Sunday Jan. 7 1917

#460609. Pte L Sinclair

3rd Canadians

D Comp. E Division. “Quarry House”

C.C.D. Hastings Sussex

My Dear Mother:-

H’lo there, how are you? How are you all after Christmas. I hope you’d a very nice Christmas and New Years day? Has it been cold at all; just a little I guess, somewhere around 30° below. Well I can’t help but think of you these days. I suppose your shoving on coal and digging yourself out of the snow. It sure seems funny without snow here but we get our dismal as well as chilly days, that are not any too warm either. Today for instance although not raining, it is cloudy and chilly so I’m going to write all afternoon. Its just like a November day in Canada today. The leaves are not off all the trees though, the grass and hedges are still green and the birds in the mornings makes it seem a lot like spring.

The last letter of yours was dated November nineteenth and I received your pretty Christmas cards since also. I’ve still to go on leave yet and hope to be on that in the near future. I’ve Hattie’s card and will look her up, although I’ll see Bert’s aunts first. I sure owe a lot to the chalk boys and the way the whole bunch have treated me. How are they all in Wpg? I dont remember sending you a soldier card although I’ve a hunch which one it is. You see those where ever there are cards in the stores nearest the line.

I thought I mentioned to you how I was wounded well I’m sure you don’t really want to know. Thats the reason their censoring all the letters, some have too much to say. I got hung up in Fritzs barb wire. I suppose he didn’t fancy the idea so let fly some of his bombs. The shrapnel from these are very small on account of the high explosives in them. They are more for their moral effect I think but never the less if they burst near you, its good-night. I hate to talk of things over there, [?] until appré la guerre when we are farther away from it than what we are now, and I hope its not far off.

Your parcels have not arrived yet, I suppose on account of the tremendous amount of Mail this year. Letters written to me in this country even have taken a week to reach me so one cant wonder at the delay of mails from Canada. I suppose you’ll want to know how and what sort of a time I had Christmas. Well we’d a fine day to begin with it was just like spring out. We’d turkey and pudding at the mess rooms for dinner and again that evening at the Y.M.C.A. Here they’d places set for 400 but through some mix up on part of the military authorities the men weren’t told and only about a hundred showed up. I’d all I wanted here and they’d a very nice concert also. In the afternoon I was up to Hastings with some of the boys but the only thing open was the movies so we made the rounds of these which filled in most of the afternoon. We’d a holiday Boxer day. (day after Christmas) also and again at New Years but the don’t observe it here. I mean to say it isn’t a holiday the stores are all open on that day as usual.

I suppose Peggy and Flo have a path worn down to that Crescent Theatre. What sort of a place is it? Has Peggy a job yet? Well she wants to have one before I get back. How do you get my assigned pay, does it come regulary? I’m glad to hear Mrs Kerr, Mrs Lobbau and Mrs Stibbings are all well and hope you gave them my best wishes. for the new year. I’m not sure whether I told you before, that parcel of candy you sent me in France. I got at Tourneheim, before going up to the somme. It sure came in nice during our couple of weeks maneouvering in some poor farmers grain fields for open fighting which we never saw.

Well they are about to commence service here mother so had better close. so love to you all and I hope you keep yourself well I’m as ever

Your loving son

Larry.

P.S. That felt was red & green you know the sort I got for a monagram once

We were issued with some cheese cloth alright & had that beggar who crossed it out the job of sewing the same stuff on. He may have thought twice about it, I wanted some off each about 6 in. long and 3 in wide. for our Div. mark. so you can send some if you wish.