Gunner Hale No. 85519
1st Battery R.F.A.
Canadian Reserve Brigade
Ross Barracks
Shorncliffe
England

3/6/15

My Darling Alice,

I received your letter with Jock's enclosed. I am so sorry that you were so downhearted when you were writing it. I hope by this time, you are feeling better. Please dear Alice, do not say that you will not be there when I come back because I am just looking forward to seeing you again. That is the only thing I am looking forward to now. So please dear Alice, give up that idea at once. I am sure that you must have been feeling blue when you wrote this letter darling but cheer up. I am sure I am coming back to you again darling some time if you will wait for me. I am sure you won't regret it afterwards because I love you my darling far more than I can say. You have no idea how much I think of you. Pat and his girl have fallen out. I think I told you before, it was just a passing fancy of his. I think he is crazy and he should not treat a girl in such a way. It was not fair to her but it is none of my business. So that is all there is to it I guess. I am very sorry to see by your letter that Jim has been wounded. I hope he will get better O.K. Oh, by the way, I see in the papers here that there has been a Gunner Hale in the C.F.A. killed. If you happen to hear of it darling, you will know that it is not me. I am glad you liked that small picture of me dear. It was not a very good one. I don't look so old as you think, even with my scrubbing brush. Believe me Alice, that is some horse of mine. We get on well together but he is full of tricks but I think I know them all now. Dear Alice, Don't worry about the wedding. Somebody will surely be man enough to take you home. I do wish sweetheart I could be with you just for that night. It would be great. I am sorry that Aunt Sally was disappointed, but Alice, I do not even know their address so I do not see how I could possibly go and visit them. So Jock and Corporal Hobbs like the army. Well I guess as far as Hobbs is concerned in the Safety First Brigade, it is a quiet life. But for myself I prefer the fighting end of it. Wouldn't you dear if you were a boy? I think you would. I am sorry that they did not know enough to take you home when you met them after church but never mind dear. I hope I will not be much longer away from you. Then they can both go to the hot place for their pigheadness. Thank you very much for Harold's address. I will write to him soon. I have not got your picture yet but it may come tomorrow. The Canadian mail has been crazy lately. It is just as you said about the 24th dear. They are a disgrace to the uniform. They are always drunk in town here and in my opinion there is nothing that looks worse than to see a man in the uniform drunk. My dear child, try and enjoy yourself at the wedding. When it comes off, just forget the war. I don't know where I shall be but you may be quite sure darling I will be thinking of you. So, H. Crawshaw is next. Well good luck to him but I wish it was you and I dear. The 24th of May was a grand day here but we were drilling all day so it made no difference to us. I was thinking of you all day and finished up by getting the blues then I went to bed. So Johnny the Minister knew me again when he saw my picture. What did he say about it? Some class to me darling if my name is on the roll of honour in the Verdun City Hall. Dear Alice, if you just send all letters to the address on the top of the letter it will get to me all right but don't put the old address on any more. Well darling, I will have to close this letter now as I am just going on guard tonight from 10 o'clock till 2 a.m. then I will be off till the afternoon parade tomorrow. Give my best regards to Ma, Pa and Lily and tell them I will write to them soon. Remember me to all the rest of the bunch. Goodbye darling and cheer up because I want to see you looking well when I come back. I will write again tomorrow.

I remain forever
Your Loving Boy
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