July 2 / 17

Dear Jim

Some more of my remarkable writing, but Im getting rather used to the position now. The fact of the matter is I am getting a bit more used to the position than I like for I am beginning to feel a wee bit bed sore and most abominably stiff in the joints. If I have to stay abed much longer Im thinking there will be more than the knee joints stiff they'll all be stiff except the other leg which I keep excercising by sliding it up and down on the bed bend it upwards at the knee. I have a flesh wound on the good knee which if I did not keep excercised would soon stiffen up.

Speaking of writing letters I sure have a few to write now for some of my letters found me the other day. I got thirteen of them in one mail. Three were from you dated Apr. 25 - June 1st & 8th. Just an average of two months on the road. Some service.

Well Jim I am feeling some better & my knee & leg are healing up nicely & very fast. There is a wee place with a deep hole at the ancle in which there is considerable pus yet and it contrives to keep my terperature a bit above the normal so as I can not get away to Blighty. However it is down to normal today & the Dr says if it stays there for two days longer he will send me. I am not a bit particular about it now though for I like it here fine. I could not want better treatment in anyway than they give me here. The Dr is fine & I really think I owe my right leg to the sister in charge of the ward. While it was bad she spent ever so much time dressing & fixing it up & even now she treats it as if it were very frail china. The Dr. said yesterday that my leg was perfectly safe now so I feel much easier about it for I'll own it did worry me a bit. I do not mind so much the idea of a stiff knee but an artificial leg I did not fancy. However the sister said there was a chance that my knee would not even be stiff though the Dr. says the whole leg will be stiff as the ancle is full of shrapnel too. I don't care much which it is. I hope at least the knee stays stiff until I get out of the army for Ive had enough & suffered enough for me. One good thing they won't have the worry at home any more for as I told Mither yesterday my fate is sealed so to speak so there is nothing to worry over any more. I did not mention any chance of going up the line so don't lead her to think of it as I think there is very little chance for it & none for nearly a year.

You said that life was just one thing after another. You say you finnish one days teaching to commence another and that you supposed we finnished one days fighting to commence another but nothing doing we never finnish if anything the night is the worst for nearly all the attacks are pulled off by night & from the time you start until you come out you are under constant shell fire & never know the minute one will be looking for you. One never thinks it however & when we went over the top under the terrific shell fire of a Barrage we just went along as if it were any old job we were going to do & it seemed like a terriffic thunder storm or rather fifty of them at once. The wonder is how any one could possibly live through it. However we did we just had 3 men killed going over & while we were digging our new trench out of the platoon of about 30 men. We got 19 prisoners though which made up, besides there were plenty of his men lying about in the old trench we took.

Your dry time at the dance will be like mine will be in future.

Yes I knew Lieut Cummings. He signed me on the strength in Sask. He certainly was not very popular in the Batt. In fact he was hated but thats over now. You hope I will eat my Xmas dinner in Biggar. Well the Dr. says I will but its hard to say what the Drs. in Eng will say.

Well Jim its getting dark so that Ill have to quit & try to get some sleep which is pretty hard when one gets no other exercise than moving the left leg about. So Ta Ta for now.

Your Loving Brother
Rae