B. Co 3rd C. C. D.

Seaford Sussex

19/5/18

Dear Mr Irwin

Just a line in answer to your kind & welcome letter & circular & I was pleased to know that you are all in good health. Well sir I am fine & getting ready again to go back to the ditches once more. My legs bother me quite a lot, I guess I’ll get B.II Category & that will mean either Labor or Forestry corps, but I cannot say as yet. I met Capt nielson this last week in the town down here & got quite a pleasant surprise too because I had heard that he had gone under last fall. We had quite a chat together about different things & then I met Gordon Kuffer yesterday that is “Saturday afternoon” & intended going over to see him this afternoon but am writing letters instead, also Billy Stares is over in the sixth reserve, so I’ll gave to be hunting them all up. Well this is glorious weather these days over here, it seems as if everything was working for the great German offensive, weather conditions & all but our boys are putting up a fine & wonderful scrap. I expect the Canadians will be in this next bout, they have had a good rest even out of the line quite a while training specially for a new offensive & getting ready to give Old Fritz a taste of the stuff we are made of. I tell you he realizes that he’s not up against the Russians these days. how my dear sir about the state of things in Quebec. I think myself that the Government is to blame for all that humbug. Why don’t they take things right into their own hands & if they want the men fetch them & take no back answers. Its just the same over here in [?] the R. E. Priests are at the back of it all in fact are the leading factors & its time that we as the Free Churches began to pull more together & fight the menace that is growing around us. how I was glad to know that Karl was over in England. I got a P.C. from him last week & I was both surprised & pleased because over there is no place for a boy of his years God Bless him, I wish there were more like him. I mean those that are older in years & that they would’nt hide themselves too much behind their momma’s apron strings. This is a man’s job & we are’nt treated too bad, we have to knuckle down to discipline & Map the only thing that hurts. I guess Art Mc[?]ntz must have been hit pretty bad. I would have liked to have seen him before he left for home. how sir the people over here do what they can to give us as good a time that they possibly can & help us to get out of the monotony of camp life now & again. But then you know what things are like. “How oft would I have gathered you under my wings, as a hen gathereth her Brood, but ye would not” well sir its just like that, how I do hope that you have’nt to leave norwood till we come home again. I was sorry to hear of Harn[?] Henderin’s[?] death. Please give my kindest regards to Mrs Irwin & the boys & may God help you in your work for Him.

From yours sincerely

I Bonds

Spr I Bonds 195.560 Can Engl