35th Trench Mortar Battery

1st Canadian Division

France

1/3/16

My darling Wife

Just a line to let you know that I am sending you on the proofs of the Photos I got taken, I dont know whether you will like them or not, I hope you do, the boys here say that they are very good, but that they like the ones with the cap on the best, you will notice in the other one that my hair is not getting any thicker, I am writing to-day to tell them to finish ½ dozen of each & for them to send them to Etta, I promised her & Kate & Georgina one each & she will send the rest on to you, you ought to have them in about a couple of weeks. I got your letter the day before yesterday & I was glad to hear that you are all well, I sent some cards yesterday to the children & you & one to Mary Fenton & Rita, I hope you will like them, there is not a very good choice to be had round here & it is about 9 miles to the nearest town which is too far to go for them. So Boyd has not left yet, perhaps he was only working a bluff to try & get more money, or perhaps he had another job, but was afraid to tackle it, there is one thing sure, he wont move unless he has to. I was glad to hear that you had heard from the Walkers, I guess they wont want to talk much about the war down there, with so many Germans around, it must be beastly nasty for them, also I am glad to hear that Mr Dodds is working, I suppose he has had a pretty hard time of it since the war broke out. I am sorry that I had forgotten Mary Fenton, but it is pretty easy to forget people when one has been away from home as long as I have, however, I will send her a card now & again, just for old times sake, I know she is a good girl & a real friend, you can tell her how sorry I am that I missed her when I was sending the cards at Xmas, but I wont forget her again. It is too bad that you are having so much cold weather, I do hope it will soon be over, it is pretty miserable here too, the snow has all gone & left lots of mud & it is raining now to beat the dickens, I will sure be glad when the good weather comes around again. I see by your letter that you are sending me a bun, I hope it will get here all right dear, as you know how much I appreciate anything of your baking, but dear heart, you are spending too much money on me, which I am sure you need for yourself, so please dont send me any more parcels, at any rate till the weather gets warmer. I think it is a d --- d shame if they let the CMRs go back to Vernon, they have had enough training, they ought to be out here, so far as I can see, all they are doing is having a good time, of course it is all very nice for the like of Edwards, but that is not the thing, they joined up for active service & they ought to send them out to it, things must be very bad in Vernon when fellows like Joe Kent have to join up, I guess if he could get lots of work he would’nt have done it. I dont thing there is anything more that I can say now, dear, but I will write you again at the end of the week when we get back to our old billets again, I went to the doctor this morning & got some pills for my cough & I hope they will ease it up a bit for me, as it makes a fellow feel pretty rotten to be coughing all the time. Kiss my little darlings for me, dear, & give them a great big love from their old dad, I wish I could be with you to give you a good love & to give you a good kiss, I would just love to be able to hold you in my arms again & give you a real good old fashioned squeeze, ah well, dear one, let us look forward to the time when this shall happen & we will both be happy again in each others love. God bless you dear heart & take care of you & my bairns.

Your own loving Husband.

Jack .

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX