France
Dec. 21/16

Dearest Mary and Folks at home

We are in our new town, it was some walk about ten glad to be here, wish you would get this before Xmas we will get some money tomorrow they say, hope I get a letter from you tomorrow we will be here for a few days the fiftenth they say the mud is very cold had snow which melted, the box I got from Fred and Agnes was a dandy too some home made cakes round ones cut out with a little ring a lot of cowans’ chocolate a little piece of Wedding cake and a big fruit cake it was a treat so was the one I got from you folks was that your fruit cake it was a little different from the other times, hope it will not be long before I can eat your cooking I hope you think the same I wrote Geos the other day which they would write oftener I suppose they blame me very hard for all this trouble we are in, will try to make it a blessing to us all it makes a nut out of a fellow to think over every side of this trouble, but will try not to be a hopeless nut if the big heads settle things now, it would be just as good as later Fred said another year or more in his last letter, no one knows yet. but they are down thirty or fourty steps so they can laugh at the pills coming at them, I would like to see the new man what have you named him Ivan or the other name, how in the world you get your work done, it is some work wish you had some one with you, how are you all going to do spend Xmas day hope you know I am in this town that day, hope you get my letter before New Year, May the new year be more smooth and peaceful how are all the kiddies and our folks lots good things and love to you all,

your man and son
Roy

[Editor’s note: Dot code used by Gullen to secretly indicate his location. Characters that were clearly marked in the letter with dots underneath them have been indicated in the transcription with an underline. Written together they spell “Deval” (likely a spelling error with intent to identify Diéval, France).]