Feb 14th 18

My Dear Mother:-

Was very much delighted to receive your letter of Jan 6th today; my first from you for over five weeks which seems such a long time in this land. The mails are strange. On Saturday I got Nellie's letter of Jan 15th and on Tuesday a box from her also and then yesterday & today I got several letters dated early in January. Have had an easy day. Was on parade all forenoon but played a basketball game at 1:30; then had a bath and now I have just come back from seeing a soccer game. The Championship for the Canadians is being played off here this week. This afternoon the 3rd C.C.D.'s were playing Shorncliffe. I believe Jack Charles [of Belmont] was in the 3rd C.C.D.'s (?) before he went back to France. Things are going on as usual. I am not working too hard. On Tuesday of this week we fired our first course with the Machine Gun. It was quite an experience. The gun is certainly a savage weapon and can pump out steel at a good rate. Working good, a M[achine] gun will fire from 500 to 600 rounds a minute. Our course may last for three weeks yet I expect we will be in France early in March. We get two lectures a day and some of them are very good - others rather mediocre. The weather has been better this week. Tonight they have been having a meeting to organize for the Baseball season. Already you see some fellows out throwing the ball around. Baseball will suit me fine. Our B. Ball team is in line for the Seaford area championship now.

Nellie doesn't seem very well satisfied with her location. She might do better out west. The wages are higher and there are lots of vacancies just now. I hope Charlie doesn't miss too much time. Now that I am a back number he must do something for the family reputation. He should get his Matriculation at Belmont and then go on for Medicine or Engineering. Teaching doesn't pay enough. Medicine is a fine opening out West and I often wish I had had a little more taste for Engineering & had taken a course in that line. At any rate keep him at school under any circumstances and my advice is for him to go on to either of the above courses. I often wish I was back at his age and had my course to take again. I would make a few changes. If I am in England when demobilization begins I am going to take a course at Oxford in law if I can find funds. It will be a long time before all the troops are returned. Many B3 (?) men are being sent back now. They were formerly kept here. One fellow I knew in Regina left Tuesday morning. He took back a lot of messages from the different Regina boys here in our hut. So Allen Currie is getting home? I remember writing quite a bit of Correspondence while I was in the Orderly Room at Regina

I will write to Andy tonight. So he doesn't like the English girls. Does Andy smoke, himself? Reid is getting to be quite a fiend. He used to rail me when I smoked five or six cigarettes a day but now he has me beaten many ways. Good cigarettes are hard to get here. Nellie sent me a box of "100" in the box so I will be supplied for a few weeks. Surprised to hear of Dan Campbell taking the "Great Chance" and with Lenora H. too. I think I can recall her.

Well, Mother, I'll close now. I trust Dad is feeling better now. I will write a letter to Beatrice too in a few days. I think she writes a very good letter indeed. I had a letter from Aunt Lizzie the other day. Well, Bye-Bye.

Yours

Frank

#2233344 Frank C. Cousins
No 1 Co., C.M.G. Depot
Seaford Sussex
England.