39th Battalion,
Canadian Expeditionary Force.

December 29, 1916.

My dear Mackenzie,

I was very glad to get your letter for Christmas, and thank you for al the kind wishes in it. I can assure you it is good to hear from people at home at all times, and especially at Christmas. We did our best to make it like Christmas, but it wasn't the real thing by any means, and I do hope I shall be home for the next Christmas.

I hear the Football Supper went off very well, and that you managed to get a good many of the old guests together. The carpenter's house must be a great acquisition, I wish we had some sort of shooting range at the school. When I get back I'm going to try to get something of the kind.

I've tried to get in touch with old boys, but it's a hard thing to manage. We don't get much time for gadding around, no telephones, and men are so constantly shifting that one can't follow their whereabouts. Things seem pretty quiet on the Canadian front just now. The weather is unspeakable. I've been waiting so long for a shift that I've just about given it up and determined to take things as they come. One is always restless on this job.

I suppose you'll be in another term when this reaches you. A happy New Year to you and all the boys.

Yours sincerely,

B. Marling.