Gunner Hale No. 85519
6th Battery
2nd Brigade Canadian Field Artillery
1st Canadian Division
B.E.F.
France

22/10/15

My Dearest Alice,

A letter at last. Well dear, we are on the job at last. The guns are going some tonight. The star shells make it look very pretty at night. From a distance it looks just like a big firework show. It is quite a sight to watch them. I was on picquet last night and it rained to beat the band all night. It is raining now. It is a bad night for the infantry fellows because everything is soaked with rain. Young Webb and myself are just making a dugout for ourselves. It will be more comfortable when we get it fixed. We get lots of bully beef and biscuits and stew once in a while. Believe me, it all goes down good now because we get very hungry these days. There is one thing that we have lots of here. That is mud. My word. I never saw so much mud before. But we should worry, I guess we will survive it. I could write a lot of things but we are not allowed to so we will have to be contented with a short one. I guess by this time Jock is in France. I might be able to see him or not. I don't know his address now. We are having a good time now, but we have lots of work to do. The people here still work in the fields quite close to the firing line, just as if there were nothing unusual on. You would be surprised if you could see them. Well dear, I cannot say any more now so I will close now. I will write again later also to Ma and Pa and Lily. Give them all my best respect and my best love to you. I hope to see you again soon. Goodbye dear for now.

I remain
Your loving boy
Bob
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