Letters of Ronald Henry Etherton, March-May 1944 - Part 4 of 8

Write the address in large BLOCK letters in the panel below. 
The address must NOT be typewritten. 
460726 
DATE STAMP 
-7 APR 1944 
  
TO:- Miss Jean AYRE  
13007 - 122 St.,
EDMONTON
Alberta Canada 
  
Write the message very plainly below this line. 

Sender's Address Aus 423088 F/Sgt Etherton R.H RAAF Base P.O London
109          5^th April 1944
Dear Sweetheart,
When you receive this it will probably  
be some time since you last had a letter
from me. I hope you have not thought that it
has been because of my neglect or laziness or have
worried that something may have happened.  It's
not much good hoping, I know, because whenever
your letters are missing for more than a few days
I go nearly crazy wondering what has happened.
You may depend that I'll never miss writing if I
can help it. We were given orders by someone who
should have known better to post no mail overseas
while we're on leave. We've been on leave ten days
now and I've been writing Air Letters and saving
them until we go to our next station. We complained
about the stupidity of it at the Aust. Headquarters
and have now found out that it's OK to write but
if we want our Air Letters to go by Air we'll
will have to save them until we get to the
next station. I guess it'll be best to do that. I had 
  
This space should not be used 
MAKE SURE THAT THE ADDRESS IS WRITTEN IN LARGE BLOCK LETTERS IN THE PANEL ABOVE.

Write the address in large BLOCK letters in the panel below. 
The address must NOT be typewritten. 
460725 
DATE STAMP 
-7 APR 1944 
  
TO:- Miss Jean AYRE
13007 - 122 St.,
EDMONTON
Alberta Canada 
  
Write the message very plainly below this line. 

Sender's Address Aus 423088 F/Sgt Etherton R.H RAAF Base P.O London
Sheet 2      5^th April '44
hoped I could post them at our Base P.O but it was
no good. I picked up my own mail there. There were
some wonderful letters from you, so nice that it
made me fell terrible about you not receiving any.
To put it mildly,  I felt lousy. Maybe you'd think
I'd been too lazy to write or hadn't wanted to or
didn't love you as much as I do. I hope you haven't
thought that because I love you more than ever
and I'll always go or loving you more and more.
Oh Jean, you can't possibly know how much I miss
you. I'm terribly jealous of the chaps whose homes
and friends as over here because, when they get leave
is almost as much as when I'll come back to Edmonton.
Of course it's not for always as it will be when I come
back to you. Maybe it's just as well I can't come
back just for a while. I couldn't tear myself away
again.  Anyhow, they haven't anyone as wonderful
and as beautiful as you waiting for them. Can it
be that I really have?
Ron
  
This space should not be used. 
MAKE SURE THAT THE ADDRESS IS WRITTEN IN LARGE BLOCK LETTERS IN THE PANEL ABOVE. 

Letter 1109  Cardiff
Wednesday 5^th April
Dear Jean,
I've just written an airgraph
to you but there's not much news
in it so I'll continue with these
Air Letters even if I can't post them
until we get back to a camp. On
Monday while Sam was with his
brother, Bill and I went out to
Freddy's place, discovered that Bob
was waiting for us to come down
to Cardiff and so we came on
Tuesday morning. It was a terrible
train journey. We stood all the way
from London - 3 ½ hours so you'll
understand why we weren't troubled
with insomnia last right. We're
staying with some friends of Bob's
wife.
Mrs Ings -  that's Bobs, the
Skipper's wife is very nice. She's
very much like Bob - serious, a bit
of a fusser but a very reliable sort
of a person. She's rather plain, so's

2. 
Freddy's wife but she's not as serious
as Mrs Ings.
Today we've been having a look
around Cardiff and tonight went to
a show "Crazy House" maybe you saw
it. It's something like "Hellzapoppin"
with Olson & Johnson. Remember I
saw them in a stage show "Sons of
Fun" in New York. Gee they're a
scream. My side still aches. Boy!
A good laugh is a tonic.
Time for bed now. Goodnight
and until they're real once more
- XXX
Ron

Friday 7^th April
Good Friday. Guess it's a holiday
for you too It would be a very
good Friday if it were our holiday
together. Just think! All this time
last year we were both in Edmonton
but not together. We wasted some
time though we didn't know it.

3 
I forget what I did last Good Friday. I
don't think we had it off. Today
we went to Penarth one of the
seaside resorts of Cardiff. Seaside
places are never very attractive
except in the summer. Tonight we
went to a military band and
orchestra concert. They played
Attractive numbers and I enjoyed it.
I'm very worried that you'll
be thinking that I've missed
writing for too long. Please don't
think that I ever forget you for
one moment. I love you too much
to be able to. And I most
certainly don't want to. And I
wantt to always plan and dream
wonderful plans and dreams of
you
Ron
  
