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January 6/43

Dear Mother:
I would have written before this but I thought it just as well to wait until I received my marks from my last exam. We got them today. I made a mark of 83. It was a lot harder than the first one. At least ten of the fellows have an average under fifty on their two exams. We are having another one again Monday and it will be our second last in the basic room. We only have four in the six weeks we are here. Then we go in the engine room for six weeks and then six more in the advanced training engine room. The exam Monday is all on metallurgy and it is going to be our hardest one.
We have too learn and know

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all about every kind of metal used in aircraft structure. We have to learn riveting and forging, know how to harden, temper and anneal all kinds of iron and steel, gosh its complicated. Our instructor told us that what we learn in six weeks equals more than a year and a half work in vocational school. There is a Harvard trainer in our room and from it we find out how it is riveted and such. When we get in the engine room we learn how to dismantle and assemble all the parts of its engine. There are girls learning in the machine shop now. There are about fifteen of them and they work from four to twelve.
They aren't enlisted and only get enough pay for their board

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about eight dollars a week. We don't know yet for sure when we are getting our uniforms but the night class who work in our room are getting theirs Monday.
I was talking to a fellow from No 8 the other day and he said that when we get our uniforms we are going to have our hair cut by them too according to their regulations. He said every fellow is allowed only a twenty eight second hair cut. His was cut about two inches from his scalp all over.
Well this is all for news is pretty scarce. Write soon
Love
James