I have sent two cards since coming to France on ppc & one Field Service card

April 8th 1915

My Dearest Kate

Just a few lines to let you know that we arrived here O.K. on Easter Monday about 2 p.m. wet through & pretty tired. We left our last billet at 7 a.m. so you can guess it was a pretty decent hike. I saw Cecil Small at the place we halted at for lunch, he offered to take my pack on his car for me but I knew that our billets were scattered all over the country so I hung on to it as it may be a week or five before I see him again. Of course it would have helped me out a whole lot but I wanted my pack to use as a pillow besides some things I had in it. We are in a large barn again with lots of straw so we are fairly comfortable. When we got here on Monday I turned in just after three o'clock & stayed there until nine the next morning some sleep that about eighteen hours. I think that beats some of my Sunday morning's rests in Victoria Well dear I haven't received that letter from you yet . I guess when I do get it there will be two or three together as the mail must have been delayed. The last one I had from you about 10 days ago was mailed on March 9th I have been expecting to hear from you since then to say you had received the card & letter I sent you after landing in France. Its just eight weeks ago today since we sailed from England. We have done quite a bit of travelling since then but we are not much farther from Canada than we were on Salisbury Plain so we have quite a distance to travel before we reach Berlin. We have a band? in this Company now composed of one flute, three mouth organs, one accordian, four biscuit tins for drums & a pair of cymbals made of biscuit tin covers & for a triangle an entrenching tool with a marlins spike to beat it with (some band) It helps us out a whole lot on a march though yesterday afternoon we had some fun with a couple of footballs the whole company was divided up in teams & we sure did have some fun. We have running exercises every morning now at 6.15. The C.O.E. [?] inspected us this morning & of course complimented us on our smart appearance also on the work we did in the trenches, he said the brigades that took over from us said they had not had such good trenches before since the war started. The Division used up 150,000 sand bags in the trenches besides wire [?] for the parapet besides building [?] so we were not idle while we were there considering the work on the parapets had to be done at night. We expect to be here for four or five days after that we shall probably go in the trenches again. Well dear since beginning to write this I have received your two letters of March 18th & 20th which I had been looking for the last few days. Yes dear I think I have got all your letters up to date but they are a little late in coming at times but that is no fault of yours for instance the last two were mailed one five days after the other & both arrived here on the same day. Sorry to hear that your watch was not working good but hope it will be alright after you have had it fixed. Yes: I got [?] & Jims letters addressed to Salisbury Plain. I heard that they were cutting the addresses off the letters, thats the reasons I haven't put it on the last few times. The address you ahve been putting on the letters will find me alright as long as I am around. So you have left Clay's at last. Well I guess there are more jobs around. I think a place where you can get more fresh air will suit you a lot better than the other & I hope you will be lucky in getting a good one I am glad to hear that you are feeling better & that the new Doctor is doing you so much good & I hope you will keep improving until you are quite well & strong again. Glad to hear that you had got my letter & card but you should have had a picture post card written on the 14th Feb but probably that was thrown in the waste paper basket I think I wrote one about the 9th but wouldn't be sure as I was a little worried at that time. I hope you will get them regular now as I have written every time we come out for a rest. This makes the fourth I have written this time out. Its two weeks tomorrow since we were relieved so this is the longest spell we have had up to now. I have just received the papers but have not opened them yet as I want to finish this letter first I had a box of cigarettes form Harry but you can bet they were opened right away as I have been bumming smokes the last day or so. Harry say's Mother is a little better now & as you say I hope she will improve. Edie is not very well & the Doctor has ordered her away for a month or so I hope the change will do her good. I was glad to hear that you had got the deeds of the lot alright but sorry to hear that you had been bothered about the taxes but I will forward the money to you as soon as I can see the Paymaster. I think it will be an order made payable to you from the record office in London & it will probably be some time before you get it but I think it will be alright. I haven't been to the pay table since leaving England but will have to at the next pay parade as I want to send some home too I dont want any for myself for some time yet that is if the money I have out amongst the boys comes in on pay day & I think it will. If this war lasts much longer I shall have quite a stake if I go on like this over two months pay coming now & I can go another two as far as I am concerned. Yes dear I have priced everything alright in my will so I dont think there will be any bother. I knew those taxes were due from 1913 but never had any papers about them. Please let me know if there is anything else to pay on them & I will send it out to you. I have written the Sec of the lodge to know if the $100 funeral bought is still payable or if it is that is to go to you, am expecting to hear from him any day now. I have divided the $1000 insurance between Mother, Kitty & my two Brothers & all back pay due to me to go to Mother. I think I have everything priced alright that way. Thanks so much dear for Wills brothers address I may run up against him some time. In fact I saw some fellows the other day with [?] on their shoulders so he may be around here somewhere. One of the boys in our company ran up against his brother (who is in the Regulars) the first week we were in France Well dear I hope you will enjoy your long rest & that you will get in with some real nice people when you start work again. I dont think I have any more to say now so I will close with kind regards to all & tons of love & kisses for yourself XXX[repeated many times]

From
Your Ever Loving
Jack

P.S. Dont swallow all you see about the Canadians in France as some of the hot air is really too strong judging by that cutting you sent me this Division was the whole cheese at [?] Chapelle. I havent seen a german yet but have been on night duty most of the time in the trenches as far as its being a delightful change I think a day or two at Cadboro Bay would be a delightful change Jack