Letter No. 21
Middle East
31.10.42
Dear Boop,
I wrote to Mum a couple of days ago & in the letter I told her that we had got our two-hundredth kite but I didn’t think we would have the celebrations for quite a while but I was wrong because we had our party last night.
Unfortunately we weren’t able to get into the Fleet Club & had to have it in a hut a few miles from our camp but just the same it was a good show.
We left camp at 17.15 & went by truck to the hall. We had to take our own eating gear & we filed past the tables & got our plates filled with half a chicken, two slices of ham, salad & a couple of bread rolls. At the end of the table we got the beer. After the chicken etc we had puff pastry savouries filled with asparagus, sardines etc, Next came a light sponge trifle & fruit salad with a big block of ice cream on top. on the tables were trays about two foot square & three inches deep filled with salted peanuts & these we picked up by the handful & put in our pockets.
Thirty cases of beer (1,440 bottles) may seem a lot but it didn’t last very long. As soon as we finished one bottle we just walked up & got another & with about 300 odd men this was an endless line waiting for the grog.
After we had finished eating & drinking a few bottles the C.O. got up & said a few words. When I say got up I mean he had no option because the boys just picked him up & dumped him on the table. During the scuffle the CO got the backside torn out of his pants but he took it all in good part & thought it was a great joke. After he said a few words he called on Flt/Lt Danny Boardman to get up & sing a couple of squadron songs that I will write out & send with this letter.
After this a couple of the officers, feeling a little the worse for the beer, got up & sang a couple of very dirty songs that wouldn’t like to copy out.
The show finished about midnight & everyone had a jolly good time.
No more for now Give my love to Dad & Mum & regards to Leo
Tons of Love
Frank
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