Letters of Ronald Henry Etherton, March-May 1944 - Part 3 of 8

Letter 104 
Aberdeen 
Thursday 23rd Mar. 

Dear Jean, 
Phew! The last few days have 
been a rush. At long last we're 
thru' with O.T.U and Whitleys. I 
don't care if I never see another. I 
hate packing my junk to leave a 
station at any time but to have 
to do it in a hurry drives me 
nearly crazy. To make it worse all 
I wanted to do was sleep. Eventually 
they realised that it was time we 
quit the place, so, for the last 
fortnight it's been - briefing - night 
trip - briefing - day trip - occasionally 
sitting around all night waiting for 
the weather to break. We've had 
one or two breaks but expect for 
then I just haven't been able 
to concentrate long enough to 
write. We have a good long 
leave - until 10th April and 

2. 
I'll write as many letters as I can 
between now and then. I'm afraid 
you won't receive them for some 
time because we can't send mail 
overseas except from our own 
stations. I'll have to save them 
until our leave is finished and 
post them then. I still have the 
last letter I wrote you in camp. 
I guess I'll have to keep it too. 
This leave we intend to stay 
here in Aberdeen for a few days, 
then go to London, Cardiff, then 
maybe Liverpool. The Skipper is 
to get a commission and, of course, 
has to run all round the country 
interviewing people - in his leave. 
He is off until Sunday and 
came down here with Bill, Sam 
and I. Eddie and Fred went 
on straight to their homes. Sam 
and I are staying at the same

3. 
place as last time. Skipper and 
Bill couldn't get in but will be 
up tomorrow. It's very nice - 
really a private home. Mrs 
Davidson whose home it is is 
very friendly. We just have 
breakfast here - usually about 
10 A.M. There's always a hot water 
bottle in our beds. So you see, we 
just come here to be spoilt. 
I wish I could spend this 
leave, or any leave, with you. 
You'd have to put up with me 
for keeps then because I'd never 
come back here. I loved you 
last time I left you but I 
didn't know it then. That's the 
difference 
Ron 

AWM2016-832.1 

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 

# 104 
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Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
F/Sgt Etherton R H 
R.A.A.F Base P.O 
London 

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Letter 105 
Sat 25 March 
Dear Jean, 
Bill and I went skating 
this evening. For a Canadian 
Bill isn't much of a skater. Of 
course he had a pair of 
borrowed boots and its ages since 
he last skated. Though I've never 
been ice skating with you and 
never even seen you on the ice it's 
pretty easy to imagine how much 
fun it would be. Maybe you 
wouldn't like it if you knew 
I wanted you to fall. Not just 
for the sake of seeing you fall 
but just so's you'd have to let 
me pick you up - just so I could 
put my arms around you. Would you 
fall so I could? I mightn't let you 
go again. Would you mind? It's 
not nearly as much fun skating on the 
rink here though there's I'd rather 

3 
be there than anywhere else. It's rather 
warm outside tonight and it made 
the ice melt quite a bit. Just as 
well I didn't fall else I might have 
drowned. 
Don't ask me what we do every 
morning while we're on leave. If 
we're planning to do anything no-one 
ever suggests the morning 'cos we 
know darn well that we'll never 
make it. By the time we get up it's 
too late to get cleaned up before 
having breakfast. Then we sit in 
front of the fire for a while and 
one by one clean up. By this 
time it's afternoon, anyhow. Waste 
of a morning? Maybe, but there's 
not such a lot to do so what does 
it matter? It'd be different if I 
could come out to Calder. Just 
like the rain. 
Tomorrow afternoon we're going 
to Skipper's friend's place - Bill and 
I. Skipper has to go back to camp

3. 
in the morning and Sam I guess will 
be out with his girl friend. 
Come to think of it, we never do 
much at any time on our leave. 
Friday afternoon we only wandered 
round the shops. The things we 
got we could have bought in about 
ten minutes. This afternoon we had 
a game of billiards - pool I think 
they call it in Canada. Oh and 
last night we went to a show. 
"Harrigan's Kid" and "Henry Haunts a 
House". 'Fraid I don't get much of 
a kick out of anything nowadays. 
All I can get excited about is 
the day. 
Ron 
XXX 

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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 

#105 
← Second fold here → 
To open cut here → 

(Appears sideways) 
Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
F/Sgt Etherton R.H 
RAAF Base P.O 
London 

← To open cut here

Letter 106 
Monday 27 March 
Dear Jean, 
I wish I could post these 
letters I've written you and not wait 
until our leave is up. If and when 
I get as far as London I'm going to 
kick over the traces about the way the 
R.A.F handles mail. Our headquarters 
love to get R.A.F officers who have 
erred and pin their ears back. I think 
I know one they can do. By the time 
our leave finishes you'll be in for 
over a fortnight without letters. I 
wish I could do something about 
it because I know how I'd feel if 
I got the same deal. I'd be biting 
my finger nails to the quick 
worrying what had happened. 
Just a couple of hours
before I left camp I received a very 
oddly shaped parcel. I couldn't 
even guess what you'd sent. As I 
unwrapped it, sheet after sheet, I only 
became more and more puzzled. And 
as it got smaller and smaller without 
taking any shape, I started to 

