Ihac, a gilly aent fillow. He tae is aster Caad and is nore deteni than angons I ayow to go bscd but he was very caful to explan that in peacling bugled is not a cult as so find it I shink tantioe to wack gone a gils note, for we she to the slaes whes se shought it was no the sali And I tol of other thugs woild life, living away from hove have had ther inpli se wass began wit you turtes oy then was the action speech and woks, sone of them some of hse whos avr so bealall mnish have about as ca as ferat cpagus coplineary aS Ii hear sone good sedis prpane tay has sigh as bed cuad supose you see it on the noor. The asked for Carol hardis to sigh I think you were with me whe we saw a chor ofit ast night concore waed to hor a extay rolle sunt. Day, was it true io life somore else wanted Tes Aquars in a rush prood Ie jus head 24 Audralia ness Io bad shyse making solpharitanide hats ery becase thats what foe see gevting
the sepp joo sone is sh soad igt was for a caradia fillow who's in here. Gee his bieky but if I get ore, goot one for you known, Ii bui ha he Fll have you for e an we Roy Morte AIR LETTER cowrue Miss Year Ayse 13007-122 St Edmonton 43 Albera Cane
444 Letter 43 Diway D Auebe Dears Jear Well. I got ou of hospital Esday but I sill don't paw whether Sr going to niss the fellowe. If I so fw raie a diefers of a row. I received your letters & and 31 100 the nails were hels up by tate sais and so I waited ound for about as how. I knew that thre would be sore for ye when it did assise. I guess Im so0 inpatient. When I does received a litter from you for a day or two, I sake it as plety excuse to case the postat woir a officient and But it really is bad soreting so or Have you been having chicken too fn y you dont so nea as enhugasti about tem. Ot, do you really thind that t hey re t00 much Goeble In so glad that you liked ana sell hi to ar the others you a like them. Con is the wild one of the fayily. Not mod but gust full of life and more seckless than nost austalians ever. He does &hings that appear tersibly crazy but you can be your totts. dotter that he knows what hes doing and has the recouse Fee see hids nearly kill them solves y o copy him. et is quite the cuo up with a book sodies and for hows so as quiet as a morge. He has straigh brown Lai Hagals had lorg suts when I last saw her but shes had then ast off. She has very fay fay the about eighten nont ho yourges then oe but as tell, o tally and not as quet They get around every where together. In the last lettes I had from houe Edya wrote has they wen to they school Dance with he. They both wore the saye desses but differe colour Eaa said I fea quite the natiorly chaperore and it one of the yoing boys askes no which school I wese to Hagel and bet had had a great battle with ton before they got the high heeled show they wanted Why is it guot as well that I doae you do don you I saed to lean but I guess Im natually dunb I was to shy or
something to go so dances and leav like most do bet ever when I went is classes I give seened able to keep iny big feet whre they were supposed is be, Hell! Is was Pessisle, I ts and troe and they hell in the lowel. Eda has only been cancing during the last paorsoas sety ae from what I read in my letters. But there's still an awkward duckbing in The famely bon. I can just inagine him say woth to ho wants to deyce That's visy 11aff and they sacing off to try to get one of his pats aistys to give her a asson. If he did hav he replation d get o son peible s b i tetrat on ae to gils so his wth any fellows and a gil cons of a specks to hen ho gust says Hige and the prgets thyre tre. On wire whe I hust my shoutler I played Perns ata cast a fay way for hore I was wwith hi ore right when I saw a young gott who e wa to o b the ge bet ad said lls luggles disred that he'd known he for 20160 so wch for my matchratting. I have now to write but I'll sav it en it lono now evening all my love. Douther wn AIR LETTER Miss Jean Ayse 13007 122 St. Edmonton Aleeta Cansas
