Letter to Mother from Somewhere in France
[fragment]
[pages 3 - 6]
8 P.M. 25th
Well Mother I received about 30 minutes ago your letter of the 25-30 of June I enjoyed it very much also Kathleens. I had a march today of about five miles full marching order so I have left my little bunk of wire. after dinner Burns and I walked out onto the battlefield* that you have read about often and say you should see the trees broaken and stripped the villages have some walls partly standing others are just heaps of brick and trenches dug between. I was away in advance of our artillery so I know what the big shells sound like overhead.
The first cranium I come across in the village I picked up and examined then layed it where I found it.
I am not crazy about souvenirs but if I can I will send you one or two good ones. I am sending my pen knife that I bot at velva last spring a year ago. I dident want to loose it.
Mother I wonder if I am hard hearted about some things. I, if I live will tell you how I am affected later on by what takes place on the battle field. as we sat on the side of the road and watched troops going in we never seemed to give it a thot at all. It seems so strange to. I never thinking ahead thot we would take it like that but life here is no different than at home, the farmer farmes as even in range of the big guns just the same as if they weren’t there. My only thot is to be ready to meet my saviour at any moment and I feel no different than I have up to now in England and here.
I have layen after going to bed the last two nights and pictured you and all the rest going about as you did when I was there, and I thank God for the confidence we have that we will all meet up yonder when he returns to call his own. we have that great hope that means so much to me, If we have not fallen asleep we will, when he calls and then we shall give an account of our deeds both good and evil we still had our meetings and enjoyed them and are still staying to gether.
as ever your loving son Laurie
P.S. As we were coming home we bot lunch and then it started to rain so we went into an office partly standing that had been shot thru manys the time and ate our lunch then I read a chapter aloud and we went on our way it turned out nice but we walked thru running water several times about four inches deep on the metal road. Our army shoes don’t leak at all they are great.
27th (Dugout) every thing fine will write long some day a fine hot harvest day.
as ever Laurie
* Verdun, Passchendaele, and the third Ypres battles were all fought in July 1917; Laurie was at "Wipers."