France,
8th July/17.

Dear Ones All,

Good letters from Mother, Harry and Ruth arrived last week as well as several Toronto papers. Thanks ever so much for all of them. I also got a parcel of comforts from the Walkerton I.O.D.E. which was very welcome, accompanied by a post-card from Florence Rowland as Sec’Y. Will you thank her for me in case I don’t find time to write?

We had a great scrap last night at about 8.30 o’clock. Seven of us met eight Hunt and fought "Tooth and Nail" for 25 minutes at the end of which time, all our fellows were O.K. while three Huns had been done in completely and seen to crash, and two more were driven down more or less under control. My gun was hopelessly jambed before the scrap began but I was leading our formation so had to bluff the Huns that I was attacking anyway- dive on them and then swing around on them suddenly and give my observer a chance to use his gun. It made me pretty sore though, for twice I had a Hune Machine "Cold" absolutely filling my sights at 25 yards range. My observer was a sergeant, a live sort of fellow but not a particularly good shot, however, he shot one fellow’s engine up pretty badly and made him go down. Eventually all my observer’s ammunition was used up and I dived for our own lines to get some more. When only half way there, however, I looked around and saw the sky clear of Huns and the rest of my formation coming home, so I went back and joined them and we finished our patrol finally getting home just at dark. It was a good show and the most exciting scrap I have ever had, chiefly because we were flying such fast machines and the affair lasted for so long. It is mighty tiring though, for, of course, in a scrap you do all the stunts that anyone ever heard of- loops, rolls and spina and things- and then the long dives sometimes 5000 feet in 12 or 15 seconds, with the effects of the rapid change of altitude, all combine to take a lot out of you. It has been raining all day to-day and we are all glad of the rest, I think.

Must close for now, Dear People. Give my love to all the visitors at home and to Cousin Belle. Molly says she is writing you so probably you will have heard all the latest news of her direct.

Lovingly as always
Eric.