Letter 45 2nd Decembe 1961 Deares Gear Ho still not very cold but its alnost as niserable as ever I think I heard it raining outside a while ago. ca hardly renenber what it's like to be able to oalout the door without walking through pudda after puada It ist like this is bdwer gust before the sa comes, is it? I know it was pretty shisky whe all the ill and syow was getting but that do cont last more I has a coupte of weeks, I thit we lt have a footwalt from our door to the reared surewall. Do you like see prches? I yan glassed in veagaks. They're great when the son is shining but its cold or windy outside. As ho theyse popula because, ofren, in the witer the are cold widocold 20 us, I mean - but out of the wind the san is really wasn. The swenning batho weay hore have a real high corerte wall which keep the cold wedo which usually blow from the land off the seach In winter, e used to often wall down there or Sunday worings to see the fellows and st'd be so hot or the beach that wed take our ships off and suake f couse there are guite a fe people who go swrnming right through the winter I started to a couple of sines but something always happened to stop ye before long. Os waybe I siezed the first opportunity of an excue I forged, haw high the tty now in Canorton y weter tine, I senber that when we first arrived there easly a March it was gust getting light about 7A4 but hat's abnoot spring iont it? I guess the rights are putte loggn d wet Tonoro Il get hold of a has Alnarac and work out what lige the sey rises and sets and how high it rises and so on The instructor will probably thig Sm temibly zealous if he sees ne doing f I say for curosity, hell shi
Fe nets Will we have a ser porch, the I with a chesresfiels, big achays rediator and bookstaid One of these days I'll daw some plas of a house and send they for your used to be told off often at school s at work for drawing place of boads and Things when I should have been doing wrething else Hs time I went 20 sleep now Lll say two prayers before I do. Tinly Ths Hill kup you sape and will and secondly I hat it wort be long before In with you once nore All my love. Ron &x 20 eceived lette 28 roday Srs been all over the country man AIR LETTER curnserage corres nne aserr mavean Miss Year Ayse 13007 -121 St Edmoyton Cua Coads 5
Letter 46 and sooe and we have a big tocker each Money 6 hinde as last I ca bring out you photo. &is Dear Jear hanging on the well wow. On one sixe is three day Foe mised of the case there is the big pholo and without writing to you. In not making exeuses, just explaying. On Friday ever ae a saall ort on the other side t hee I was in such a rage that I thought are two small ones ad that one of shoildyt write to you in case it reflected Edm, all very artistically asrarged. They i my letter. They had guve announcd the considyably ecrease the chain of the cwan pu atherouc room I expect the C.0T0 sake sore ane my place just fecause I had missed one Cte rest white I was in hospital boy conplinentacy senko in his ordes as I will The plot bombe ad i fop if and when he sext inspects the were just as fierce 400, so you can magie roons that the other has was gt too bee on to contind with my captanation of going with them. On Saturday isming what I have been doing, or Saturday I made so any dydg and hicke up ght of t o to b to such a fass that the Cthe C61 and get sone loundry done. We still dont the assist Clot and tho hes Office know whether it will be done but we swed for peace, and let we go onts the left it at a place. We may get it flying course with my own crew. Saturday must have been my lucky day because we back sore day. Then we (we is, or succeeded in getting roons. Sheyre great are same and If wel to see a show after the beg bleak barracks tee & hes They called it Cargo of Fnneerse but I an just sel of us to the 1002. I sharl with believe it was Prepase for Action in the the Corbe Hish Sanson (Sannie) and s I was about a distroye which the filt a upp are next door The picedup two and about two rooms have just been painted, so are dogen babies, swowors of a Lorpedoe quite astractive. shere is a fueplac in p he two more babies ar bore
on boad. It's not bad. Maybe you ve seen it probably about 100 years ago, Then last night I spent getting a for of new gear ready to fly today and went to bed early o will have a hell of a cold and may be I have got seusites because I get lousy headaches yow and then but flying today relieved it completely for a while I dont think it will do any hav to fly. Everyone has a cold. f I could get od of mee Id be Ok I dont know how many letters Ioe received since & my las. There were two today. I'll answer one of them, t is my next letter. I may not have anything of iterest to write about then humber 15 is a rile long letter and sue glad that the lost Office eventually sent it along even though eye taken since 30th September 10 do so. I wish I could receive the carress of your lips personally rether than by hail. Ii just living for the day when I can feet your left on mine as I hold you close all my love How an AIR LETTER Han M S Ame Miss fean Ayse 13007 122 &t Canenlen 46 aeoyta Caans 310