← First fold here → 
AWM2016.852.1
  
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 
  
# 109 110 
← 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

Letter 111
Sunday 9^th April
Dear Jean,
This is more or less the
last day of our leave. We have to
start making our way back to camp
tonight. 1AM tomorrow morning to be
exact. To be bac more exact it's not
"back" to camp, just "to camp" - a new
one. Bill and I, Skipper and his wife
are going to the Chapel this evening
This particular Chapel is rather
famous for it's Choir and the
singing of the congregation. The Welsh
are all supposed to have good
voices
Did I tell you that Sam went
up to Liverpool Friday? Well, he did.
Maybe I should have gone with him
but I've had my fill of train travel
for this leave and anyhow, I don't
think Liverpool is much of a place,
judging from the reports of others.
I've  forgotten what I've written
in my letters to date and last
night I went and sealed them. I
  
think I'll leave the rest of this
letter until I get to camp
Ron
Monday 10^th April
This is it. I always hate settling in
a new camp but making due allowances
for that I don't think this one is
going to be too bad. We don't do any
flying here - just short courses - maybe
a PT course - until we can get a 
Halifax. Looks as though we won't be
having another leave for about two
months.
The barracks here are two storeyed
like those we were in in Edmonton
but brick. That's a break. The main
snag is that the Sergeant's mess
is about half a mile from the rest
of the camp. We'll just have to take
a certain amount of execercise or else
starve.
This is the eighth letter I have to
post tomorrow as soon as I locate the
Post Office.
Travelling all last night, the only

sleep we had was sitting up. Guess
I'd better turn in early tonight though
I havent started to feel tired yet
So until tomorrow
Goodnight Sweatheart
Ron
  
← First fold here →
AWM2016.852.1
 
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 
  
#111 
← Second fold here → 
To open cut here → 
  
Sender's name and address:- 
Aus 423088 
F/Sgt Etherton R. H. 
RAAF Base P.O 
London 
  
← To open cut here

CANADIAN PACIFIC 
TELEGRAPHS 
World Wide Communications 
  
APR 10 AM 9 48
RNA14 17 GLT MAR XCE 8
SANSORIGINE 8
JEAN AYRE       68
130O7 122ST EDMONTON
SORRY COULD NOT WRITE YOUR LETTERS ARRIVING LOVE YOU STILL
RON ETHERTON.

Letter 112
Wednesday
12^th April '44
Dear Sweetheart,
Now that I've settled down
in camp again I can kinda gather my
wits together and try to remember some
of the things I've forgotten to tell you
during the last couple of weeks. Gee
I've got a hell of a memory. I can't
even remember what I forget. Get me? I
don't.
Did I tell you that I picked up my
mail at Base P.O in London and that
there we're seven letters from you? Did
I tell you that last weekend  l was so
worried that you'd think I'd not been
thinking of you that I sent you a cable
apologising. I hope it didn't scare you.
yesterday I posted eight Air Letters. I
hope they don't scare you neither. I've
had one letter here from you. It shouldn't
have been sent or as soon as it was, I
guess there'll be more in a day or two.
Not that I deserve any. I'll have to try
to write two a day to catch up with
you. I may not to able to think of
enough to write about. I could try
answering your letters individually though

2. 
that usually doesn't work out very well.
I just keep on reading but my letter
 doesn't get any further advanced. It isn't
much good to you, is it, though I like 
it.
The perfume you on your letters
brings back more freshly sweet memories
- of you close in my arms. And the
imprints of your lips.  Maybe it is a
waste of your emotion and kisses to
lavish them on a piece of paper but
that's the only way I can receive them
at present but not for ever. And if
you keep all the rest for me, I'll know
I'm too lucky fortunate to have be
envious of a piece of paper. Jean, don't
ever let anyone else steal you. I love
you so much I wont know what to do
Ron
XXX

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 
  
# 112 
← 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

Letter 113
Thursday 
13^th April '44 
Dearest Jean,
There were five letters from
you today. I read four as soon as I got
them and was going to keep the other in 
case there weren't any tomorrow. What's the  
use of trying. I just had to open it. 
How are your thoughts mixed up? 
I'm always like that too. The say that 
if you change your mind about some 
things to a reasonable extent it indicates 
that you're broadminded and that is  
supposed to be good. However there's  
at least one matter or should I say 
person about whom I'll never change my 
mind. Guess who? 
I'm afraid I'm going to have to  
cut this letter short. I intended to 
devote the whole night to letter writing 
but Billy has been making a nuisance 
of himself. I'll soon have to turn in 
and all I've got done is half of a  
letter home and this miserable effort. 
Bill's terribly dumb sometimes. Few 
of the gunners are very bright but 

2. 
somehow when a Canadian is dumb 
he's very dumb, and never seems to 
realise it. Skipper doesn't think 
much at all of them. He had every  
intention of turning the game in 
when they were going to send him 
with the Canadian navigator 
instead of me. Canadians generally 
over here haven't such a good  
reputation. It's a lot different to 
what I thought of them when I was 
in Edmonton but of course that 
was in the West and I'm pretty  
sure that it's the fellows from the 
East - particularly the French-Canadians 
who brought their stocks so 
low. There is one place I've been to 
where to wear a Canadian uniform 
is to have yourself treated like  
the plague. That was entirely due 
to French and they deserve what 
they've got. I hope our fellows 
never do anything to deserve the 
same treatment anywhere, particularly