J. Leslie McNaughton
D Co'y 7th E. Surreys
(?)
France

14/11/16

Dear Jessie & Stuart. - I must write you just a not tonight since I have some time to spare.

Last night your letter of the 16th of October arrived and of course I was glad to get it. Letters are always welcome and especially in the trenches where they help to break the monotony of the routine.

We are in Reserve this time and are having a pretty easy time. The Germans just here behave themselves pretty well and that means less work for us. They watch our men very close and they try for them with their machine guns even at long range. Judging from the noise they make you would think about every second one of their men had a machine gun. They have hundreds of them. I do not think there are many men in the trenches opposite; but they are well supplied with M.Gs and am. And I guess it's the same all along the line.

The leaves are all off the trees here and It is much like our November weather except that It does not get as cold at night.

Papa tells me in his letters that they were very busy at the time of writing. He was fixing the bees & Gordon & Bryce were working at getting in the potatoes. He said the potatoes were very poor this year at home. How are the ones at your place this year.

One of my new jobs is to censor letters. It is a tiresome job but we all go at it & It does not take long. Judging from the letters written by our men, they are quite optimistic and while they wish to see the war over they feel that a victory partially gained would be worse than useless.

And the U.S. have reelected Wilson. It seems the elections gave him a majority of about 13 - that was what we heard anyway. I suppose he will still stick to his policy of non interference and cater to foreign markets.

I must stop for the time. I have had a bad finger - the little one on my right hand festered but I have had it lanced twice and it is much better today.

Write Soon again

Affectionately Your brother

Leslie