France
Jan 5/17

Dear Mary and kiddies

Received yours of Dec 14 yesterday and papers of Mothers and was very welcome hope you are getting letters regular also the P.O. orders your next letter I hope you will tell about them, it was mailed the first Dec. I wish it was easy for you all to get a photo taken to see how much you all have grown [?] glad they are doing well I wrote you and Freds this week I am among the bombers now it is coming to the rushes alright we had another route march yesterday saw about ten mining towns of coal I am glad you are putting the address on the letters now You folks get lots of news we never see but what the eyes don’t see ect, I have said and thought this might end in Feb. two weeks or one week would save a great deal in this giant affair but there has been mistakes and there always will be you write so very careful letters your are not read we have not received anything from the one two five yet he was very good to himself in that letter but he did not help me as I asked 10^th of Oct he shall hear about it I wish you would write to some of thoes fellows I have tried so often asked his brother also he is a big one but will try try again a fellow can get backed aginst the wall over here if he has seven or not over there it was alright hundreds got off O.K. hope all get off right away this kingdom worship is no good that song We don’t like to have you leave us but we realy think you should go and if a fellow thinks for him self over here he gets is own tuned on him, hope some of the turned down ones, who spend their all in hotels do not boss over our boys and girls just because I could not get turned down I have done enough for my country if I got out tomorrow in taxes and loss over this trouble etc etc if I do for myself It will be two three before I get back and then you will not need me any more do you think if by that time someone came along and said hello son or wife what about it no matter what people thought say and this is not very pleasent but real our electric lights feather beds and Xmas turkey is if we had thought together on things we might be living near the boys I do feel just terrable it may hut my future and it may not but you must speak out sometimes the future of my boys and girls is what I have been thinking about since the hotel sitting room fellows do not come always turned down unfit this is not a very cheerful country to write in do you think but it will show where we could think together not to always think the other fellows thoughts are always no good, a fellow can not help it when there are so many getting big money who are hundreds of miles from here and no seven to bring up, We may get a little change to morrow I have just finished Freds parcel to night parcel from now on are more sure to get over OK so if you have any thing you know kept from molding some of the kiddies could fix a taffepull I wish I was in buisness bringing in the wherewithall will try and think with one another patiently and quiet

Roy