Letter to Mother from Somewhere in France
6-13-17[sic]
Wed 8.20 P.M.
Somewhere in France
Dear Mother:–
It is four weeks yesterday since I have been in toutch with my mail but I expect to receive it some time in the next six days.
Brown and I are lying in the grass out in a pasture lot enclosed with great big trees.
Say Mother if you could just pull a big easy chair under some of these big trees that fifty of use get under for our lectures each day it would do you a world of good, I am afraid your memory would at once drift back to those good old girlhood days back in eastern Canada
Brown and I had a wrestle and we rolled into a patch of mowed nettles so my hands both feel itchy but I havent rubbed them any so they will be all right in a few minuits
Brown and I had a good feed of eggs and potato chips tonight bread butter and fresh milk to drink.
14th 7.16 P.M.
Well Mother I am out in the same place as last night but Bob Banks is with me tonight he is reading a few yds away I have been studing the word of God and praying for some time so I thot I would write you a few words, We spent the A.M. on fatigue digging trenches we had two releafs 30 minuits each so I was on the second and fourth and they did not have any sixth so I got of with and hours work and an hour and a half of lying around After dinner we were on parade we did not move over a quarter of a mile and sat under trees for an hour then stood up for an hours gas helmet lecture and were dismissed, so we are putting in an easy time all around these days. tonight Bob B. and I went down to a big mine and had a good shower bath hot water and lots of it.
The wheat is headed out here and a good crop to which is a good thing, On the road in we saw McCormick binders on the trains new ones set up on flat cars not the way we ship them at home
Well bye bye Mama dear as ever your loving boy Laurie
I was in England 9 months to a day and hour we landed 24th Aug.-16
Give my love to all at home they will have to consider my letters to all for I want to write you as often as I can and that may be very irregular in a cupple of weeks more bye bye L.
[written in the margin] There is a woman where we are billeted your age a refugee that has to work from 6 A.M. till any time at night for 20¢ a day, we have lots to thank God for as life is any way, just never mind any thing that may be ahead of me. it is only Gods will that I should be here, and I just praise God in my heart always to think I have such a saviour to live with and to die with Laurie