April 8, 1918

No 1 Camp, 13 Com Depot B.E.7. France

Dear Folks,

No mail whatever this week. Something must be keeping it back because I am not the only one. Do you remember me telling you about getting thirty old letters in one mail? Well I have got them all answered at last and I hope they have all arrived safely.

Since writing the above I have had dinner and on returning to the hut found two post cards and a letter from Mother, a long letter from Marion written in an unknown and quite illegible handwriting and  a letter  from Jean Bull who writes a great deal. Cheer up Mother we’re not dead yet! I am sorry you gave up the idea of going to Clifton Springs. The dentist I am sure would be a very poor substitute. I haven’t seen Blair Clark and am not likely to see him. In the first place he is a Major. In the second place he is in another division. In the third place he was wounded just before I came out and for all I know he may be and probably is at present in England. Your letter, Marion was very interesting. I couldn’t read it but otherwise it was quite enjoyable. You had better sack your private secretary and get another. However I thank her most sincerely for her own contributions though I cannot encourage her to remain “in the hope and assurance that she is satisfactory.” Sorry I couldn’t make out the writing. Am still in grave doubt as to what part of the anatomy was bitten by bulldog in the lamentable case of Mrs. Forbes. Is the word “hose?”. If so it affords a clue to the solution of the problem; but if you must indulge in these delicacies why not use the word “limb?” then, I couldn’t make out whether you found my friend Carell mildly interesting or wildly interesting. Further you say you met, at Marion Daylis, two gallants of the R.F.C. who were men! Surely not! How could you make such a mistake! They must have been officers. As for Edna Bach I have never spoken more than a few words to her, and exceedingly regret not having said something else rather that what was actually said upon particular occasion to which reference is made. (Hope you understand. Don’t try to if you can’t) Unfortunately in my youth I had acquired certain habits of courtesy which prevented me from speaking to her as she jolly well deserved upon said occasion to which reference has already been made. (Dear child don’t puzzle your brains over this. Save them for something better.)

You also made a statement which as a generalization an inclined to doubt: i.e that women are naturally more religious than men. Perhaps they are but in the case of young women I am led to believe by my very slight experience that perhaps this habitual church going may be due to experience in the social custom rather than to deeper motives. Of course there are plenty of exceptions to this very doubtful rule.

Owing to the fact that we are putting nn the famous revue “Omelettes” in the dining hall on Thursday I have landed another week in this delectable spot. Weather  has been cold and wet lately but very fine today though still squelchy and gloggelly underfoot.

Mother, I don’t think I had trench fever at all. I was marked F.U.O which signifies ‘fever of unknown origin.’ Most of these cases are afterwards diagnosed as ‘trench fever’ but in my case no further diagnosis was made. My own theory is that my temperature was due primarily to an aggravated catarrhal condition for my old nasal and [?] has become very troublesome indeed.

Please excuse this note paper. I have been store books for weeks and though I sent to Cathy for coin weeks ago it hasn’t arrived yet. I’m afraid it has been mislaid. So I have been doing without the minimum necessities of life and writing letters on any [?] scraps of paper I can pick up.

Hope you are getting mail more regularly now and hearing from Bill.

Heaps of love,

George