MooreBarracksHospital

Ward. 6.

Shorncliffe

20/8/16

My own darling Wife -

I am still here & am getting along fine, I have had my operation & there was really nothing to it, needless to say I feel quite a lot better for it, I was only in bed two days & am now going around as strong as ever, I have been to a couple of garden Parties in the last few days given to convalescent soldiers & I enjoyed myself quite a bit, one was given by the Mayor of Hythe & was quite a big affair, there was lots of music & singing & a good supper to wind up with, it was held in the grounds of the Hythe Hotel, a really splendid place with beautiful gardens, some of the best people in the place were there & helped to serve refreshments & cigarettes to the boys, the other entertainment was given by the Folkstone Cricket Club & was very enjoyable also, we had games, such as cricket & bowls & races, I did not take any part in them, but I enjoyed myself just as much by looking on, & we also had a fine tea with lots of fruit; then there was a band & some people from the Theatres who gave a performance which was really very good, then yesterday we had an invite to a Picture Show on the Pier, where a presentation was made to a wounded soldier for saving a little boy from drowning, he had only one leg & was just out of hospital, he saw the boy going down & he jumped into the water & held the boy up till help came, he got £100 altogether, which was a very nice little sum for him, when I got back here I got the surprise of my life for who was waiting for me but Arthur Edwards, I had heard that his regiment was coming over, but I had no idea that he was here, he was looking fine, much better than when I saw him last, we went over to his camp, which is at Cheriton, about 20 minutes walk from here & I saw Andy Barr, there were some more Vernon Boys there but I dont remember their names, I am going over again to morrow evening & I expect to see Mr Fitzmaurice, who is also with them, they are not mounted troops any longer they are just infantry & Arthur tells me that when they go to France they will go as a pioneer Batt, that is what we called over there a pick & shovel brigade. I also met Major Allen the other day, he was pretty badly wounded over in France but he is getting along nicely now & is flirting around Folkstone as strong as ever he did in Vernon, he is a great man for the girls. Now dear one I dont think there is any more news that I know of, I have not got any letters yet, in fact I have given up hope of having my mail returned to me from France, I was mighty glad in a way to see Arthur Edwards as it is not very long ago since he saw you, he tells me that George & Eileen are better after having the measles & that they are looking fine & growing quite big & he also tells me dear, that you are looking good but that you are longing for me to come home again, well sweetheart, I dont know yet what my chances are, but there is a bare possibility that I might get sent back to Canada, you see, my nerves are all shot to pieces & I am very much afraid I will never be fit to go to the front again & the way they do now, instead of getting a soft job in England, a man is either fit or unfit, that is, he either has to go back to France or is sent to Canada, so we will just hope for the best, dear, & hope that I will get sent home, of course I will not know for some time yet as I expect I will be kept here for quite a while yet, the trouble is that I look so healthy that no one will believe that there is any thing the matter with me, Arthur & other Vernon boys tell me that I am looking better now than ever I did in Vernon. So now dear I must close as I dont know of anything more that I can say just now, but I will write again in a few days, in the meantime I am anxiously waiting for a letter from you to hear how you are all getting along, Kiss my darlings for me dear one & give them a big love from their old dad & with all kinds of love & lots of kisses for yourself, my own darling I remain as ever

Your own loving Husband

Jack.

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