LETTERS FROM MEN AT THE FRONT GUNNER REUBEN JACKSON WRITES

Mrs. Jackson and family have received several interesting letters recently from Gunner Reuben Jackson, who left here with the third Cobourg Heavy Battery draft. On September 25th, Gunner Jackson wrote:

Just received your letter of September 5 and was glad to hear from you. Do not know when you will get another letter for we cannot buy envelopes and this is my last. We are away from everything. You should see the towns around here, or what was towns, with not one brick left upon another, all leveled to the ground. I have been wondering how Charlie is getting along. Perhaps you have heard from him. We have been quite busy these last few days. I just washed twice in a week. Where we were camped there was neither soap nor water. This is a desolate looking place. Talk about war, this is where we get it. I cannot sleep very well for there are some very big guns just behind us, and when they are fired, it just shakes the earth with a most awful report.
Do not send clothes of any kind as we cannot carry things, and do not know where we have to move, we just pick up and away. About two o'clock this morning, I was awakened by a brass band and a bugle band. They were bringing their Battalion out or had just played them in and it made me think about our Charlie, for the buglers were playing some of the tunes he used to play. It sounded very nice. I often see the London buses taking troops up or bringing them out. It seems rather funny. I hope the kiddies are all well for I am in the pink of health.
We are having nice weather, cool at nights. I cannot get on the track of Ben Whitehead. Do you know where he is. I expect you are getting lots of news of the Canadians in the papers and of what they are doing at the front. Had bully and spuds and tea for dinner. It is not bad when a fellow is hungry. We are expecting the war to finish next year. It is hard to say, it would not surprise me if it lasted a couple of years yet, but I think we have got the Germans in hand now for they run when they see our lads. I was talking to a man, Tucker, the other day and he said that if the officers would let them go, they would have chased them to Berlin. He told me about Charlie (Mrs. Jackson's brother) being wounded in the chest. I have had three attempts at this letter, had to get out to do little jobs, loading shells, etc. I can see one of those land dreadnaughts while I am writing. I guess there is going to be *********. My chum comes from Montreal. Tell the kiddies that when he sees me looking at their pictures, he says they are the nicest family he ever saw. We had a Roy ton man named Roberts sleeping with us for a couple of nights, but he went up to the guns this morning. He left half a parcel that he got from Oldham yesterday. I have my eye on a piece of that current cake you make. That is for tea. Goodbye for the present. Just put a couple of envelopes in your letter when you write.
With the fondest of love,
DAD.