Notes

The following is a letter from Frank Sutton while in Canada to Peggy Haywood in Monroe, NC in 1941.  This was the last letter from Frank to Peggy that was shared, dated April 9, 1941.  Peggy noted the postmark was April 15, 1941.  No copies of envelopes or postmarks were seen.

All spellings/punctuations left ‘as is’ with any additions by transcriptionist placed in [ ].  Transcribed by Patricia Poland from photocopy shared by Peggy with Camp Sutton historian, Jack Clay.  Permission was granted to Jack Clay to “share it as you wish”.  Location of original letters is unknown at this time.  We offer this transcription here to help further knowledge of Frank Sutton who was killed in action flying for the Royal Canadian Air Force on December 7, 1941 fifteen miles south west of El Adem, Libya.  Originally buried near Tobruk, his remains were moved to Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya about 1947.

Stationary insignia: 

Royal Canadian Air Force

No. 2 S.F.T.S.

Uplands

Ottawa

 9/4/41

 Hi Babe,

Surprise Surprise – You are now listening to Wandering Willie.  Honey chile – if nothing slips up in the next two or three weeks yours truly will be strutting around with a pair of RCAF wings on his manly bosom.  Ain’t that nice.

This flying business is getting better & better.  We are now flying Uncle Sammies advanced trainers and what a ship.  And we are getting all kinds of flying too.  Formation, night-flying-cross-countrys, instrument and everything else.  My pal & I went on a cross-country

[2^nd page]

the other day and when we were a couple of hundred miles away we did some plain & fancy low flying.  That is a wonderful piece of goods when you are bumbling along about 200 per about ten feet above the ground.  The county was hilly as hell so we hopped from one valley to the next.

Our exams in ground school are due in two weeks and they really have me worried.  The exams up here are strange and wonderous things.  And after we finish with them & get our wings – I am going to hop the fastest train to North Carolina.  Oh happy day.

Yesterday was a hard day I put in four hours, two in the Link and two night flying.  Oh mother how can this happen to me.

When we finish here either one of two things will happen to us.  We will either be made instructors or go overseas.  And nobody knows how

[3^rd page]

or why such decisions are made.  So there you are.  Most of the boys are made instructors – why nobody knows.  Looks like they would want lots of pilots overseas but it doesn’t seem that way.

I hope you don’t object to[o] strenuously to  my not writing for so long but I haven’t even written home in several weeks.  What a life I lead for somebody else’s country.

 Write –  & don’t wait to[o] dam long like I did –

 F M Sutton