France,
March 23, 1917
Dearest Mother:
Sent you a letter on the seventh. Since then I have received three, one dated Feb. 21 the night before last and the other two dated Feb. 18 and 28 tonight, also one from Clemmie, one from Dora and a card from Enid. Was up to the battery for the mail and just got in so do not have time for more than a note as it is getting late. Also received three bundles of papers from you and the Witness. Many thanks for them. Haven't opened the papers yet so don't know what they are. Will answer your letter of the 18th first. Am glad Mrs. Stirling got my letter. It must have been delayed. The mails have been very irregular lately. We had very little Canadian mail for three weeks until the last two or three nights.
I received another parcel from "The Manse" about a week and a half ago and sent a letter a few days ago. You ask if I received a parcel from Dora which her mother sent before Christmas. No, it never showed up. The old Fritz must have sent it to the bottom. You also ask about the parcel you sent to Eon and me for New Years. Yes, I received it and wrote thanking you for it. The letter must have gone astray.
You want to know why they shift the fellows in the dugouts so often. On the Somme we could dig in as we chose: usually fellows who worked together went into the same dugout. For instance a bunch of telephonists, three or four, would go into one dugout. Up here it was the same but we came up on different days, four or five at a time, and each bunch took over a cellar. Now, however, they are all digging into the bank in front of the guns, each gun crew by itself and the telephonists by themselves in one dugout. It is a splendid place and almost shell proof. As soon as we move again at the beginning of the spring drive we will be allowed to dig in as we wish again.
Yes, we saw about Jack Gauthier getting back to the Island. He is the first of the old 98th to get back and is certainly lucky. One of our fellows, a fellow by the name of Kinsman, got a scratch the other night. Fritz was sending a few over on the road near our battery and he got a little, spent piece on the forehead. Nothing at all serious. You asked about socks. No need of sending any more for quite a while as I have enough for quite awhile as I have enough to do me for up to the summer. Have all that I can carry around with me. You asked about a parcel from Clemmie with a pair of gloves from you enclosed. Yes I got it long ago and acknowledged it. I think a good number of my letters must
have gone astray. Do not send any gloves from now on as it is getting good weather now and the ones I have will keep me going until summer comes. I thanked you in my last letter for the birthday parcel which was fine.
Well Mother, it is getting late and I must close. Will write again in a few days. Am fine and enjoying life to the full.
Love to all from your loving son, Harold
