Same address

20/3/17

Dear Jessie & Stuart, - We are back again up near the line and have been having a busy time a little more so than usual. As you know the Germans have been retiring to the south of us and are being closely watched just here. Numerous patrols and raids have been busy and there are spurts of excitement on all sides. The Enemy acts as if he were worried and I would not be surprised at all if he wd return here.

Last night I was up quite near the line in charge of a working party and managed to get back with my party intact. It is a pretty hard job to act as the brains of fifty men when they begin to shell the trench in which you and your party are working. The safety of the crowd is in your hands and cannot be trifled with.

They shell the large tower we are in every day and seem to have a special desire to knock some parts of it about. Squares and parks and their surroundings - often splendid large buildings come in for a merciless shelling. The Museum and the Cathedral have been reduced to heaps of stones.

I got in from work last night about 1215 midnight and as I walked through the quiet uninhabited streets from the men's billet to my own billet I could not help thinking how foolish men were to be fighting each other in this way. The labor of years has been brought to naught in a single instant by a few shells of high caliber. I was just thinking what a large number of happy homes were broken up in this town alone. But I suppose we must not let those thoughts interfere with the work in hand.

You have been reading a great deal of the gains made by both the French and the Br. down south. The fact that we can take over 20 more miles of the line (?) front from the French and exert such pressure on the enemy, show that we have an army strong and well organized and at the same time modest. Of its ability to conquor I am getting more confident every day.

22/3/17 Just tonight your letters of Feb 15th and Feb 25th came in together with one from Ina. I was longing to hear from you all for It is ten days since I had the last mail from Canada. Glad to know that the Cable reached you promptly and that you shared with me in enjoying my holiday, "Arrived London Feb 10, nine days leave" was the correct message. Glad you rec'd the picture of Mr. Mason and myself. It was a vine that was in the back ground when It was taken.

You spoke about the Germans making a final effort on the Western front. He will never get through on the Western front Jessie of that I am confident, but they will stand a great deal of pounding yet. They have found it necessary to retire to a new line to the south of us, as you will see by the reports. No body knows how far he will go, but it is thought that he could fall back on a new system of trenches and await our following him. He is a crafty fighter. He knows that he has a system of trenches ready and that we will have to dig a new system in front of him before we can push him out and all the time we are doing that he will sit and worry us. I do think that that is what he intends doing. Again he may be retiring in our place and preparing at the same time a smashing blow in another place. We must keep worrying him tho and not give him time to collect or concentrate his guns or forces.

I have not had a letter from home for a long time, but expect there are some on the way and am sure that they have not forgotten me. Gordon seldom fails me, but it is because sailings are irregular and etc that I am a long time in hearing from them. I keep writing and hope they get my letters. Your both letters were censored before I rec'd them and I expect the censor is responsible for holding them up on the way.

We have been up to the trenches for a few days and have come back for some final training which will last a few days. I get tired of this drill and training at times and hope to the bottom of my heart that this summer will see the end of operations in the field.

Now Jessie I must stop for this time. I am quite well. Remember me to all at your place also to Roland and Hollis when you write them.

Write Soon

Affectionately

Leslie