#4 Jan 6 1918 France My dear Dad: It is sometime since I heard from you. I hope you have not gone and got sick again. Received your Christmas cable [?] and sent it back to Metcalf. I received four letters just now. [?], Alex, Max & Fern. Fern asks me to let her know how long her letters take to get here. The one I got from here was written on Dec 9th Dated P.O Dec 10 and was no 39. I think I have received them all up to that. I also received a Sunday World to-day and another parcel; raisins, bisciuts, chocolatts, tooth-brush etc yesterday. That is the ninth parcel I have received in the last two weeks so you see I am well taken care of, in fact I am getting too fat. There is a fat chap on this squadron who is known as the "Human Tank." He was away for a couple of days last week and in his absence I was appointed "Deputy, Acting Tank. Accordingly I have started to reduce & am writing this now instead of having lunch. I have been over the lines exactly twice since the 15th of last month so you can see I am not overworked. The batman comes in about 8 am and lights my coal oil stove and somewhere around ten I begin to think of getting up. I have returned most of our Spads and have not yet got the new buses going so we have very little to do. Went for a walk in to C. last night with [?]. About six [?]. Walks, an occasional box and a little football constitute our daily work. I wrote to [?] and the [?] yesterday thanking them for their parcels. I am glad Fern got the money I sent. Feel free to spend it all as there is more where it came from. She wants to know how the biscuits kept. They are just as fresh as they could possibly be. Tell her to send more of them. No more sugar please. At present I supply the mess, [?] & church both sent some. The canned things, sardines etc, are very good but I am forced to eat a whole box at once or they will spoil. Biscuits & candy are the main things [?] fruit cake were both great. Thursday is done. We are quite comfortably fixed here now and have got things straightened out. [?] a coal-oil stove something like the one Grannie used to keep warm at the Beach. It is a [?] and keeps the room fine and warm. You'll have to [?] the writing Dad. I hope you are taking good care of yourself and have given up any thought of going back to the office for a good while. I [?] heard of two more fellows who have been missing from this squadron. One went missing three weeks ago and the other was about two months and a half ago. They are both [?] and all right. Probably engine failure or they got lost Take care of yourself and Fern & [?]. Love to all Gord