1.2.17 Dearest People At Home. Just to think that we have a Major in the family and its my fault too. Isn't it perfectly disgusting. All this publicity for such a paltry thing. But never mind we'll have to try to outlive it and mayhap we can but without some strenuous stroke of fortune, an unexpected opportunity for good work siezed or something of the otherless creditable sort any further advancement will be long coming. Dear "Old" Ethel Crawford prophesies that I shall be wounded in April & home in May. May it be true! For I'd just love to see you all again so soon. The war wont be over then but it wont be long after that. Even if Ethel's further prophesy comes true - that the war will not be over till 1919. No, dear people, I did not spend Xmas on leave, nor yet New Years. In fact my leave is yet to come and for the present all leave is stopped but I think will start again soon. And Gordon Graham has not been over on leave yet either. He came over yesterday to see me & came back for dinner tonight. Tomorrow I'll see him again when I go there for a sulphur bath. (No I have not) Just for precautions sake. I got four letters last night one from you Dad, one from Ethel, one from Anna B & one from somebody else. I also got two parcels of candy & socks from the same person and two parcels tonight one from you and one from Mrs Lynn & Miss Enouy. We are out in rest Billets again and have had lovely cold weather for it. I do hope it holds for our next trip into the line. This last time in it was lovely - so free of mud and wet. All the same I got a touch of lumbago and a nice cold but have almost gotten rid of both. The "Dear Old" Main Guy got back on the job yesterday after 10 days leave. He is in much better temper & has only straffed once very mildly since. Our rest Billets have been changed & we are much more comfortable. Our mess room has a real stove in it. Even if we do have to keep poking it we keep warm and with all the parcels we get are living like kings. We have three Div'l Amm'n Column officers with us while here which relieves our monotony quite a lot as I have only Tait & Hegan (both boozers) left with me. This will be a rather hard trip in for me if I do not get some other officers back for it - Mike Mitchell was able to get away on leave on the 23rd & wont be back until we are in the line again if he ever gets back there. And Aitkens & Hall are on Courses for a month & Waite & Derbyshire are training some new men hence do not go into the line. We have been busy trying to keep up to reorganization schemes as they came out in quick succession. I got an advance tip on what the last was to be and out out the [?] last saving considerable work. I fancy they have finished now & we will be able to carry on better. It is an improvement of course but took a lot of working out. Just a last word of warning keep away from Brew Smith. It was not entirely his fault. Just another case of unending prejudice. Please. No more chewing gum and fewer candies. Socks, a shirt, a handkerchief, a collar or batchelors button, a shoelace etc and so on. You know the inexpensive odd article. That will keep me going very nicely. Thanks awfully for the Mess tin and the Honey. They are most awfully welcome. And please don't splash on the Major stuff. One of our officers got rather badly wounded by a sniper. Lt. J.M. Carey. He exposed himself unnecessarily while taking some observations of some new Fritz work and just as he moved to go he got it just above the eye. He'll have a hard time I'm afraid but is a plucky little devil & will probably pull through. May lose the sight of one eye. Major Rimmell got splashed with hot lead in the face. GW Holman got hit in the shoulder with shrapnel. Neither serious. Well I'll get awa' & have some sleep. Love in buckets. Hang out yours & get some. Yours "respectfully" Gordon Major G.S. Thornton