France
June 4, 1917
Dear Marjorie,
The Canadian mail is in at last and not many of us were disappointed. I received your letter of May 10th day before yesterday and more delighted to get another of May 16th yesterday so ought to be satisfied for a few days at least. The days and nights are glorious here at present, there is a full moon and we have not had a heavy rainstorm for quite a few weeks. The grass is beginning to grow in places over this shelltorn area but back in the rear a mile or two everything is in full bloom, trees all decked out, beautiful indeed. The territory in front of us over which hastily retreated is so well concealed by nature that a war was on. I am up at the guns on duty for the night. There is a dead silence at present except for the occasional bark of a gun or hum of an airplane but the air may be screeching with shells any time, S.O.S. calls from the troops ahead come any old time that is if Fritz happens to make a counter attack. Of course he has plenty of occasions to send up S.O.S. calls himself. Our principal use of artillery is to back up the boys in the trenches and believe me we go at it for all we are worth. When you think of the poor devils in the trenches getting counter attacked its enough to make anyone go at it as hard as possible. It is an awful game when you think about it but one gets used to it. Please don't worry too much about us. We are really thankful with our lot, we work hard but have easy spells too. A bunch of the boys are back at rest camp, I expect I will go myself soon. They went to a town a few miles in the rear. One may partake of the pleasure of wandering into town and perhaps even attend a picture show. If things are such that we have to be here next winter I expect we will have leave - Paris probably. I have met fellows who have been there on leave and from all accounts it is some gay place. No leave is granted to England but we all hope we will not be here long enough to be entitled to leave, even in Paris. I will be looking for your parcel, I get quite a few, I have no particular preference, in fact I have a sweet tooth for everything. We get used to eating things here we never ate before out here. Ned Hume and I have built a small dugout for ourselves just below the surface. It is great. It is about six by five feet and consists of a double bed by leaving the bunk protruding, a stove made out of a tin can and a cupboard which is a box in the wall. We buy eggs at a village near here so have eggs for breakfast. Taking it all round we are "jake" as we say over here. I have not seen Cliff lately, I said he was changed, I meant in appearance. One gets so tanned and burnt that he is hardly recognizable (is that spelt right?) I have forgotten nearly all I did know. Thanks very much for the pictures Marjorie, write whenever you have time even on vacation, I hope you have the very best time possible. Wish I was going on a "tour" also. Well I must close.
Yours with love
Gordon