Witley Jan. 12th /17

Dear Ollie:-

This is Friday morning and I just came off guard do I have nothing to do until this PM.  Jack and I got your letters that you wrote Xmas day.  Got them yesterday noon and we got the candy that the girls sent but poor Joe wasn’t here to get his but we will send it to him if we get his address.

Well Ollie you want to be damned careful what you do now and don’t work too hard.  I can tell you as you told me when I was sick last fall, for it will take quite a while for you to get clear of that damn cold this time of year.  And Noble has gone to France has he?  Well I would like to have seen him but we never had time to go anywhere since we got back from London.  And Vic is in hospital with rheumatism.  Well he won’t do any fighting but will have to do a lot of dirty work for they will keep him at the base in France, or bring him back here.  If I was in his place I would sooner stay in France but of course he will have to go whereever he is sent.  Well I suppose Ern Creamer is home by this time or in Halifax anyway but I suppose he would have to go through a lot of red tape there too before he could get home.

I have just been doing some washing.  I have more dirty clothes laying around now than I ever had since I joined the army for we have had some trouble with the laundry and we have been waiting to see what they was going to do but guess they are going to drop it so we will have to do the best we can ourselves and that won’t be very good for we have nothing but cold water and that is hard as Hell. 

And so Kelly’s fortune is coming true is it?  Well that will be nice won’t it?

I would like to be home to have a laugh at him but I suppose there is enough to do that with out us.  But still it would be fun just the same.  Didn’t we ever tell you about the time we had up Jake’s?  Good Lord I thought we told everybody about that.  It sure was fun to see him.  How poor old Jake laughed.  How is the old chap this winter anyway?

Oh yes, I pretty near forgot to ask about the school marm.  How is she getting along and how do you like her by this time?

You needn’t worry about socks yet awhile.  I don’t know how many he had but I have five or six pairs yet.  Well it is noon so I will close for this time. 

Hoping you are feeling a lot better now than you did.

 Major

PS This is the 13th and I had your letter all sealed but I got that box from you with the cake and socks so I thought I would have to let you know so I tore the envelope open. Guess that is all for this time

Major