France
July 6/16

My Dear Mother,

I have rec' two letters from you since I wrote last week but I have dropped you a card; and have just come of the trenches.

We had a bath yesterday and are going to church parade this morning. I saw Mac Woods yesterday and he has been moved since we were out last time and is a little nearer to where I am camped.

I rec' your letter of June 11th with the two dollars in it and thank you very much for it. We rec those patriotic parcels but have not dropped you a line yet but will write one today.

Give Arleen my best congratulations on passing her examinations. I had a letter from Miss Laurie and it was written on a later date then yours and she said that Arleen got thro alright.

I am getting the "Free Press" quite regular now and hear the latest Canadian news.

We have not had very many casualties this last trip. I suppose you will be harvesting now at home. How are the crops looking now?

The wat seems to be progressing favourably now as the Imperial troops have been advancing and the Russians seem to be pressing the Austrians very hard.

I see by the paper that harvest hands are very scarce this fall and that wages are bad. I guess I won't get the month or this fall that I got last fall but I hope we will soon be over there for more than a month.

Did Frank take in Brandon fair this summer? Last year I enlisted the day after the excursion to Brandon.

We are having lovely weather now- It seem nice and warm every day but beginning to get cool in the evening Since writing the first part of this letter I was at church parade and we had another parade with the 60th Batt. As they are in the same brigade as we are in the same brigade as they are; and we had service in the open. Major Gordon preached. He comes around every evening when we are in the trenches to see us.

I saw Arnold Code this afternoon. You remember he used to be in the station. He is a brigade signaller now and had been out here over a year. I expect to see Jim McDeeks any of these days now.

I am sending you a picture which the four of us got taken near here. It is not very good but I shows the [?] when I had my picture taken in England this one taken in this country. I think I will go to the Y.M.C.A as they genrally have a sing song every Sunday evening and it does a person good after being in the trenches for a few days.

In the pictures I shouldn't have been sitting down as [?] doesn't look good sitting.

I got a letter from Uncle Frank the other day and they seem to be getting along alright. I see by the newspaper that George Purdy has purchased a [?] from [?]- I suppose she is starting to take lessons. I also see that [?] is down from Vancouver and is working on the farm. Well I think this is about all the news for this time.

I will write to Frank also.

With love to everybody
From your loving son
Jim

P.S. Aug 7th
Dear Mother
I rec' your letter this morning with the two dollars in it and thank you very much for it. The letter was dated July 16th/16.
Jim