France
Aug 21/18

Dear Hazel -

Rec'd a letter from you the other day and was very glad to hear from you. I have been writing to you quite regularly but apparently some of my letters have gone astray. Of course there wasn't very much in any of them still I would have liked you to have rec'd them.

I am writing this at 4.30 AM - rather an unusual time to be writing letters but I have 4 hours on duty and am not very busy so you see it is a good chance to catch up with my correspondence. A fellow gets used to all kinds of hours over here for instance we don't mind it at all if we don't get any sleep for a few nights or have to get up in the middle of the night to go on duty. Of course I have had a little experience in late hours before now but I guess it is wiser not to recall that. Still the early hours of the morning have been very pleasant to me sometimes and I have rather fond recollection of some good times spent after the hours of midnight. Well that is rather an unusual subject to discuss so I guess I had better switch.

Of course you have seen by the papers that we have been giving old fritz rather a hard bump. I was very lucky and am still O.K. I saw Bill Gough and Alec Newton too and they are both OK also. Really Hazel I am getting quite an experienced warrior now and blood-thirsty - well - I collected a few souvenirs but don't know how I will get them sent home - perhaps take them with me this fall eh?

Very sorry to hear that Ralph is missing. It is very likely that he is a prisoner altho his folks should have heard from him before now if he is. I used to correspond with him quite regularly but of course haven't heard from him for some time.

Haven't heard from Lee for ages but I guess he is still in Blighty. He has apparently forgotten me entirely or is having too good a time to write probably the latter. I am due for leave in a couple of months now and of course will go to Blighty and look up a few old friends.

It has been great weather here for the last couple of weeks warm and dry and moonlight nights. Really it nearly makes a guy homesick to see a full moon and a nice warm night. Last night we were all discussing what we would be doing if we were in civilian life. Of course I didn't know just what I would be doing but I was pretty sure what I would have been doing two years ago. Of course circumstances have changed since then and it might be different now.

Had a letter last night from one of our fellows who is in Italy in the R.A.F. He raves about the country and says he is growing very sentimental also poetical. I guess the Allied fellows get used pretty good in that part of the globe.

I had a dandy letter from Roy Marsh the other day. He sends a lot of news but it is rather funny always addresses my letters Mr of course I am not one of those guys at all but a full fledged rear ranker. By the way my address is Signal Sect 4th Cdn Inf Bn. I am sure I sent you my address before but apparently you never got the letter.

I suppose you are enjoying your summer vacation now. I wouldn't object at all to spending part of it with you but of course that would be impossible wouldn't it? Still this war can't last forever so it is very likely that I will run across you in the near future. Of course the near future contains many possibilities.

Well Hazel I will have to quit. I have nothing more to write and paper is rather scarce. I am sure this isn't a bit interesting to you being only the ravings of a sleepy man. Write whenever you can as I always am glad to hear from you. If you know Fonger's address would you mind sending it as I would like to see him when I go on leave. Please remember me to the girls and don't omit yourself

Yours
Jack. M