16th Reserve Batt.

Seaford.

Sussex.

26/7/17.

My own darling Wife -

I have just received your welcome letter & I am so sorry that you should be uneasy on my account, but I have done all I can, dear, to make sure that you will get my letters regularly in future, I have written to the P.O. authorities & have had a reply, saying that my communication will have their best attention, so we shall see how they make out after this, also, instead of posting my letters in camp, I am now posting them outside in the regular civilian P.O. so I don’t know what more I can do. As you will see by above address I am still at Seaford, half of our bunch were sent back to Sandling the other day & half of us were left here, I don’t know why, nor does anyone else, but we are expecting word every day to be sent back, & it cant come a bit too soon as I am absolutely fed up with this place, I can safely say that I have been more lonely & miserable in this place than I have been anywhere else since I came to England, you may guess how I feel about it, when I tell you I would rather be back in France ten times over, they know how to treat men there, which they don’t here, they treat us like a lot of kids. If you have received my last letter you will see that I received my parcel all right, but I have not got any Vernon News’ yet, papers are slow in coming I know, so I will probably get two or three altogether, it was very thoughtful of you dear, to send a subscription for me, I will appreciate the papers very much, as for the Popular, I would be glad if you would send it to me sometimes, it was always my favourite magazine & I very often long for it. I am not much surprised that Genl Currie did not answer your letter, as he is a very busy man now, he is in command of the Canadian Army Corps & has just been knighted by the King, still, I am disappointed, as I thought that surely he could do something for us, however, it cant be helped, dear, we will just carry on the best we can & trust for a speedy termination of the war, then I will be sure to get home. The way things are going now it does not look as if the war was going to be over for some time yet, the way Russia is carring on is something fierce & it looks sometimes as if she was going to turn us down altogether, as it is, there is no doubt whatever that her actions are going to prolong the war for a long time yet, but of course we are all hoping for the best & we expect that America will make a big difference once she gets properly started. I see by to-days paper that Canada is going to have conscription, & a good thing too, it will pull a lot of the slackers out of their holes, & give them a chance to get their feet warmed, I am very glad to see it. I have just heard to-day that Wash Ryan is in this camp but I have not seen him yet, I was looking for him but he had gone down town, so I will look him up to-morrow. We are having splendid weather here & I am burned nearly black with the sun, I hope it will continue, so as to give the crops a chance, I can tell you, dear, that I appreciate the good weather after such a long spell of wet & storms; we can hear the sounds of the guns over in France quite plain here, they are at it day & night, just one continuous boom, they must surely be going right to it over there, there was another Air Raid last Sunday, but they did not come near us, I am glad to say, they did not do much damage this time, as they got turned back before they reached London. The socks you sent me were splendid, dear, I am wearing them now, I knew that you had knitted them for me, they are so nice & soft & comfortable after what I have been wearing, after all, there is nothing so good as that which comes from Home, how I wish that I could get home so that you would not have to send me any parcels or write me any letters, so that you could give me these things with your own dear hands & tell me what you had to say with that dear mouth of yours, I am afraid I wont let you say very much for a while, dear one, as I will be kissing you too much & squeezing the breath out of you, it makes my teeth water when I think of the good times we are going to have when I get home, it will all be so strange too, after the rough living I have had for the last three years, it will be like getting out of Hell into Heaven, & I know you will make our home a Heaven to me, wont you, dear, I know you love me & you know I love you, so what more do we want but to be together again & start our lives over again together. I have not much news this week, love, I am keeping just the same as usual, I have no complaints on the score of health, but I am weary of this life. Kiss my darlings for me & tell them that daddy loves them all the time & is always thinking of them & with all my love to you my own darling Wife –

XXXXXX I remain always your loving Husband

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Jack