Grand Rivere, Belgium
March 20th 1916

My Dear Father

You letter of Feb 19th to hand this morning written after your return from Kamloops am glad that you liked the cards I sent you from Germany certainly have an eye for business; British troops wren't ther a week befor the Germans had Eng search for us Another thing is that Canadian buttons are not issued on our clothes over here, & as the Canadian button is a better button easier shined that the Imperial we always us them when they are available; we could never by them in Frans, & it was only possibl to get them from one or two stores in London; well some the Germans found this out - so they started making Canadian buttons out of a mixture of Brass & some white metal & selling them to us for five marks a set with "MADE IN GERMANY" on the back. However they did not sell very good as the metal which they were made of would not shine much & then for gereral principals most of the boys would not by them.

Yes Whit is still with us we aren't living together her now, as he arrived with the billiting party a day ahead of me - & spotted out a nice Madamoisell in a hous so he hurry his hat ther & feet his hours in the stable. YOu know when we strike a new town all the boys look for the billets with good looking girls in them!

That fello Colvery from P.B. that I used to talk of - we were always pretty good chums - he got wounded in the leg & a tram blown to bits at Se Sentenial a suburb of Valineierer just west of the Canal - he was not hurt bad just in teh calf of the leg - made Blighty & in in P. B. now - he took his discharge there instead of Vancouver - is going West again later on. He was in the same Sub as myself & we were both taking trips in to the Stove pipes artillery about 10 in the morning when he got hit of course he was on anotherwagon form me aoub a 100 gab in front. Believe me when I saw Steve P. get it I made time parat that spot in to the guns & back again as it was far from being healthy

That little fellow you spoke of whe climbed up behind me in the picture in the [?] of three brothers in our section. His name is Peter & he & his two brothers were working at the Grandy Mime up the coast their father is dead & they were supporting thier Mother & you sister. The two older boys decided to enlist & they told the little fellow that he had to stay home & look after things he would not agree to that - so after a while they told they were going to Vancouver for a trip & would be back so they went & signed up in the 68th this young brother got wind of it & a week after I signed up they spotted him in the awhward squad one day of the 68th at Hartrips Park Caring two form fours - they all toghether here & the very best of boys - good steady fellows.

So Brows brother just married - I suppos old "Abe" will be getting hooked when he gets back. I suppose the girl he married was his nurse in hospital?

We ar having an inspection by the General tomorrow & MacDonald (O.P of our sec new Paler is on leave Mac is still Lieutenant.)is up in the ari because we wont shine harness. Two days ago we were told about it & that we were shine up in the old days that furnished steel & ect. Now as you know a man can't disobey an order without gettin into trouble but we have not got oru harness clean yet & don't intend to when anyone comes around we are working farily good & then it stops our sargetns don't give a so the the officers are out of back as our harness is still [?] & when everoneis the same they can't do anyting about it - just the officers get balled out bythe General - that with us fine. I fthey are going to heed us out much longer they will have to hir & Beligians to groom our animals for us - all do now is water & feed tehm half of them are lousy.

Those I - Imperial Tommier thoug will take anything from an officer - there is an Imperial Battern not far from us & they are working & drilling all day which we play baseball@

If that Porch boy was wounded on the round of Sept - it must of been at DURY because the 4th Div took that on Sept 2nd it is just off the Arras Cambri road near Vir-en-artois

I hope that you have been to the exhibition of War Trophies at Vanoucve you should not miss that as it ough to be real interesting.

I told you Palmer is awy on leave in Blighty - that is his third leave in twenty months - the rest of us have had one - this because he is an officer & can go when ever he has money & enough. We don't expect him back here again as he is going to take a course at the Kahki University

Well I lthink I had better stop now as it is near supper time & I must feed my mules am playing care ball tonign youknow we have an inter sub league now ther are four sub (each sub has 42 men) teams & am N.C.O's team I play short stop for A Sub, we are head of the league now.

With love
from Bill