France
Dec 8/12/16
#144246 Pte H. Baird
73rd R.H.C.
1916
[different handwriting: France
C/o London Army P.O.
London England]
Dear Essie
Received your ever welcome Letter yesterday And was glad to hear that you were all well as this Letter Leaves me Jake. Well I guess you would be thinking there was something the matter as I only got time to write one Letter this Last three or four weeks But you know there will be times when we cant get A chance to write and we cant carry envelopes because They get damp and stick and then they are useless and when we are up the Line we cant get envelopes. Well Essie we have Left that charming district And I am going to tell you there is none of us sorry I guess you know where we were by this time we had A six day march and now we are having A 10 day rest in A Little French town. And than we are going into A quiet place they tell me they have to keep sentryys on The communication trench to keep the news boys and chocolate vendors out haha We were for 7 week that we were never out of range of Fritz and I tell you it is quite A rest to get away from the guns for A while. The artillery was certainly fierce up there thousands of big guns going at once and the air was Just screeching with shells by times. We were About the Luckiest battn. up there and we suffered pretty heavy. I had some pretty [line damaged/missing] within 10 or 15 feet awa[missing] the soft ground but I [missing] got A scratch. But there w[as?] A few times I almost had to feel myself before I knew wheather I was all in one piece or not. I was on quiet A few stretcher cases And this is A very [dangerous? job?] [damaged] just have to take our stretcher out of the trench and go Across country to the dressing station. But we use [line damaged/missing] I never knew Jim Williams [missing] here until I heard he was wounded. And Bill Humphries he was in one of our Battn. And I heard he was Killed. Well I have to fall in now oh yes Marten Murphy was Killed [damaged] I will close for this time wishing you A Happy Xmas and A prosperos new year I Remain your
Loving Bro
T.H. Baird
P.S I guess I will get the parcels next week.
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