Four crew pose for a photo at Croft.

This letter indicates the crew is quite fatigued, what is not mentioned is the run in with the Luftwaffe and other crews that "Fail to Return" (They cannot mention operational matter's in letters)

RCAF Overseas

434 Squadron

3 May 1944

Dear Rose, and All

...I sure have a great time trying to stay awake these days, but I think I will go to the show tonight "Above Suspicion".

...I’m not kidding this work is wearing me to a frazzle, just cause we get up at 9 O’clock don’t mean anything, we don’t get to bed at night until sometime between 3 and 8 in the morning. If we fly the night before we get up at 12, so if you are lucky you get 6 hours sleep, most of the time it is less.

By the way I sent you a couple of crew pictures the other day, 4 to be exact. I don't throw people around anymore for the single reason that I haven’t got the energy. I think I should give this life up, it is getting the best of my nerves, every time somebody yells or a car blows a horn behind me, it takes about 5 minutes to come back down to the ground. You should see Cliff though, I think he has the itchiest trigger finger of all the rear gunners in the squadron. Every time he spots a plane he always asks me if I know what it is? So Mike comes through fast with "Don’t shoot until you’re sure" But he is always ready to blast everything that moves through clouds, and stars.

Say did I tell you that I got 1000 cigarettes that were sent through the overseas tobacco fund. Say Rose you can send me some socks and shorts when you happen to get around to it. Can you imagine I’ve grown a ½ inch, and gained 2 pounds since I got over here, but I think I lost 10 on our last trip, it was very hair raising, to prove it I had to get a hair cut the next day.

So long for now,

Love Clair