RFC Per Ardua Ad Astra

Royal Flying Corps, Tern Hill Market Drayton Salop.

Nov. 25, 1917

Dearest Mother

Another week has gone by and still no word from Canada. I don't know what to make of it; of course I know you have written so the letters must be either at the bottom of the sea or held in the post office somewhere.

As you probably have noticed I have changed my address. After satisfying the instructors that I could handle an Avro properly they sent me down to this camp - Tern Hill - near a town called Market Drayton. I arrived here only yesterday and as the weather is "dud", i.e. no good, have done no flying as yet. I expect to go on a machine known as a Sopwith two seater in order to get used to the Rhone Engine which is used in scouts. From Sopwith I shall probably go to scouts of different types, finishing in a DH5 a very hard machine to fly. They do not use these DH5's in France now as they did not prove a success, so, from DH5's most of the pilots who prove efficient are given SE5's. These are the best of our scouts, so if I am not shifted