From: Somewhere in France
26 Apr. 1917
To: Gladys in Ottawa, Ont.

Dear sister -

You will be thinking it is about time I remembered you again but letter writing is not so easy here. We have chaplain service tents near by where they give us paper and envelopes but it is not well lighted at night and then when I do try to write, I find it rather hard to think of anything to write about as most interesting things are debarred.

The letter you wrote on Feb 18 did not reach me until April 3rd. On that date I received five other letters the first since Mar 4 so you can understand I was glad to get them. I was in the Divisional Ammunition Column then but later was put back with my section to my present address - 6th Battery, 2nd Brigade, C.F.A., B.E.F. France. I had no more letters except one from Joe Grieg and one from Van Blaricom until Sun. Apr. 22 when I received eleven - one of which was yours of Mar. 22, one was from John Kelly and two from home. There are several from home I guess that I have never received. Yours contained the latest piece of home news I got as mother's latest was on Mar. 19 and Grandpa, then was still all right. It is certainly too bad but when I read that he was so sick I was afraid that he would'nt last as he was so bad awhile ago.

I was paid the other day - 25 francs (see if you can figure out how much that is) and have spent quite a bit of it already on biscuits, chocolate etc. to supplement army rations. Some of us had a bath parade today and I had my first bath since leaving Eng. We handed in our soiled underwear and shirts and received clean ones in return, also a towel & pair of sox. The bath was warm and very good. Nearly everyone of us are lousy already, tho I don't believe I have any as yet. But these lice are something everyone gets and they seem to bother quite a bit. In spare time, you will see the fellows "picking" their shirts. There are fifteen of us in a little dugout - we have a little stove and make ourselves quite comfortable. Rain and mud for a time was simply indescribable, but the last few sunny days have dried things up and we now have dust on the roads.

France is alright I guess, but if we don't rave over its beauties etc. it is because we have been here at bad season of year and in a troublesome, trying time. Personally I am in good health and OK in every way. In some respects it is not as bad as one might imagine. If rumours we get around here have anything in them, the war news of late must have been rather encouraging. Best luck to you in your studies and exams. I know you will get them all right and be glad to be home to mother.

Yours sincerely,
R.G Brown