East Sandling Jan 21/15 My Dear Mother, I rec your letter the other day dates Jan 2 1916. We have got started on a New Year and I hope and pray and this year will end better than the last year and that it may see the war ended. We have been down at the ranges these last few days marking for some of the other companies who are shooting at present. This morning we had to get up at five-thirty and parade at six for the ranges. For the last few days they have been taking a field kitchen down with them and giving us hot tea and soup for lunch. It certainly is a find [?] because it needs something to warm us up these damp days and the ranges is one of the coldest places there is, while you are waiting for your turn to shoot. The field kitchen is just like a live wheeled cart with a big box on it with three or four big boilers over a fire in the box of the kitchen. We have to go down tomorrow but we have only one practice to shoot off and it won't take very long. I rec a letter from Minnie Largey time ago and Mrs Largey gave me her mothers address in England so I answered it this evening. I don't know whether we are going to get any leave or not. There is a new company arrived a couple of weeks ago and they haven't had any leave yet and we are supposed to be going to France in about six weeks. They had an inspection today while we were away by a new brigadier who is going to the front with us. I don't think we will be here very long because all these Canadian camps are being cleared out and sent over to France of they are ready and we are nearly ready now. Of course we might be in the base at France for a month before we even see the reserve trenchs and then it takes some time to work up from them to the firing line, they generally put a new battalion in with an old battalion who are used to the trenchs. You talk about putting ones head up over the parapets. I have been warned several times about that past from fellows from the front and will certainly keep mine down. I will write Arleen and Cecil some of these days. How is school going with them? I guess it will be kind of cold these mornings for them driving to school. Had Father left yet and have you had any word from him? I had an interesting letter from Miss Keith the other day. Part written in 1915 and the rest written after the clock switch twelve. Well Mother I think this is all the news this time. Well lots of love to all From your loving son Jim.