France
22/2/17.

My Dear Margt':'

Your letter of Jan. 23rd addressed to 38th Bn. 4th Division (this latter should not be put on letter, simply Battalion), and Mother’s of Jany. 2nd addressed to 159th London rec'd, also Ina’s of Jan 28th, also two bundles of Gleaners and Presbyterian from Mother, one Gleaner containing Willie Gardner's letter and one a Private George Payne’s letter. This Payne is related to the Granby Paynes I think.

Was glad to hear that you had arrived safely in Red Deer and were able to curl. I curled in Haileybury quite a lot, was skip one winter and vice winter before last, and last year was skip on a military team we had, not in regular schedule but just friendly games.

As no doubt you saw by the papers we had exceptional weather in Europe, a longer cold spell than they had had for twenty two years. Paris suffered greatly as well as other cities. At Bruoy, a coal mining town which I had been in and from where we got our coal, one day one of our lorries was there and could not get coal and they said there were a thousand military motor lorries taking coal to Paris to relieve the want there. I did not mind the cold much, but having been accustomed to wear rubbers and overshoes for winter and wet for so many years in Canada, I could not keep my feet absolutely dry, consequence was they were always feeling a little chilly. There are no large stoves in this country, and often none at all, only fire places such as we have in our mess, and you can only warm your hands at them and their heating radius is about five feet.

I got Martha's box and acknowledged it in a former letter. It takes so long for letters to go from here home, and to come from home here, that I tried to keep track of letters written with dates in a little book, but I now find that I forget to put them down. Business firms who have trans-Atlantic letters of course keep copies of their letters, and their letters usually start thus: "We wrote you last on - - date, and have since received your letters of - - date", which I think I must try to adopt. I try at least to acknowledge everything received, either letters or parcels.

I think I told them at home that on 13th inst. or 14th. to be exact, I had been given a new job, which obviated the necessity of my going to the trenches as long as I am with this Company. I have a motor cycle which I have managed to ride with fair success, but with sore muscles and bones as an aftermath, and ride every day about fourteen miles to see the materials loaded which go to the trenches. The first few days I went on the motor lorry, but for the last three have gone on the cycle. The roads are metaled, in fact part of the way is over an old Roman road built by Caesar (?). They are very muddy and of course crowded with all kinds of traffic, so when I come in I am mud from the "tip of my nose to the ends of my toes". It has been wet and raining those last days, and at night a sort of mist settles over the land, and it is very difficult to see. I nearly ran into a man horseback to-night. Don’t know how long I will be here, but should be thankful for the time I have been here at least. Well it is 11.10 P.M. so I must rest my muscles. Am reading Gilbert Parker’s "The Lane that had no Turning".

Love to all.
Alex.

P.S. I remember Ernest Grey quite well. Remember me to him. There is little that you can send, as the officers get all they need to eat and wear, and other things are hard to carry as our luggage is supposed to be limited to 35 pounds, but mine must be at least twice that now. Boots and clothes. I have been needing a serviceable pocket knife, but will write to England for one. It is impossible to get a knife in France, at least the places I have tried, that does not seem like lead. I would like a good strong, flat, smooth, fairly large size one, and they have none such here. I have not had an opportunity of getting to a book store, but as soon as I do will send some French papers for Donald and the children. Would one of them like to have some little French child write to them in French. It would be a good opportunity for French composition.

With love to all at home and in the East and West.
Alex.