#739465

Pte. A. C. Smith.

"C" Coy. 3rd Can. Res. Battn.

West Sandling Camp, Kent

c/o Army Post Office.

London, England.

Feb. 6/17

Dear Sister Ona,

Received your letter of Jan 11th last night and was glad to hear from you. I got a letter from Orrin, Aunt Nellie and Sol. last night also So I had some reading to do.

Well, Hockey seems to be quite dangerous too, but I think the job I got is a little more dangerous than hockey. Hope Frank Armstrong gets better and hope that he does not lose his sight as eyesight is a bad thing to lose. Hope that Ethel Grandma hip gets better as when they are broken it does not feel very good.

I am well and feeling fine at present. Hope You are all well at Port and hope Maggie get better and not so cross. I suppose when Mary and Ellen was down to see you they thought a lot of the baby.

Well I am working hard every day, this afternoon I was on a route march of abut five or six miles. Well I am what they call a trained soldier now and I have had a lot of training over here. I can use the Gas helmets alright and don't seem to mind them much. When wearing them the nose is out of action and all the breathing is done through the mouth so you see it is not the same as not having one on. Gas you know is deadly stuff. When at the Front we have two of them so if one get damaged we can use the other one.

In your letter you said I was quite a scribbler and I think that I was, as I could hardly read the letters myself. So I will write a little better now. Well I don't have cold hands at all as it is quite warm in the Huts.

Say I think by your letter that it is quite cold over at Port these days. Well the weather here is comfortable, although we have about six inches of snow on the ground. I like the cold weather better than I like the wet weather.

Well I don't smoke cigarettes Thanks just the same. Well I like the candy and cake you sent in your parcel fine I wrote before telling you when I got "it". Thanks for the Parcel.

Well I am still in England and not in France yet and in no hurry to get there as there is lots of time yet to get there. The war will last a long time yet and there will be some hard fighting yet and lots of it. I don't think it is very bad over there now it is so bad as it is frozen solid and not so much mud.

Hope Levi made good in his wheat as it would come to be a good price over here in England. Well by now Levi will likely gave his ice in for next summer. That Fog Horn must be quite noisy in Port these days. I got the Chronicles you sent me but don't let them get so old. Send them twice a month "two together" and they are better as I can't read a bundle at once for I am busy most of the time.

I sent a letter to you last Sunday an answer to your letter of the 15th of Jan. I sent a Post Card Photo to you about a month ago let me know if you got it alright. I am getting along fine over here. I see by the Papers that U.S.A. is nearly at war with Germany. Well the Germans have to be licked before there is any Peace. I wrote a letter to Orrin last night, but will post it on Wed. at the same time as I post this. Well I think you can read this letter allright as I can. I sent you an English Paper some time ago let me know if you got it.