France
July 23,1917

Dear Folks:

(Am sending some of our imitation money. This is what we got to deal in over here.)

I'm barrack orderly today and have just finished making the hut look like a drawing-room and while I'm waiting for the Col. to come and have a look at it I'll scribble a few lines.

Got a note from Marg last night with a few snaps of "billy Jack" and her. I asked her for one in a letter I wrote recently but she beat me to it. They are real good -- perhaps you have some of them. Fergy gave me a a post-card-sized snap book -- a sort of pocket book affair so I've got a good place to carry them.

We had an afternoon off the other day and I took in some divisional sports. There were fellows there from all over the Canadian Corp and I was a bunch I knew that I hadn't seen for ages -- encluding Stan Raitt. He asked about you people and asked to be remembered. I'd like to have a real visit with him. He's a darn good scout. Lynn Brown was with him but I guess you don't know him. Herb Thompson was over to see me the other night. He had quite a line to shoot for a C.E. He's been here quite a while but I don't think he's seen as much action as I have for the Engineers aren't in the front line like we are. Fergy came up to see us on a bike. He's got some job believe me but wants to get back the fellows -- the nut. Geo.McPherson - on of our old Coy men from MacLeod joined us last week so added another one to our old crows. He managed to get him in our Coy and platoon - No 11 - and he's even in my section.

I had a letter from Mac last night. He's still kicking. He said he had written you. Also heard from Spud Barlow, Jack Clark, Lennie McLeod, Reg Horner & four other fellows from my old section. One of them Tiny Linton from Calgary who beat me over here got hit and is at Epsom England. He's getting around jake and is the same old Tiny.

We are going to have some big divisional sports when we got out on rest and almost all our bunch are going in for it. Chief Spencer in an all around athelete but is going to try especially for the 3 mile. Tom Riley (Alias Tip) is a short distance runner & jumper. Peener & Brownie are going to box. I may go in for boxing but I'll be in Peener's class & he's got it over me like a tent. I'm going to try the 5 mile too it I can go that far. Its a long time since I've run at all. Brownie can train down to 110 lbs and is some little whirlwind with gloves on.

Who do you think I saw the other day : Old Deacon White. You know each division have a ball team that do nothing but play ball - don't every on in the line - and they are picked from all the B'n's in the division. Well, Deacon has our divisional team under his wing, and its a real treat to watch them play. I could have bet that Deac was managing the team just from the way they played for I've watched so many teams play that he has trained. Yesterday they played the 2nd divisional team and beat them something like 11-4. It was a good game tho. I could almost imagine myself scortching on the bleachers at Diamond Park and yelling for the Deacons in the W.C. League. But a few 9.2's would open up and bring me back to realities in a hurry.

I guess you had quite a time casting your first vote. From all accounts politics seem to be as rotten as ever back there. It you had only got Bob Edwards idea of the whole thing in the Eye Opener you would have had the right stuff. He's a rank conservative but has the right idea in spite of that ailment. He claims the Sifton government is anything but infalable but by changing the gov't we would probably get worse. As for the defranchisement of the soldiers - thats all hot air. It evidently swung the "female" vote alright but if they had used any brains at all they would have seem thru' it. Ask W.T. about it. You can bet on anything he says. Any of the returned men that tell you that guff are out for a job and want a change of gov't. Taking it all around tho' I think that if the M.P.P.'s could use their time 7 influence towards recruiting and war work that it would be a whole lot more to the point than quarrelling over politics. That was a good form of amusement before, when there wasn't anything to worry about. If the Liberal gov't had barred the German population from the poles and not given them a say at all and perhaps taken their land away from them then the conservatives would have come thru'' with the holler that the gov't was treating the innocent inhabitants like Germany treated Belgium & France -- or some just as crude. And whats worse there's always some goats around to believe it.

Nuf sed about Politics.

Say Flora does Mavis Martin's little daughter - Phyllis - go to you grade? She is reported to have said some pretty complimentary things about her teacher and the letters name a Miss McLellan so I tho't it was you. She used to be a cute little kid but a little spoiled. Marg will know Mrs. Martin I guess -- she used to be Mavis McHardy -- a music shard and all kinds of fun. Chester Martin is a good scout - used to let us use his house to dance in a few winters ago.Well here's the Col. so I'll ring off. I guess we'll be out on rest when I write next time - so I'll be bomb proof for a month.

Give my best to everybody.
Lovingly

Bill

P.S. Can you get hold of a "Chicago Sporting News" or any big sporting papers? I'd like to get a line on the big leagues. So far I haven't been able to follow them very closely WJM

N.B. Send me a few razor blades sometime will you? Gilettes you know. I'm getting pretty short of ‘em. WJM