21/12/16

Dearest People at HOME.

The Grand Old day is not so far off that I can entertain a hope that I will spend it with you otherwise then in thoughts and loving wireless messages to you all.

God bless you.

27.12.16

Just to show what a business we have as you will see by the dates, I have been unable to finish this letter sooner.

On the 24th we received orders which so startled us that we
precipitated our Xmas dinner to 6 PM Xmas Eve. The morning of the 25th I spent in riding with the O.C. & Mjr Haron through a fine rain & high wind and plowing thru some old dug outs & trenches & rejoined the battalions about 1 PM here. But the morning had been very pleasant & the afternoon still more so. I received letters from Mother, Dad, Ethel, Alma, Sinclair, Mrs Cook, Aunt Lila, Miss D.H. & Miss R.J, Humphrey, the Norwood Lodge, Margarite, Jared, Roberta, Scott, Miss H Hasson, Stuart Hawkins, Billy Chalk, and boxes from you #3, Oswald & Vera, Nor-Lodge Masons, Mary, Mrs Cook, Misses Ringler - Thompson & Drummond, Hay, Irene Enouy, Richard Harold Sutton and others I cannot remember off hand. It was a whole lot of fun opening them but in spite of the pleasure I missed you all terribly.

Since then we have been making trips of exploration up to the front line. We move up on Saturday. It is not very nice, in fact quite muddy but well protected except from Rum Jars but I'll write you more of this latter. I'll have to get busy writing letters of thanks to all my kind friends.

So with love and tenderness for Dad & Mother & all of you

Yours
Gordon