Trenches
April 25/16

My Dearest Mother

I rec your letter today dated April 2 and one also from the bible class and it certainly is a fine day the sun shining bright. It was very good weather a few days ago but it has stopped raining now and the trenches were certainly in some mess while the wet weather continued but most of us had long runner boots and do not notice the water so bad.

Mac Hoods and I are what they call rovers, that is fixing wires up in front of the trenches and have to work the night time and sleep in the daytime and we have to do our own cooking. You would be surprised to hear of what good dishes we have sometimes. There are three of us in the one dugout and one lad had some rolled oats and we made porridge. It was the first porridge we had since I left England and it was certainly good. We get the raw rations and have to cook them our selves. The greatest shortage we have is bread and all the troops in France seem to be short of the same thing. So Frank landed home safely and I'm glad to hear that he looks better after the term at College and I guess he will be pulling some of his theories into practice. Is the snow all gone yet? Seeding will certainly be late this year and there will be plenty of water lieing on the ground. There I am sitting outside the dugout writing and the sun healing dawn getting ready to move back to the reserves this afternoon.

I got a report of the S.S. Connection from Miss Margaret and it was very good and we also got a letter from the AB sprt of a newsy letter with quite a few etchings from Aussel. The Sunday school report was a good one and I enjoyed reading it. I also had a card from Mrs [?] the other day and a

I wish to thank you very much for the Easter card you sent. It certainly is a nice one. How did you spend your Easter Sunday? We were right in the front line Easter Sunday and didn't have any eggs either. If I had of been out on bullets line I would have had a few too as we generally live on eggs while in bullets.

Is there any sign of Dave Mathews or Charles Hardy leaving yet for England or are they going to Sewell for the summer. I hear there was a riot in Winnipeg between the soldiers and the policemen. They don't want to start to fight there as they can get all the fighting they want to do over in this country. Do you receive all my letters because I write one every week and I like to know if you get them. Do you get my three pound regular every month? There will be quite a few pound saved up in England in my account when I get back as we only draw a franc a day there out of fifteen dollars a month. What is Mr Lawson doing it what does he intend to do this summer. I guess it will be a relief to him when he didn't have to put on the crops.

You asked me how the sox were for use well that pair that Culeen sent is just the right size and good and long in the leg and they are not too thick and easy to wash but I have plenty of sox already. We have splendid weather now. Today because I didn't finished it yesterday and am trying to finish today. Well Mother this is about all the news I have this time.

With love to all.
From your loving Son
James