Ostheim, Germany Dec 17/18

Dear Byde:-

No doubt you will be wondering what has happened to me for the last few weeks, but I am still alive and as large as life. Durin g the last few weeks we haven't been able to send out any mail at all, but it has started again now so I am trying to scratch off a few to-night. The bunch got payed to-day so every one is away down town, so I decided to stay in and write letters as the house is quiet and will go to town/ some other night. This is the first time I have been paid since I came off leave, so it was lucky for me that I brought a little back with me, or otherwise I would have been out of luck. What I had lasted through and I still had a few pennies left. We have to get used to the money of another country now. The biggest trouble we have with it is to know just what it is worth as it has gone down so n value. I am pretty well on to it now though.

I received your Xmas card yesterday. Thanks for it, also your letter of Nov. 18/18 a few days ago. I just got back of leave in time to get up the line for four or five days before the Armistice/ and got up into it the morning of the 11th to see the closing chapters. There was nothing very heavy that morning as every one knew it was finishing at eleven and no one cared to be killed at the last hoour although a few did get it.

I think we have reached the end of our journey eastward now and am not a bit sorry a it was beginning to get a bit weary some. We were travelling for three weeks steady. The most we ever stopped in one place was two nights and most of the time just one night. It took us about ten days to come through the mountains. Now that the trip is over I am not sorry that I was on it/ as we seen a good deal of the country, and got a pretty good idea of conditions in different places. We crossed the Rhine at Cologne of Dec. 13th, our brigade being the first Canadian artillery to cross. Cologne is certainly a fine city. We are about three miles from it now, but there is a car ligne run there with cars every twenty minutes so it is easy to get down. I have been down every night until to-night so thought I would stay in. It is easily seen that the Germans were getting hard up for eats. They have plenty of rough foods through the country, but most of the finer foods can(‘t?) be found at any price. I went into a place one night and the best I could get I would sooner have one of the issue hard tack. The people use us good in most places.

Well I must close. Wishing you a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year

Jim