NOTE: YEAR UNKNOWN. END.

No 62
Germany

Jan 12th

Dear Mother & Dad:-

Received a letter from you of Dec 8th.

You were speculating on what things were like over here when the armistice was signed. Well I can't tell you what it was like in the front line, because I was away back at a French Village, Heron, billeted in vacated houses, and as I think I said before, there was very little excitement over it, in fact most of us half doubted the truth of it, as we had had so many false reports before that.

Did I tell you that I saw Mr Rawlwison on the march up here. I suppose you know who I mean, he is the plumber that worked for [?] and who I worked with He is in the Engineers now and has lost his stripes, He hadn't changed in appearance at all.

By the time you get this I will be back in Belgium or France and I hope they wont keep us long after then till they send us right home.

The weather is still good here though it rained a little last night, but it has been very mild so far.

Did I tell you that I had a letter from Philip Broughton and one from Louise [?] It is Louise's first letter so I must keep it as a [?] Philip wants me to send him a German helmet or bayonet or some souvenir of the war. I could have picked up hundreds of steel helmets on the way up, they were lying all along the roads, but here they are pretty scarce. If we go back to Belgium and France I will probably be able to get one for him, he would think a lot of it.

Talking of bayonets, I saw a saw-edge bayonet near Cambrai, the back of it was a row of teeth just like a saw, it was an awful weapon to stick into anyone.

I have been having quite a bunch of boils lately, three on my hands, one on my leg and I couldn't sit down comfortably on account of two others, they are nearly all healed now except one on my hand which is rather persistant I have been going to the doctor to have them dressed.

There isn't much here to write about, everything is very quiet, we get up at 6 am. reveille 6. 30, after reveille a short exercise ride which I haven't been on for 3 weeks, breakfast 7.30 Dress Parade 9, I have been going to the doctor at the next town, instead. Id out harness is dirty we clean it in the morning, 11.30 stables, that is watering, feeding and grooming till 12.30 when we are off for the day, unless we are on [?], or detailed to feed and water up for the sub section (that gives the rest a clear afternoon)

I have a good team of mules (or mokes) I would rather have them than horses, they are quiet and don't kick and are not so obstinate as most of them. I had a team for a while that nearly drove me nuts, talk about obstinate and contrary! If they got a notion in their heads you couldn't drive it out, they would just plant them selves firmly on all fours and look at you, with their ears shoved forward and it was impossible to budge them, but this team is jake, no trouble at all. I didn't like the horses and mokes as first but I've got used to them now, still I will be glad when we hand them over

So you think I would be lucky to get Meg Sibbald do you ma? Well I ain't going to try, she ain't a bad kind of kid in a way, but she's not the kind I would like to get har-nessed up with for life. None of them have made me lose any sleep so far, I've got lots of time yet, I figure on enjoying myself a bit more before anything like that happens.

Hope to receive another 'blue envelope soon, lovingly Walter