Dec 28, 1915

Dear Brother & Sister:
I received your most welcomed letter on Christmas Day - pretty lucky.

Well, my dears, it's just 4 long months since I landed in France. Believe it or not, we use the pick & shovel more often than our rifle. It's a great life dodging these shells and bombs of all sizes. The one thing I don't like is wading up to your knees in mud and water. The dugouts at the front line are constantly caving in so we have to sleep in the reserve trenches which is where I am located this morning.

I was chopping some wood for the fire when a squadron of 27 allied planes flew over our lines. The Germans started to shell them and pieces of shells were falling all around us.

I was on "listening post" every night and on the second night, Fritz turned his machine gun on us and my mate was killed - shot through the heart. We had only been on the post for an hour when Fritz sent up one of his Star Shells and it landed about 2 feet from us and of course the light was blinding for a few seconds. We then moved a few feet, however he saw us and he turned his machine gun on us. I was holding the signal wire and my mate was sitting in front of me when he was hit. He fell back and would have rolled down the bank into the creek but I just managed to catch hold of one of his legs. There I was hanging on to him until "Old Fritz" stopped his machine gun, then I pulled him up and sat him against the tree while I went for help. You should have seen me crawling on my hands and knees through our barbed wire for 80 yards until I reached the trench and got the stretcher bearer and one of the corporals and they took him back. The best of it was that they left me out there all on my own for 30 minutes and believe me, I sure kept my eyes open for "Fritz". Oh well, it's all in the game.
Now, you told me in your letter that you were going to send me a sheepskin coat but I think that you had better not send it because the summer will soon be here and I don't want a lot of things to pack around. I don't think that you had better send any more parcels as most of them get smashed - thanks all the same but I will have to make it up when I come to see you which will be as soon as I get my discharge papers from the army. You can figure on me coming next year in the fall.
I see by the papers that a bunch of Moose Jaw boys are coming out here in the spring so I will be able to get a little news from them. Jim Travis is still out here. He is driving one of the 10th Transport teams and he is looking fine. I'm sorry to say that we didn't have a very good time at Christmas this year - went on work parties every night and it has been raining nearly every day. Oh well, we should worry, the Kaiser is dying.
Things are about the same around here. "Fritz" turned one of his gas attacks on us the other day but our artillery got them before they reached our barbed wire. I get my letter every week from Ma - also send hers weekly. I expect to get my leave for 9 days in March - a bit of all right, eh!. Well, we go to the front line again in New Years - we will so remember that night.
Well, my little dears, I don't think there is any more this time. Hoping this letter finds you as it leaves me the same. Wishing you a Happy New Year.
With best love,
Bro Sid

Excuse the scribble as I wrote this on my knees