2. 
think that maybe it was a joke and 
there wasn't anything at all in it. 
But no, it was the pennant - a 
beauty too. Funny, but we were just 
going to take down those we had 
on the walls. We'll put them all 
up again soon as we settle down - 
with the calendar, too. It arrived the 
day before. Gee, she's a gorgeous 
creature. Every time I see a 
beautiful girl I find myself 
dreaming harder than ever about you. 
Maybe I shan't if I ever see a 
girl more beautiful than you. 
But there aren't any girls even as 
beautiful as you and if there were 
they wouldn't be as nice so I 
guess I'll never fall for anyone 
else. Who'd want to anyhow. Gee, 
I write double Dutch sometimes. I 
know I'm crazy. You're to blame. 
Before I met you I used to write 
perfectly intelligent letters. But I 
like being crazy about you. I never 
want to be any other way - ever 
Ron 

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 

#106
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Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
F/Sgt Etherton R.H 
RAAF Base P.O 
LONDON England 

← To open cut here

Letter 107 
Tuesday 28 March 
Dearest Jean, 
I forgot to tell you last 
night that when Skipper got back to 
camp he readdressed one of your letters 
here. I'm lucky. I get your letters 
even when I'm on leave. I don't 
often actually answer your letters but 
I shall this one. 
I think you should get all 
the beauty sleep you can while I'm 
away. You always haven't haven't 
you. I think that's why you've grown 
so beautiful and why you're always 
so alive and fresh. I'll get as much 
as I can. I know I won't be able 
to let you sneak off to bed too 
early but maybe you'd better send me 
off when you think I should. You 
always did. I didn't want to leave you 
but you made me go. In a way I'm 
glad you did. It's just a little thing 
that made me love you more. 
I still want you to have a good 
time while I you're I'm away. But not too 
good a time! Else you won't want 

2. 
me back. I'd like to lock you up 
so other fellows could see you but 
not steal you. I know they'd try. 
Gee, I'm jealous and selfish. I 
hope you don't mind. 
In one of your letters some 
time ago you seemed to be thinking 
that you might have to leave Eaton's. 
I hope you don't. I want to meet you 
at the same spot again some time. If 
you do have to leave don't get a job 
where you have to work hard. I 
don't to think of you making your 
beautiful hand hard or sore or 
having to cut your nails short. I 
love your smooth soft hands just 
as I do every inch of you from the 
tips of your toes to the top of your 
head - to your beautiful smooth 
hair. I always shall 
Ron X X

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 

#107
← Second fold here → 
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Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
F/Sgt Etherton R.H 
RAAF Base P.O 
LONDON 
England 

← To open cut here 

Letter 108 
London 
Friday 31st March 
Dear Jean, 
This is the big smoke and 
I don't like it. We travelled down 
from Aberdeen last night - all 
night. I hate trains! When we 
got in early this morning I left as 
felt as though I'd been dragged 
thru a coal mine. We only 
intend to stay here until we hear 
from the Skipper so we'll know 
that he's home and then we'll 
go on down to Cardiff. This afternoon 
we went out to where Freddy lives. 
He's gone to Cardiff with his wife 
to see their people. We were in 
the Boomerang Club. It's the Aus. 
services club and, of course, nearly all 
the fellows are A.F. There were 
dozens there but not a soul I knew. 
Strange! 
We've walked around town 
a lot today and I feel all in. I'm 
going to bed now. Goodnight - Sweet 
dreams 
Ron 

Sunday 2nd April 
Dear Jean, 
We've had a telegram from Bob 
(Skipper) but we still don't know 
whether he wants us to go on down 
to Cardiff. Sam's brother is coming 
to London tomorrow so I guess we'll 
wait with Sam so he can see him 
and leave tomorrow night or Tuesday 
morning. I wish I had stayed in 
Aberdeen. There wasn't such a lot 
to do. We only went skating, to a 
few shows and had a good loaf 
generally. We could do all that 
here but there's are lines for this 
and lines for that. The place is 
overcrowded. There are too many 
Yanks and like all big cities 
people are in too much of a hurry 
to be friendly. They all tell you 
what great fellows Aust. are but 
they wouldn't know. I hate big 
cities. 
I've been in the Boomerang 
Club quite a lot and have met 

3 
a lot of fellows I know, some I 
hadn't seen for a couple of years. 
I went out to your cousins' 
place yesterday afternoon. but they 
were out. We didn't have much 
trouble finding the place but it's 
a long way. I may go out again 
tomorrow. 
This afternoon we wandered 
around Hyde Park listening to the 
speakers. They're a dippy lot - as 
silly as the bunch who speak in 
the Domain in Sydney. We had tea 
supper in the Boomerang Club and 
Sam and I hung around talking to 
fellows we knew. About half past eight 
an SOS for some fellows to go to a WREN's 
party was broadcast. Sam and I went. 
We had a good time. There were some 
Canadian WRENs there - none from Edm. 
Hell! You should see me try to dance. 
Just as well the room was so crowded 
that no one could dance so noone 
found out I was just bluffing. You'd 
better wear your Pop's boots when you 
try to teach me 
Ron 

← First fold here →

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 

# 108
← Second fold here → 
To open cut here →

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

← To open cut here