Aus No 407499,
Sgt Goode RM
C/o South Australia House,
Marble Arch
London W.1.
22/2/42.

Dear Everybody,

Six letters today after nearly three weeks without one, one of the six from Neil Ross in Pt. Augusta dated 14th Oct 1941, took long enough to get here.

Its snowing today & is bitterly cold, am writing this letter in my room, (four of us in one room,) we have a fire in our room & its quite warm in here.

The young quail that are fully grown, take to one of the bird shops (Foglia) & see if they can be exchanged for a Fire Finch Hen or two, they will probably be pretty expensive now (the Fire Finches) Got Margarets letter today glad she got a folder of views, thought they might be lost.

The B.H.A.S. Pty Ltd, Pt. Pirie, Employees Picnic & Sports Association, sent me a Canteen Order for 5/-, it arrived today, will have to wait till I get leave before I can change them.

So Margaret has a black kitten, if it frightens my birds, make a mat out of its skin.

The Black Hearts & Gouldians if they get too many, (when fully coloured get rid of some of them, Foglia Rundle Street (past Joy & Simpsons on same side) & Adelaide Bird supply in Gawler Place), keep a look out for some more Gouldians & Black Hearts in the shops, & change all the birds or cock birds for some fresh blood. Keep 3 Red Heads, & 3 Black Heads, & change all the hens, take all the Black Hearts & ask them to pick out the Cock Birds keep three hens & exchange 3 cock birds, sell the rest. Keep the parrots they are worth about 3-10-0 a pair in Victoria, & the small finches are valuable. Might change several Gouldians & Blackhearts for a pair of Red Head Parrot Finches, they are pretty dear.

Am not doing so well with my Air Exercises, my Radio is not too good, we have several new sets to do, & nearly all our procedure is out of date, so have to learn nearly all over again. We have been going back at nights & work seven days a week, but don’t seem to be getting too far.

Well the Japs are getting it all their own way, & a lot too near Australia. I see they Bombed Darwin, hope the Allies get into action before they make a landing, the lack of organization is shocking even in England, where it ought to be at its best, after the ‘Blitzes’ & reveries they had as warnings.

Am flying twice tomorrow so I suppose I had better get some sleep.

Love, Ray