Cardiff, Wales,
Nov. 8, 1916
Dear Brother [Neil]
Received your letter O.K. the other day and glad to receive it. You say you want to enlist when you become of age. You are crazy, kid. There ain't many fellows go to France that don't get hit. Look, I was hit not so bad and have been laying on my back 8 weeks on Saturday. You never see any Germans of any account but you will see all kinds of shells exploding, killing and wounding fellows. If you want to see something like a shell explode blow up some steam boiler, seeing you're in the business. You are very seldom fighting: you are carrying stretchers with fellows on them 2 or 3 miles at least and filling sandbags or digging mud or something else. You sleep with clothes on, lousy as hell and nothing to eat. If you seen 5 minutes of it that would be enough. You don't get a meal ever in the morning. The sergeant will throw a quarter loaf and a tin of bully beef at you and that does for 24 hours whether the rats eat it or not. You are foolish to join. I know now cause I have been through the mill and this is straight. I wouldn't go back again if I can get out of it. The war will last for a good many years yet so don't be in a hurry! I will close.
Cpl. MacKinnon