Witley Camp
January 12 1918

Dear Mother:-

This is Saturday night and I have just got a letter from you also a Sat Eve Post and a Montreal paper. I think Iam getting your mail O.K. I don't think I have missed any. As for the paper all papers are in the Post Office and untouched. The Xmas mail has been so large that the clerks have had no time to waste sorting newspapers so that none have been delivered. I got two today just because they happened to be on top of the pile.

Iam just getting my mail addressed to "13" Battery. It is still my address and will be indefinitely unless I am transferred to some other service. If you think Iam not getting mail look at this- Here is my record this month. Jan 2- 8 letters; Jan 4- one box: Jan 5-4 letters; Jan 6-7 letters; Jan 7- 1 letter, 1 box: Jan 8-2 letters, Jan 9-1 box, Jan 11- 5 letters, Jan 12 (today) 2 letters, 2 papers. Does that look as if it were going astray. But I think the reason is that mail was held up but the explosion and is coming all at once for the dates range from Nov 18-Dec 24. I sure have been busy trying to get all answered. At present I owe 7.

Oh yes, the letter from you yesterday had the clippings from the Halifax Herald and I certainly was glad to get them.

Aren't you sort of glad that the 10th Siege sailed when it did. I don't think I know any of the casualties at all. At least I haven't seen any names on the casualty list I recognize.

Herman sent me a lot of snaps today of out summer out camping and it almost made me homesick to look at them. We intend to have at least one more summer like that after the war.

Mrs Mahon wants your address so you she can send you Herman's Photo. Will you write her. She sent me a box of eats this Christmas. I have a lot of boxes but there are two yet of which I have been told but have not received.

It sounds good to hear that you are sending boxes as they certainly are welcome over here, believe me. We get very good food but it is very plain and what we like to get is things like sweets and things you that you can't get over here.

Did you know that Herman is in Hospital for the 3rd time with his toe. that is hard luck isnt it? But he still hope to come over the first of the year. Gee, but I hope he gets to a camp near here. It would be great if he were to come to Witley but I doubt it.

I will have some snaps to send you after pay-day. Present finances do not permit it but I don't think pay-day is far away.

Did you ever get the copy of the "Barrage", our Brigade paper which I sent you. You didn't mention it.

Won't you tell me something about the place where you are. What does W.H.P in your address stand for? Is it supposed to be written in brackets.

You said that you had been in Albion 8 weeks and still mail came to Bellows Falls. Well you forget that it takes 8 weeks for a letter to come from you and return to you. Sometimes it takes longer. We consider that a letter comes amazingly quickly if it reaches us less a month after it was written. I don't know how long it takes to go from here to you. You might tell me sometime.

Iam a driver now and working with horses all the time. I have two of the stupidest beasts I ever saw. So far I haven't seen signs of any intelligence at all. When Iam leading them one will try to get ahead and the other lag behind. Then one will turn to the right and the other to the left so that I have my hands full, believe me. Iam going to have some fun learning to horseback though I guess.

Do you ever hear from people in Truro. It just struck me that perhaps I would know of doings in Truro before you would. There was no Xmas there this year.

They unveiled an honor roll in our church a little while ago with a lot of ceremony. I guess Truro is club-struck now. Anyway everybody is forming clubs for the relief of boys at the front. I wish I were there.

Well Mother I don't think you can say I only wrote a line or two tonight. It is queer but at time I can write forever and perhaps a couple hours later I can't write a page. It just happened to be the former just now. Anyway this is my last sheet so I must close.

Lovingly
Ludlow