France
Dec 9/16

Dear Fred and Agnes

Received your letters O.K. was here in the line will be here for six or eight days you are very thought ful and kind to fix up a box like it will be hope I get it O.K got Marys the other day here at came very lucky for me fritz is getting nasty some bad work done to day just a few yards from me I hope and pray I can come through safe by the time the next eight days are up I am with a fellow named Joe Goyit very jokey we are together we got our hearts in our mouths today and our stomachs up set I do not feel like writing wish I could turn to a boy of ten we sleep back two or three and march up on every day on working parties but fritz got very bad. fired quite a few. your letters came very good time also Agnes yours was extra nice it is good to get them after I have been so [?] if the higher power wills that I get out of this [fray?] it will be some time before I get fast again my bulletes terrable to think of the family alone without a man to help them may it all come out for their good, we will have spell of training three or four weeks after these days, it is very misty these days. Agnes was asking what we need most it is something for the dampness [though?] those socks will be very good I have a pair of rubber boots which take [3?] pair and they get very wet, my Mary has stood up well dear girl wish I had taken them over to the boys town to live, to think seven five boys and two girls I should be ashamed to ever write or let them put up with me may their path be smooth all the way through after this if Don and Stan were ten years older it would look better Marys box was mostly all eatables don’t want any tobacco your box will be just great I sent all my pay home so did not remember you with anything yet Joe lent me five frances some French piece of work well bye bye will send

Your old brother
Roy

[Added at top of first page, date/author unknown: “Lens”; “Saturday”; “10”; “Rec’d Dec 27 – 1916.”]

[Editor’s note: Dot code used by Gullen to secretly indicate his location. One of the more difficult letters to interpret, but characters that appear to have been intentionally marked in the written message with dots underneath them have been marked in the transcription with an underline. Written together they spell “weseelenosth” (in part may indicate “we see Lens”?]