TO:- Miss Jean AYRE 
13007 - 122 St., 
EDMONTON 
Alberta Canada. 

466348 
DATE STAMP 
________________________________ 
Write the message very plainly below this line. 
________________________________ 
Sender's Address Aus 423088 Sgt Etherton R H RAAF Base P.O London 

Letter 42 27 November '43 
Dear Jean, 
Do you find my letters uninteresting now? I 
want to write to you often but each time I start I 
think "Now what is there that will be interesting?" 
Invariably the answer is "Nothing much" So, there I am 
chewing the end of my pen with only down to "Dear 
Jean" written. And, just as invariably, I find myself 
thinking about you. If I could put my thoughts into 
words it would be OK but usually I don't. Sometimes 
I think of something to write during the day but forget it 
before evening. Maybe it'll help if I make a note of 
them when I think of them. If it doesn't I'll just 
have to sit down and write my thoughts as they come to 
me. This is how it will go - Gee you're beautiful, 
your skin is so fresh, your eyes so starry, your hair 
so soft, your hands so smooth and your lips so sweet. 
Now I know for whom I waited. If I hadn't gone to the 
Silver Glade one night in June I'd be waiting yet. Do you 
know what day it was? I think it was Thursday 10th. That's 
my brother's birthday too. Anyhow, we'll celebrate it as 
then. I wonder whether we'll be able to celebrate it 
together in 1944. If we can't, I'll take the day off 
and think and dream about you all day. Love Ron x x 
________________________________________________________________________ 
This space should not be used. 
MAKE SURE THAT THE ADDRESS IS WRITTEN IN LARGE BLOCK LETTERS IN THE PANEL ABOVE

 

Letter 43 Tuesday 20 Nov 43 
Dearest Jean, 
I'm ashamed to admit I have not 
written during the last two days simply because 
I've been depressed at having to stay in hospital. 
I've felt like writing on the wall "The MO is 
an old fusser" and so on but there are several 
MO's and no one would know which one I meant. 
The one who has been seeing me had a brilliant 
idea. "Blow your nose" he said "Ah, the same 
colour as the the sergeant's with sinutisus" 
So, despite my protestations that the colour is 
purely and simply that of the nose drops I am 
listed as having the scourge of high flying 
- sinutisus. I had visions of low altitude 
aircraft with Jerry throwing all the 
ironmongery he can lay hands on at us 
until another MO came around today. I 
told him how well I felt and will probably 
be out tomorrow. I don't think I've missed 
my crew yet. 
Tell me, did your father suffer from 
bronchitis before he left this country, and did 
the dry atmosphere of Edmonton help it much? 
This is why I ask. The Skipper has just been in 
talking. He's always asking about the climates of 
various place we've been to. His wife suffers from 
asthma and though he's never said so, I guess 
he intends to move away from this country after 
the war. He's not the only one either. Though 
I don't remember hearing any of the Englishmen 
in Edmonton say that they intended to go

2 
back after the war most of those here who 
trained in Canada say that they are most 
certainly going to return. Others who have been 
in South Africa want to return there while 
most of those who have not been away from 
the country want to go to Australia. Roy Olsen's 
Bomb Aimer is an Irishman, a jolly decent fellow. He 
trained in Eastern Canada and is more determined 
than anyone I know to go back but he was very 
careful to explain that in peacetime England is 
not as dull as we find it. I think I mentioned how 
much women and girls smoke, far more than in the 
States where we thought it was more the habit. 
And f lots of other things - service life, living away from 
home, have had their influences on them since the 
wars began until now - well - They're men in 
action ,speech and looks, some of them. 
Some of those whos aren't so blatantly mannish 
have about as much charm as female chimpanzees , 
complimentary, aren't I? 
I've heard some good radio programmes lately. Last 
night we heard Command Broadcast Performance. I suppose you've 
seen it on the movies. They asked for Carol Landis 
to sigh. I think you were with me when we saw 
a short of it. Last night someone wanted to 
hear a certain roller rink. Boy, was it true 
to life. Someone else wanted Times Square 
in a rush period. I've just heard the Australian 
news. It's bad. They're making sulphanilamide 
there. That's very bad because that's what I've 
been getting.

 

3. 
The Skipper just came in with about eight 
letters for a Canadian fellow who's in 
here. Gee, he's lucky but if I get 
one, just one, from you tomorrow, I'm 
luckier than him 
I'll love you for ever and ever 
Ron 
x x x

BY AIR MAIL 
AIR LETTER 
IF ANYTHING IS ENCLOSED 
THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT 
BY ORDINARY MAIL 

FORRES MORAYSHIRE 
8.-AM 
1 DE 

Miss Jean Ayre 
13007 - 122 St., 
Edmonton 
Alberta Canada 

43 

Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
Sgt Etherton R H 
RAAF Base P O 
London England

 

