March 16 1916

Dear Alf.

I suppose the only thing to do, when one gets no mail, is to write twice as often. It is nearly three weeks since we have had any Canadian mail of any description and prospects are still very black. Various theories have been handed out for the delay, but none have been sustained. First we hear that the mail boats are in quarantine but that would not happen more than once, they would certainly change their destination and land at a different port, if such were the case. Then some say that the channel is under blockade but that is untrue because we receive our English mail fairly regularly. So now we have given it up, as we generally have to in the army. If they don't feel like letting you know the reason, they simply say nothing about it. Its like pups; you either have them, or you haven't [sic] them.

We have had a week of fine weather. I never appreciated good weather like I do now. All winter we have had it so sloppy, muddy and dull, that to see a little sun-shine is certainly a treat. The roads were very, very bad, but one week of sunshine and dry winds seem to have dried them up almost altogether.

There is nothing new, and absolutely nothing to write about. All we can do is to say we are well, and hope you are the same. So far as locals go, they are quite out of the question. Of course we see many aeroplane flights, see lots of shelling, hear more and sometimes we come quite close to feeling it. That, however, is [sic] not actually happened. Altogether is [sic] is very monotonous and we will all be glad of a change of any sort at all.

Friday P.M.

Raining again today and more like our old brand of weather. There was a little Canadian mail in today, but my pickings were small, one letter from W'p'g., none from 96. There are three of us at still at the hospital and chances are there will be another one added to our strength very shortly. As it is we three are practically doing the work of a division. Of course our own brigade is in pretty good shape as we have had them under our care for nearly 10 months, but some of the English troops make up for it. They are in terrible shape and we do not try to bring them up to the same state as our own troops. There are two reasons for that. In first place, they haven't got much of a foundation for our work and in second place they do not appreciate our efforts, not having been used to modern dentistry. But we do the best we can for them all under the conditions.

Have just returned from another funeral. They are quite common these days. Many of them are held from our hospital as we have a morgue in connection. All the officers are first placed in the morgue and then they received a proper burial from that. Some of the poor men are not so lucky. I suppose you could scarcely term it lucky as it really does not make any difference to the man in question, but it is rather nice for his friends, to know that they have rec'd a proper burial.

As I said before I am feeling tip-top and prospects are very bright for a good spring. Please take this over to G. F. when you have read it, also the others from home, as it is a case of one for all.

Yours.
Bro Wilbert