France
July 19/18

Dear Mother:

Received your letters dated June 9 & 16 a couple of days ago and was surprised to get them so soon after the last one came but that wall all the Canadian mail for me. I guess Aunt Mabel has left as I have no word from her since I got her letter dated June 23, although I got a book at the beginning of the week from her. Had a letter from Gordon the other day and asked me what I thought about Muriel wanting to take up that work and said he had asked her to reconsider the matter. We have had some awful hot days lately and a few thunder storms as well and looks like another one tonight. I wonder what Geo Burke is in as I thought he was with the cavalry but Canadian Light Horse is the only cavalry around here and Fred Clouston is the only fellow I know that is in it, if he is not in that he must be in some other unit than the light horse. I am still in hospital or at least rest station as they call it still but do not know what will happen as there is a time limit for being in here and as that is nearly up do not know what will happen to me after that. I still get that pain under my ribs on the left side and those pains in my stomach, well its hardly pains, but it feels as if there was pinching me there and it still keeps pretty sore yet. I have not heard from Andrew for quite a long time and it is quite awhile since I last wrote to him. By the time you get this I should know how Tots has come out but I hope that he will come out alright as it will be a hard one on him if they take him and leave nobody to look after his stock. Its too bad that Pat was not a bit older and she might have got the school instead of the Searle girl, which would be an awful big help at home. If I do not get this trouble of mine fixed up before the war is over will have a hard time holding down a job and that will be kind of rough on me, as no man would keep me if I had to give up work as often as I have done in this last year. I had hopes that uncle Dick would get a good job but how the dickens is he ever going to make anything out of the office as it must be pretty nearly on the rocks now and there will not be enough in it to keep both of them going and it will be a long time now before it will be able to run even. The last letter from Gordon said he would most likely be in the line by the time I got his letter but have not heard lately if that is so or not but have an idea that he is. We have that moon nearly full again which we are not always very anxious to see out here as it kind of puts the wind up a fellow on a moonlight night when you can hear planes hovering around at nights and they always seem as if they are just over your head, and of late my nerves have not been any too good so as far as I am concerned don't care if the moon never shines. Did you ever see that cartoon "Thit blinkin' moon will be the end of me". It is a fellow out on patrol with a nice full moon shining. Gee whiz but the heat these days take all the starch out of me, as I have been kind of weak after not eat very much for about ten weeks or so. If ever I go back to work again (but have done very little work for so long now do not know really what it feels like to be able to do a full days work) and have to eat army rations am afraid that things will be just as bad as ever and would give anything to get rid of it or else get out of it altogether, but do not see any hopes. I will close hoping you are a lot better by now and have hopes of being the same some day if I have luck. love to all

Your loving son Gordon