France

August 5th 1917

Steak & onions tonight! Cheers!

Dear Nen:-

Just noticed in my diary that today is Sunday. It's been raining off and on for the last week always cold and cloudy but it's cleared up today and the sun is out. I spent from 6 a.m to 8 p.m. at the O.P. last night and was up on duty for 21 hours so I sure did sleep well last night. It's punk sleeping in the dugout too as it gets pretty stuffy and you wake up feeling pretty dopey. However, we have made another entrance which makes 3 altogether so it's not so bad as it might be. It's also pretty damp and one tunic is quite damp and I haven't worn it since coming up.

I guess Grey must have left for Canada as I haven't heard from him for a couple of weeks. Things have been quite O.K. here lately and now we're being pestered a bit by the staff who never hung around much before. We are all becoming excellent liars. Last night at 11 p.m which is 12 p.m. German time we pasted one of his trenches with 58 rounds of H.E. for what he did to us three years ago. I hope it got some of them.

Gee! I'd sure like to be at Aylmer now and have a sail or a swim for a change. I'm on Liaison tomorrow night and hope I shall have a nice peaceful journey as I haven't had the other times I've been down.

How is the boat coming on, this should really be Dad's letter you know but I get a darn sight more letters from you. Fancy him and Abbott (George) sitting up there at the store with their feet on the desk reading the papers, smoking huge cigars and drinking water! I must say however that none of us are overworked. Absolutely nothing to do but pass the time. Of course when we do work we get it in a bunch and we'll probably get some very shortly.

We are buying a gramophone for the mess and as Browning is going on leave today we gave him the money to get it. I was up at the O.P. when everybody discovered they were overdrawn at Cox's and their cheques were na-poo. I was the only Croesus of the bunch, not having been on leave so I stood the gramophone till next pay day. I ought to get some leave to Paris when Browning comes back in a few weeks now.

Well, Nen, had better can this. Love to Dad, Ella, and all.

Bev.

Just got letter from Dad now.