France
March 5/1917

Dear Cliff

Wes and I have just given in an order for eggs so while we wait I'll drop a line to you. There are three young Demoiselles in here all talking at once and it sure sounds like a menagerie.

Yesterday I saw Fred Bigford. He is billeted about 1 ½ miles from here. The day before he finished his course he got a parcel from mother and your cigarettes in it. Of course cigarettes don't interest me but all the boys enjoy Canadian cigs better than English. I suppose it's like everything else that's English, no good.

It snowed quite hard last night and this morning the ground was all white (Here's the eggs are a mess)
Gee but they were good. Eggs and coffee and bread are quite a change from Bully and Mulligan. I bought two eggs the other day and yesterday morning, when I went for breakfast, I fried them in the hot basin grease and had ham and eggs for breakfast.

I didn't get any parcels to-night but I did get six lettres (French, it should be letters.) Aunt Hannie Aunt Annie Roy Hartry, Agnes and two from Mother. The other night, at least about six days ago, up the line I got the packet of comic papers mother sent and also two magazines from Viola Mair.

Len is still away on course Mase Scott is away on a fatigue, working at a ammunition dump Wes is writing to Ethel. He's got the picture she sent and seems very proud of it. He has been warned he is going to get a commission to the battalion some time ago, so we may have to salute him. This afternoon some of the boys were on bomb throwing and we scouts had a lecture. We discovered an old hut in a field and there was a stove in it. We rustled some wood and soon had a good fire going.

Last week the weather was fairly cool but nearly all agree that it was about the best trip in the line we've had for some time. I know I wasn't rushed for work but had my share of rest. No Man's land here is mostly made up with Mine Craters. Great deep gloomy things they look at night. When flare goes up it only lights half of it up and the rest of it is wrapped in gloom. Most of them are about 1/5 full of water. They might present a different appearance by day but then you know day time wouldn't be very healthy for a person to be prowling about in that vicinity. I saw a picture in the Daily Mail to-day of an Army surgeon who for a bit walked on his hands in No Man's Land. It said the Germans were too astonished to shoot. Well I don't like to come out too strong but I will say the Daily Mail is not right. I'd like to see the person show any movement above the parapet without drawing fire of course because a person shows his head above the parapet, it doesn't mean he'll get a bullet thro it but he will if he does much moving around like the guy in the pictures was doing. It was a photograph though and supposed to be true.

Well Cliff I guess I'll quit now. Tell Mother I'll write her to-morrow or the next day.

Remember me to all. Thanks very much Cliff for those Magazines.

Your loving Brother Gordon