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Nov. 21. 1918

Dearest Mother:-

You letter of Oct. 25th came yesterday also one from Mrs. MacLaren and Eliza Blair. Did enjoy yours so much it was such a lovely long one and I hadn’t heard from you the last time Canadian mail came in. Two more came to-day from Kathleen (Hodge) Davidson and Edith Baird. I do love getting the letters but oh how hard it is to find time to answer them.

I had a nice letter from Stanley the other day, said he had applied for Paris leave the first week of December. Doesn’t know whether he will be in France many more months or not. Atwood I have never heard from yet and Stanley doesn’t seem to know his address either. He evidently doesn’t care if he hears from us or not for how can we write if we don’t know his address. I wrote twice to Witley camp before I knew he had gone out to France again, but they were never answered.

We are still very busy here, for although there are no more men being wounded there are so many that will take months before their wounds will get better.

I won’t stay on after my 6 months contract is up as I finish the end of January and I feel sure Semi will be back from France by then.

Peter is on leave as I think I told you. Mary went up to London yesterday at noon and is staying at Lady Perley’s rest home for Canadian V.A.D.’s and Sisters till she gets married, which is to be Monday in the Presbyterian church here which they found after some difficulty but the rules for getting married in the Pres. Church in England are worse than having it done in a C.of E. as they have to wait ten days for the marriage license to come through.

She has wired Eva and the Murray MacLarens & I expect they will get here. She will just wear her outdoor uniform as I did. You must have thought by Stan’s letter that I was married in a dress, it was my uniform skirt I wore of course you have all my letters by now. I couldn’t seem to settle down to letter writing till I got back to the hospital so the time was so short. No Daphne wasn’t at my wedding. She was staying in London at the time and we wired her but she was in bed with a bad cold and couldn’t get down. Eva of course was too far away & Frances I wired to but not in time for her to get here. I feel sure I told you the name of the church in fact I know I did, but it takes so long for letters to get over.

My cough is just almost better now although my voice is a bit husky yet. Mary has been innoculated against flu, all the staff are being done as it is pretty hard not to take it when you are nursing dozens of cases of it. The epidemic is dying out now though. Every case of death now was when it turned to pneumonia, and so many did turn to that. We brought a lot through in the hospital here though with the pneumonia and all. Don’t talk about Formamint Tablets. I used to suck them and took quinine but I was stricken with it in 3 hours. One minute I felt all right and the next I began to feel queer, sore throat, chills and fever and in no time at all my temp. went from normal up to 103.

Don’t worry about me not wearing enough clothes. I have flannel shirts and a woolen [?] over my chemise and wear a sweater and heavy coat on night duty.

The hospital is fairly well heated of course our room at the quarters hasn’t a scrap of heat of any kind in it, but I have 3 blankets steamer rug and an eiderdown not to mention a hot water bottle, bed socks and flannel pyjamas.

Am so glad that you have got a nice maid and hope she stays all winter. I feel sure we will be home by Easter. Semi is in France with his battery probably on the march to the Rhine but Peter says they will be (the Canadians) in England in less than three months.

Did I tell you Marion Crocket lent me her lovely rose corduroy bath robe when I was married. I haven’t been able to buy one here so have got the material and am having one made.

I will get what would have been my trousseau just before I come home. I was going to write to Hazel this week in answer to her nice long letter but perhaps you will send this on.

I didn’t get enough sleep to-day and can hardly keep my eyes open to-night at present I am in a building alone with 75 patients as the sister has gone over to the other “block” for supper likewise the orderly duty but I only stay for the hour each night and then go back to my own “block”.

Have got to take my latern and go around and see that they are all asleep now – 6 wards – They generally sleep most of the night. I am anxious to get up to London soon & see what is like lit up at night again.

Love to all,

Nettie