9 April 1916 Somewhere in Belgium

Dear Mother, Father and the Rest:
Rec’d Mother’s letter of Mar. 11 with Norma’s enclosed and was glad to get them and to know that everyone was O.K. This week has not been very eventful but for some of the other ambulances, it has been pretty busy. Our turn will come soon enough and by the rumors floating around, it will not be very long. At present I am in charge of a few cases of measles (that did not develop). They are sort of isolated but are not sick. I expect they will be discharged in a day or so and I’ll be given an outside job then I guess.
There has not been any word received here yet that I am aware of about going back. I am not very enthusiastic about going back to join the 160th, but I am not going to decide until I see what the offer from Col. Weir says. The chance of getting back to Canada is very enticing but the thoughts of going back and doing the same old grind of training with a bunch of raw recruits (you see I am a veteran now. ha!ha!) does not appeal to me very strongly, especially if it’s only to be a Sergeant!
I have not had any word from Bill yet. But I expect he is in England. It will be 3 weeks from tomorrow since he was due to leave Toronto and it should not take longer than 2 and a half weeks to make the trip.
How is the proposed trip West for Father coming on? I guess Will Guinn would want to take him back. He would just be in time to see Bill before he left for Toronto.
I had to stop at the end of page 2 as it was time to feed the patients. I have a few minutes to write before the night man comes on duty.
Did I ever acknowledge the papers you sent about the Ottawa fire and also the Sunday Worlds from Toronto and the Onwards? I got everything that was sent I believe. It was nice of Miss Sharpe to send me those things. I wrote her a short note thanking her.
Norma is blossoming out to be some poet. That one on the Bruce Battalion in the News, was it the one she composed? You were asking about those shirts. Well I got them alright but I have not tried them on. You can send some underwear (light if you like ) knee drawers and short sleeved shirts. I can get them washed alright and it gets pretty hot over here in summer time. It is pretty hot some of these nights, but it not from the weather but from the artillery fire. It makes you shiver instead of sweating. Some nights we can hardly get any sleep for the din and it fairly shakes the huts where we have our quarters. One of our battalions got a pretty bad cutting up the other night. We were ordered to stand to and 3 of our ambulances were ordered out to help carry the wounded. We had an inspection of iron rations, gas helmets etc. and were ordered to stay in our huts and sleep with all our clothes on. The artillery was making so much noise that it was almost impossible to sleep but we gradually dosed off. When we awoke in the morning things had quieted down.
It is beginning to look as if the French had the Germans pretty nearly stopped at Verdun.
Opinion is pretty well divided here as to when the war is going to be over. It seems to be more generally thought however that it will not last the summer. The statements of prisoners seem to be pretty well divided as to the conditions in Germany. Some say there are not great shortages of food and that they are all “fed up” with the war, while others say they are sure to win. A month or two ought to see something decisive happen.
Things look like prohibition in Ontario this summer alright. We have some hot arguments over here sometimes but there is enough of its effects apparent, from even Belgian beer, to make a temperance man out of almost anyone. The chief reason why the field pay is held to 30 Francs a month is just because most of it would go to the “estaminets”. Some of the infantry men claim that the rum issue is the only thing worth living for. We do not have it issued to us, but when we do work like we were doing at the A.O.S. last week, it is sometimes given to any who want it. I worked just as hard as any of them up there, and I got along just as well as any on a bite or two of bully beef. At the most critical times some of the fellows will trot over to the estaminet and get “boozed up” and on a pay night it is a corker. In a couple of days the same crowd are trying to bum a penny or two pence to get a drink. Same crowd every time.
Well I must ring off and get this posted and let the night orderly take over. Hoping everyone is well at home.
I am your loving son and brother,
Harold

28 February 1916 France

Dear Everybody,

I guess you will be thinking that I have forgotten you this week but I wrote to Mae and I suppose she will have sent my letter on home. There is so little to write about these days that when I write one letter, I nearly have to make a copy of it if I want to write anymore.

I received your letter of February 7 okay and was glad to get it. So your good spell of weather has said you farewell. We were just the same here. There has been snow on the ground now for a week and for a few days it was very cold. It has been milder yesterday and today and the snow is melting pretty rapidly.

I was glad to hear that you had got my diary. Did the other souvenirs get home alright. They should be there by now. I sent some trench papers home too. The stationary warfare that has been in progress all winter has made a paper possible and the idea has been taken up by several of the Battalions. There are some very smart little issues are among them and the issues are always sold out very soon. The "Listening Post", the one I sent you, has been suppressed and I'll not be able to get anymore of them. They had been saying some things about CMRs that I suppose would be apt to stir up ill feeling between the two units and they would not be likely to work well together. 

I suppose Will is has left long ago and will soon be in England now. I will know doubt be hearing from him before long from London. These are several of our boys applying for commissions and as I said in my letter to Mae, it is the only way to get out of this unit and I am going to try and work at some way (to get out).

There are very meagre reports coming to us about a big scrap down at Verdun. I guess that is the commencement of the big doings for the spring. It was just a week later than this last year when Neuve Chapelle was fought. The weather can be more dependable now and when the mud begins to dry up, more elaborate and stronger trenches can be made.

I think the best way to buy the yarn would be several different weights and let each lady knit what she can work with best. For summer wear I think the best kind is about the thickness of the ones Ettie sent me. That weight are not so apt to make the feet sweat, if there is much marching to do. I am well off for socks now but if you like you can send a change of light underwear (knee drawers). They are much better for summer wear than long ones and we must have some kind..

Have your letter of February 13 to hand now and will answer it also. This is now Tuesday and the weather has turned mild and rainy again. Tomorrow March 1 so it looks as if March will be coming in like a lamb. That is if the Germans do not start anything before midnight. There are lots of rumors about a big strafing that is to come off soon. There(they) are apparently having a big and important scrap at Verdun.

You were asking about whether there were any cases of soldiers having to pay for articles sent from the societies at home. I have never known of a case. In fact we are exceptionally well supplied (Canadians) and socks etc. are to be had just for the asking from  P.M.(?) stores.

I was up before the "beak" this morning and got a reprimand. We have some five NCOs here particularly our orderly Sergeant who since the new Major came, has had a squad up in the orderly room every morning. The other OC knew what he was and did not pay any attention to him, but he is taking advantage of a new OC and is working out a lot of old grudges. He had nothing against me but of course it is expected that the OC will always back up his NCOs and has been doing that alright but he will soon have this Sergeant's number alright. He is about the meanest and sneakiest NCO I ever ran across and that is saying some.

Well I must ring off. There is absolutely no news of note so I have to call these few pages a letter. Hope everyone is well. I am feeling fine.

Lovingly,
Harold