Search The Archive

Search form

Collection Search
Date: July 5th 1917
To
Alice
From
Robert
Letter

Boulogne, France
5/7/17

Dear Alice,

This will be rather a short letter I guess but I want to wish you a very happy birthday and also many happy returns of the day. I have enclosed you a card and also some postcards of this city. I am in a convalescent camp now. I guess I will soon be on my way back up the line, but we should worry. The postcard marked I shows one of the gates in the wall which surrounds the old City of Boulogne. This wall, I should say, is about 30 feet thick of solid stone. The town itself is very interesting and naturally very old. The postcard marked II shows the outside view of the cathedral and the one marked III is the inside. The other postcard shows one side of the base of a monument to Napoleon which stands near our camp. On the ground where it stands Napoleon is suppose to have stood and looked across to England and decided to invade that country. I guess he stood some other place later and decided to abandon the idea. Well Alice, how are you getting on now? Quite well I hope. I guess you are rather busy going to picnics and one thing and another, eh, now that summer has come. Well I wish I were there to go to a few myself, but I guess we will have to wait for a while longer. Never mind. When the time comes perhaps we will enjoy them more. This is quite a nice camp. We do a little physical jerks in the morning and a bit of a route march in the afternoon. We are allowed to go to Boulogne any night from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. I have been down once or twice but it is quite a walk from the camp to the seafront and my legs are a bit shaky yet. Well little girl, I don't think I have any more to say now so I will close. Give my regards to all at home and tell them to keep on smiling. The war will finish some day. Ask Lily if I am to be invited to the wedding. Tell her I am saving my pennies for the happy day. Goodbye for now and all of you keep quite well. Remember me to Harold next time you write.

From
Your very sincere friend
Bob

P.S. I saw a fellow who is in Syd's mob and he gave me Syd's address. I will write him when I get back to the line. When you write, write to the battery.

Bob