Officers’ Mess,           
    R.A.F. STATION,              
UPPER HEYFORD,     
  OXFORD.        
TELEPHONE:- BICESTER 197.         

Monday July 8th ’40.      

          I have changed Flights once again, and am now doing more advanced training.   We shall be flying Herefords chiefly, using Hampdens only for night flying.   The Hereford is very much the same as the Hampden, but is powered with two Napier “Dagger” engines, each developing 1000 hp., and each having 24 cylinders.   They are more difficult to handle than the Hampdens, but are quite pleasant to fly when in the air, as apart from take-offs and landings which are very tricky.

          The snag about this Flight is getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning every other day.   In a fortnight’s time, I shall go to Armament flight for a further fortnight, including some time at Weston-super-Mare.   There we shall do air gunnery and bombing on the sea ranges.   After that we return to Heyford to an Operational Flight, where we learn the tactics from experienced bombing pilots - one of them has been on 35 raids, and incidentally has the D.F.C. - he is one of three this-war D.F.C. pilots here. 

          I was fortunate to be able to have all day Sunday off, and went with Dorothy to Oxford, where we got a punt for the day.   All went well until after lunch - we took a picnic lunch - when I began to rain heavily.   However we dried off comparatively well on the way back, and had a good tea at Fuller's in Oxford, and I subsequently saw her on the train at ten past eight.   She certainly had a grand time down here, and was sorry to leave Bicester and the King's Arms.

          Well, cheerio for now,
          Please give my love to mother and the blokes, blawst ‘em!

                 love from Geoff .