Letter 43 
#44 
Wednesday 1st December. 
Dearest Jean, 
Well, I got out of hospital today 
but I still don't know whether I'm 
going to miss the fellows. If I do I'll 
raise a dickens of a row. I received your 
letters 31 and 32 too. The mails were 
held up by late trains and so I waited 
around for about an hour. I knew that 
there would be some for me when it did 
arrive. I guess I'm too impatient. When 
I don't received a letter from you for a day 
or two, I take it as plenty excuse to 
call the postal service inefficient and 
so on. But it really is bad sometimes. 
Have you been having chicken too 
often lately? You don't sound near as 
enthusiastic about them. Or, do you 
really think that they're too much 
trouble? 
I'm so glad that you liked 
Edna's letter. She's a swell kid. So are 
the others. You'd like them. Ern is the 
wild one of the family. Not mad but 
just full of life and more reckless than 
most Australians even. He does things 
that appear terribly crazy but you can

2. 
bet your bottom dollar that he knows 
what he's doing and has the measure. 
I've seen kids nearly kill themselves 
try to copy him. Bet is quite. She curls 
up with a book sometimes and for hours 
is as quiet as a mouse. She has 
straight brown hair. Hazel had long 
curls when I last saw her but she's had 
them cut off. She has very fair hair. She's 
about eighteen months younger than Bet 
but as tall, or taller ,and not as quiet. 
They get around everywhere together. In the 
last letters I had from home Edna wrote 
how they went to their School Dance 
with her. They both wore the same 
dresses but different colours. Edna said 
"I felt quite the matronly chaperone until 
one of the young boys asked me which 
school I went to" Hazel and Bet had 
had a great battle with mMum before 
they got the high heeled shoes they 
wanted. 
Why is it just as well that I 
don't dance? You do, don't you? I tried 
to learn but I guess I'm just 
naturally dumb. I was too shy or

 

3. 
something to go to dances and learn like 
most do but even when I went to 
classes I never seemed able to keep 
my big feet where they were supposed 
to be. Hell! It was terrible. I tried 
and tried and then threw in the towel. 
Edna has only been dancing during the 
last year or so and s is rather an expert 
from what I read in my letters. But 
there's still an awkward duckling in 
the family - Ern. I can just imagine 
him saying "Urrhh Who wants to dance. 
That's sissy stuff" and then racing off 
to try to get one of his pal's sisters to 
give him a lesson. If he didn't have his 
reputation he'd get into some terrible rows over his 
unintentional bad manners to girls sometimes. If 
he's with any fellows and a girl comes up and speaks 
to him he just says 'Hiya" and then forgets they're 
there. One winter when I hurt my shoulder I played 
tennis at a court a fair way from home. I was with 
him one night when I saw a young girl who 
played there. I went to introduce them but the girl 
beat me and said "Hullo Ern" Puzzled, I discovered 
that he'd known her for months. So much for 
my matchmaking. 
I have more to write but I'll save it 
until tomorrow evening 
All my love, Sweetheart 
Ron 
AWM2016.B32.1


BY AIR MAIL 
AIR LETTER 
IF ANYTHING IS ENCLOSED 
THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT 
BY ORDINARY MAIL. 

Miss Jean Ayre 
13007 - 122 St., 
Edmonton 
Alberta Canada 

43 
44 
← Second fold here → 

Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
Sgt Etherton R H 
RAAF Base P.O 
London England

 

Letter 45 
2nd December 1943 
Dearest Jean, 
It's still not very cold but it's 
almost as miserable as ever. I think I 
heard it raining outside a while ago. I 
can hardly remember what it's like to be 
able to walk out the door without 
walking through puddle after puddle. 
It isn't like this in Edmonton just before 
the snow comes, is it? I know it was 
pretty slushy when all the ice and snow 
was melting but that doesn't last more 
than a couple of weeks. I think we'll 
have a footwalk from our door to the 
nearest sidewalk. Do you like sun 
porches? I mean glassed in verandahs? 
They're great when the sun is shining 
but it's cold or windy outside. At home 
they're popular because, often, in the 
winter there are cold winds, - cold to 
us, I mean - but out of the wind the 
sun is really warm. The swimming 
baths near home have a real high 
concrete wall which keep the cold 
winds which usually blow from the

2. 
land off the beach. In winter, we 
used to often walk down there on 
Sunday mornings to see the fellows 
and it'd be so hot on the beach 
that we'd take our shirts off and 
sunbake. Of course, there are quite a few 
people who go swimming right through 
the winter. I started to a couple of 
times but something always happened 
to stop me before long. Or maybe I 
siezed the first opportunity of an excuse. 
I forget how high the sun rises in 
Edmonton in winter time. I remember 
that when we first arrived there early 
in March it was just getting light 
about 7 AM but that's almost spring, 
isn't it? I guess the nights are pretty 
long in mid winter. Tomorrow I'll get 
hold of a Nau-Almanac and work out 
what time the sun rises and sets 
and how high it rises and so on. - 
The instructor will probably think I'm 
terribly zealous if he sees me doing 
it. If I say for curiosity, he'll think

