Search The Archive

Search form

Collection Search
Date: September 5th 1916
To
sister
From
William Keith
Letter

Somewhere in France Sept 5 1916

Dear Sister
Received both your letters once quite a while ago and one today so will try to write a few lines and make one letter do the two, had one from Sadie today too so will be busy for a while and there isn't much to write about. got the two parcels of papers all right and read everything in them of any account. had a letter from Dunk the other day and he told about Bob it was the first I head about him. the last time I saw him was at Tims about a year ago now. Hugh wrote some too, mostly about the boy scouts and baseball it was very hot then and the scouts were going to Lake Huron for a day. It is cool enough here now and manages to rain a little about every day and there is plenty of mud. to wade in without going out of your way. we are quite a long way from where we were when I wrote last, were billeted at farms for a quite a while and it was jake sleeping in the straw, and then when we started to move we would stay one day at a place then move on and now we are close to the fun again. at present billeted in a village in houses that look as if the people have left pretty quick. in the room I'm in there is a couple of good wedding pictures, a sewing machine and a little stand. there is a watch repairer in our platoon and he has his mending outfit on the stand, working now, he has a violin too and can make it talk all right. in the garden at the back of the house are two big shell holes. had a letter from Lachie a few days ago telling about one of the fellows getting killed that used to be in the 68th. most of the fellows I knew best in the 68th went to the 28th do you ever go for any car rides now? we get issued cigarettes and tobacco quite often to bad I don't smoke (eh what) got payed day before yesterday and are living pretty high now but it won't last long. There is an Australian Canteen down a little way from here but they wont sell only to their own men so we slip them a little on the side and they get it for us
I am not so fat now as when in Regina I think it is because of writing too many letters There are lots of good souvenirs around here but can't be bothered carying any around with me, travel as light as possible. Well this will let you know we are all well and still able to eat.
from your Brother Keith
don't send this to Sadie for i'm writing the same in hers. put a company on the letter.
no 104205
Pte W.K. Dornan
A Company
5th Canadian Battn
France

Original Scans

Original Scans