Letter to Mother from a Dugout in France

#782373
Dug out in France
9-2-17

Dear Mother:–

I just come in out of a shell hole on the side hill where the wind don’t hit and the sun shone warm so I did have a good sleep. We are going to be buisy to night so a good snooze to day was quite approprate.

I had only one nights work party this time out so I feel lucky for some unknown reason. all boys were not as lucky as that.

The band plays each day we are back from the line they practice in the A.M. and play in the evening we have a piano up this far this trip but we are away up past all civilian population, I suppose the battle front covers about 12 to 15 miles where no civilian population live the big guns shoot on that much play I think so no one would try to live that close.

We had a fine sermon this A.M. then the sacrement service in y tent it was an english church service but we were all asked to attend and I got so much good out of the service.

I beleave that our chaplains have quite a bit of work to do under these conditions. They may be about the busiest men we have.

I can’t seem to write I find my self sitting and thinking along with the listening to the music we have such a find band.

I an’t sending souvenirs home this time. there don’t seem to be any handy way of getting them registered and the things I had would cost pretty heavy to send besides I will try to get more suitable ones and will try and send them later.            9.30 A.M. 

9-4-17

Well Mother your boy is sitting under cover of a parapet to a trench sunning himself on a glorious A.M. looking back way from the battle front I see a ruined village and woods also farm land shot full of holes and poluted with barbe wire entanglements

I was on a work party for about five hours last night, and as we stood and leaned on our shovels looking at the glorious old moon we spoak of how little the folks at home could realize that we enjoy this life as we do. I could not have enjoyed these dayes more at home why the climate it is grand and there is no reason to worry about any thing, you get your pay and meals a dug out as shell proof as old Sask. is to day to sleep in, Hiney started to shell use last night where I was so we jumped for the trench like a gopher goes down his hole. Well when I got back up after the shelling one shell had lit 15 ft from where I stood. L.

Well bye bye Mother the others are going so I will have to close

as ever your loving son
Laurie

Teddy’s letter will come later. L.