 

3. 
I'm nuts. Will we have a sun porch, 
then? - with a chesterfield, big 
armchairs, radiator and bookstand. 
One of these days I'll draw some plans 
of a house and send them for your 
O.K. I used to be told off often at school 
or and at work for drawing plans of boats 
and things when I should have been 
doing something else. 
It's time I went to sleep now. I'll 
say two prayers before I do. Firstly 
that He'll keep you safe and well 
and secondly that it won't be long 
before I'm with you once more 
All my love, 
Ron x x 
P.S Received letter 48 today. It's 
been all over the country.

BY AIR MAIL 
AIR LETTER 
IF ANYTHING IS ENCLOSED 
THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT 
BY ORDINARY MAIL 

Miss Jean Ayre 
13007 - 122 St., 
Edmonton 
Alberta Canada 

45 
← Second fold here → 

Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
Sgt Etherton R H 
RAAF Base P.O 
London England

 

Letter 46 
Monday 6 December. 
Dearest Jean, 
'Tis three days I've missed 
without writing to you. I'm not making 
excuses, just explaining. On Friday evening 
I was in such a rage that I thought I 
shouldn't write to you in case it reflected 
in my letter. They had just announced the 
crews and put another Nav. in our crew in 
my place just because I had missed one 
little test while I was in hospital. Boy! 
Was I wild! The pilot, bomber and W/Op 
were just as fierce too, so you can imagine 
that the other Nav. wasn't too keen on 
going with them. On Saturday morning 
I made so many demands and kicked up 
such a fuss that the CI, the CGI and 
the Assist CGI and the Nav. Officer 
sued for peace and let me go onto the 
flying course with my own crew. Saturday 
must have been my lucky day because we 
succeeded in getting rooms. They're great 
after the big bleak barracks here. There 
are just two of us to the room. I share with 
the Bomber Keith Samson (Sammie) and 
the Pilot and W/Op are next door. The 
rooms have just been painted, so are 
quite attractive. There is a fireplace in

2. 
each room and we have a big locker each. 
At last I can bring out your photo. It's 
hanging on the wall now. On one side 
of the case there is the big photo and 
a small one. On the other side there 
are two small ones and that one of 
Edna, all very artistically arranged. They 
considerably increase the charm of the 
room. I expect the C.O to make some very 
complimentary remarks in his orders 
if and when he next inspects the 
rooms. 
To continue with my explanation of 
what I have been doing, on Saturday 
night we went into town to try to 
get some laundry done. We still don't 
know whether it will be done but we 
left it at a place. We may get it 
back some day. Then we ("We" is, or 
are, Sammie and I) went to see a show. 
They called it "Cargo of Innocense" but I 
believe it was "Prepare for Action" in the 
States. It was about a destroyer which 
picked up two women and about two 
dozen babies, survivors of a torpedoed 
ship. Then two more babies are borne

 

3. 
on board. It's not bad. Maybe you've 
seen it - probably about two years ago. 
Then, last night I spent getting a 
lot of new gear ready to fly today 
and went to bed early. I still have 
a hell of a cold and maybe I have 
got sinusitis because I get lousy 
headaches now and then but flying 
today relieved it completely for a 
while. I don't think it will do any 
harm to fly. Everyone has a cold. 
If I could get rid of mine I'd be O.K. 
I don't know how many letters I've 
received since I my last. There were 
two today. I'll answer one of them, 15, 
in my next letter. I may not have 
anything of interest to write about then. 
Number 15 is a nice long letter and 
I'm sure glad that the Post Office 
eventually sent it along even though 
they've taken since 30th September to 
do so. I wish I could receive the 
carress of your lips personally rather 
than by mail. I'm just living for the 
day when I can feel your lips on mine 
as I hold you close 
All my love 
Ron 
 

BY AIR MAIL 
AIR LETTER 
IF ANYTHING IS ENCLOSED 
THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT 
BY ORDINARY MAIL. 

FORRES MORAYSHIRE 
[?3. -PM] 
{? DEC] 
43 

Miss Jean Ayre 
13007 - 122 St., 
Edmonton 
Alberta Canada 
46 
← Second Fold here → 

Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
Sgt Etherton R.H. 
RAAF Base P.O 
London England

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