19th August 1915
Belgium

My dear Sister.

Your interesting and most welcomed letter came to hand last night. I had posted you a letter a few hours before but, I have now written you several times and forgot all about the P.J. I have been getting it for a long while and on time every week. I must thank you ever so much for your kindness.

I am still in the fire trench and you bet we're have an interesting time. There is'nt much doing around here save an artillery bombardment a few hours daily. Anyway we're always on the look out in case they'll try any of their tricks on us and straining our eyes to catch anyone of them that might be looking over their parapet.

Interesting as this life is, I would'nt mind going for stroll as far as Glasgow, but I'm afraid I wont be able to get away for a month at least. But if anything turns up i'll let you know later on.

I intended to send you a couple of feathers out of a Heron I shot in the firing line about three weeks ago. But I forgot all about them also. Theres nothing fancy about them but I got them in a fancy way.

No you did'nt tell me before that Mary McLean was home I'm sorry for her, but I fancy I see Angus Beag with his fancy smile rocking to sleep Tommy's boy. I got a big cake from Annie M'L some time ago I wrote her a note thank her for it and in her reply she told me about her going home on a few days holidays. I wonder what she will think of Tommys boy.

This tour to the trenches was kind of uncomfortable owing to the continuel downpour of rain, the front line was like a little stream while all the low parts in the communication trenches were like swimming ponds. Anyway we're going through it all with a smile, its just as well to keep jolly as get downhearted.

Kindest regards to you all
Ewen.