France,
Sept 10th, 1917

Dear Mother.

I received your welcome letter and was glad to know you're getting mine all right. I'm hoping this will find you all in the best of health as this leaves me. We are getting some lovely weather lately, which makes things a lot more agreeable out here, as I guess it does anywhere. I wonder how you're coming along with the harvest. From what the papers have to say the crops won't be much this year in Sask. I hope it's better than that our way. I suppose Joe would get the letter I wrote last week. I am a little bit behind this time with yours, but you would see Joe's, I guess. So you had a letter from Morris since he has been in Eng. It's too bad, isn't it, from what you said he must find a difference to afternoon teas and Army life in Eng. I guess if he wants so much cake in Eng, he'll just want to go home when he gets here, although we don't very often go short here, and don't expect cake (although we get it from home). Tell Auntie that C. Shell got his Soldier Aid parcel yesterday, like the one I got awhile back, and they are about the best to suit us. Charles got here at the right time, as there was a towel and soap in, and as we are not particular when we are in the line. We sure needed them, as we had not brought our kit in with us. Well, we got the dirt washed off, and I guess the whiskers will have to wait till we go out again. We are generally dirty looking specimens by that time, and it takes a couple of days to clean up. It's an awful looking mess here for a town, where we are; nothing but a pile of bricks and timber, and the trenches are just shell holes connected up. Saves digging, eh? Well, I expect we'll soon be out again, and get another15 francs. You know we get that twice a month, and the rest goes to our credit. It is very nice to get back into a village once in awhile, where the houses are standing anyway. And we sometimes even get to a picture show, and believe me there's no pictures like the wild and wooly west, and no war pictures for me. Well Mother, you'll think I'm some grumbler, but I really get along fine for the soldiering part of it. But it seems a shame the way things go with some. But it's hit it with a smile, and I guess this old war won't last forever anyway. Well Mother dear, I'll have to close for now, so hoping this finds you all well, love to all from your loving Son,

Frank.