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Date: January 24th 1917
To
Brother
From
Soldier
Letter

Dear Cliff:- Here goes for another letter. We haven't had much time lately for letter writing. We are now out on a rest a few miles behind our huts and expect to be out for a few weeks. This is our first time out since the second week in October. We are now about a two day's march from our section of the line and billeted in a little village. The main highway around this part of the country, runs thro the village. Our company is in the centre Wes is on one side upon the top of a hill and Len is on the other side of the village After parade Wes & Len call at my place and then we go to a chip and egg joint. If you are lucky you will get your order about an hour after you gave it. If not then you will be there for two or three hours. We don't mind waiting though because it's fine and warm in there. That's most of the billets the boys are in. Our platoon was lucky. We got about as good a billet as anybody. There are three windows, minus glass, and therefore boarded up, and one door. The floor is cement and the walls brick. We have a little stove going and get the coke from a pile next door. The place next door is a brewery and already we have been benifitted by it. Yesterday morning there was a large vat of hot water standing there and we made use of it. This morning we were out of luck and I had to break through about an inch of ice before any water could be procured for washing.Last night Wes called and we went up for Len. He is in a loft. There is lots of hay and very lucky for him too because the ventilation is a little too much in evidence. We went to the chip house and had a feed, (waited two hours for it). At six we went down to the Y.M.C.A we were just in time for the commencement of a band concert. It was good too. Before closing, they played all the parodies, I don't know them all but I'll get them and send them home to you. I'm closing they played the French National and our, God Save the King. We left after the last dog was hung and Wes went his way. Henie and myself, our way. Len came in with me to see what mail I had. There were two large parcels from home and two letters. One of these was from Uncle Jeremy. I'll answer it when its turn comes. The parcels were filled with, cake, socks and gloves. Those leather gloves are pretty good by the look of them. They are none too big though but still they aren't too small. We have had quite a cold spell for the last ten days. The snow has been here for over a week and it looks as though it is going to stay. It's good to see everything covered with a white mantel again but this cold spell is kind of hard on the front line boys. We had the first week of it in the front line and it was impossible to keep warm. I had a good job last time in. I was scout for the trip. Three of us were on a duty at a time. We inspected our wire to see any gaps that were caused by shell fire, then we would lie still for half an hour just listening. We did this along our whole front. Then when we had finished that we started at one end of the company's front and patroled to the other, outside our wire. Any time a flare went up we stayed perfectly still in any position we were in. But if it came to close to us we flopped. One night we were on for four hours the next night eight hours, then four the next, so you see we had easy hours. The rest of the night and day all was entirely our own and we used it for sleep. Well Cliff I'll close. Thanks very much for that money. I got 5 in all. That bought 28 ½  francs. Thanks also for the reading. So long Gordon.

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Original Scans