[transcription and footnotes have been provided by the collection donor]

Field Service Post Card^[101]
Mrs. Mercer
Theodore, Sask., Canada

I am quite well.^[102]

Letter follows at first opportunity.

I have received your letter dated June 22/17^[103]

Signed R.W. Mercer
July 17/17^[104]

Footnotes
^[101] This is a simple "PC" post card or "Quick-Firer" that was common during the war, especially with volunteers who were less literate. The QUICK FIRER Field Service Post Card (Army Form A2042) consisted of a number of pre-printed sentences which could be deleted as appropriate. Nothing, except the address of the recipient, was to be written on the post card in order to alleviate the problems of censorship.
^[102] Pte. Richard Mercer has just moved from Camblain L'Abbeye to a new camp named Bois de Verdrel, France where they will now be engaged in Anti-Aircraft activities for several weeks. Most likely there are artillery observation balloons that require protection from enemy scout planes. The balloons are used to spot military targets along the Front and are prime targets. Special mounts would have been acquired to elevate the Vickers machine guns. It is assumed these were acquired on site and not normally carried by the Borden Battery.
^[103] No record of this letter exists. They were required to be destroyed at the Front.
^[104] The day has been raining., in fact it has been raining since July 14th and will continue until July 20th. Pte. Mercer has probably been detailed to work on improvement on their new camp, and the work will be muddy.  Matters are probably irregular and this PC was a quite way to send out a very short note to his mother.