France
Arpil 13/16

My Dear Mother

I rec your letter dated Mar 26th and your parcel Mar 25th and thank you very much for it.

After reading your letter I feel very sorry that I had started smoking when I got your letter tonight. I really hadn't thought it seriously enough when I started or else I should never have started. I do not smoke very much and it will not be a very hard job for me to quit and from now on I am going to quit. I feel very sorry that I caused my loved ones at home so much worry but I didn't think when I started.

I rec your welcome parcel today and thank you very much for it and [?] got that parceled papers a couple of days ago with the family [?] in it and have read the continues story on it and it is very good so far. [?] thank you for the Belmont news that you sent and the last [?]. These are the first 'news' I've seen since we landed in France. That shortbread was fine and I haven't sampled the cake yet but I know what your fruit cake is like. Thank [?] very much for those socks and I'm glad I have the opportunity of [?] the first pair he knit. The towel is handy to us. I just need one more.

When we came out of the trench this last the Belmont boys met [?] [?] and had supper together. [?], [?], [?] and [?] had a talk on old times. We also had a good feed. I will just tell you what we had. A small tin of salmon and a tin of [?] with bread and tea. You may laugh at our spread but it isn't everyday that we fancy an opportunity of buying canned fruits [?] generally get along very good. The order just came in a few minutes ago that were going for a bath tomorrow morning at seven o'clock and it certainly is joyful news as I certainly need one and a change of underwear, let [?] we are out resting for a few days and just drill enough to keep in shape.

There is a [?] show here and I was at it the other evening. It reminds us of Winnipeg [?] and it breaks the evenings a little. I do quite a lot of reading now since I got your papers and find them real interesting. I am going to drop a line to Mrs Smith in London one of these days.

Do you get a letter from me every week? I get a green envelope every week and I always send it home but I was wondering if I ever sent anything out of the way in them because they are liable to be opened at the base and I don't think I ever put anything in them that shouldn't be there. It took this last letter of yours [?] [?] days to come [?] very long because it [?] for a couple of day before sailing.

[?] is around here in the 27th [?] I'm going [?] him out while in [?] Well Mother I think this is about all the news this time. With lots of love to everybody.

From You Loving Son
James