#910241
Stretcher Squad. 196th Batl. B.E.F.C.C
Army Port Office. London.

Sunday Dec. 10th. 1916.

Dear mother: -

Well I guess I’ll have lots of time to write for a couple of weeks. The only trouble is I won’t have anything to write about. One of the fellows in out hut contracted a case of measles on Friday so we are all quarantined for two weeks. We are supposed to stay in the hut all the time. Its great fun all right. Nothing to do all day long. Yesterday morning I just climbed out of bed to get my breakfast and then crawled back again for an hour. This morning I didn’t even get up for breakfast, but stayed in bed till about 8.30. You can’t sleep later than that around here. We have all our meals brought to us and hot water for washing our dishes. Oh we are living like kings only we are shut up. I ought to be able to finish Rob Roy now. We can get anything we want by sending some one else for it. They disinfect our letters too so we can write all we want. It isn’t really though a very close quarantine, though it is supposed to be so. Out doctor says that there is no need for any quarantine at all. It is German measles I think and no one is really sick. Dr. Walker says that if they would hand the whole thing over to him he could stamp it out in a couple of weeks without any quarantine. I think Dr. Walker must have been a pretty fashionable doctor in Saskatoon. He has a practice of $17, 000 a year. I don’t expect we will be spending so much money while in quarantine so I may be able to save a little bit. Be sure to let me know when any assigned pay comes. So you got the shots at last. I’m in the second last row in the squad at the extreme right as you face the picture. I’m the third person from the right I think as you face the picture. I’m glad you like the badges. The pictures I got taken aren’t very good. I didn’t get a very natural expression on my face I’m afraid. Still I’m going to get them finished & if they are not satisfactory I’ll get some more taken some other time. The doctor says that he thinks we will get our transfers all right. I think they are almost through now. It was raining all yesterday morning, but it fairly decent now. I hear that you had skating in Wpg. in the middle of November. Florence said there was skating in Davidson on the 12th. That’s pretty early all right. I got your letter of the 20th on Friday. also the dates. Those dates didn’t last very long around here. I wonder could you arrange to send me the Manitoba Free Press. You get a lot of news out of it that wouldn’t out of a letter. I got a letter from Beryl & one from Florence too. Luella’s socks haven’t arrived yet. When you address my letter be sure to put on the correct address. If you omit the “Stretcher Squad”, it takes it longer to get to me. You can send along all the eats you want, too. The fudge you sent was pretty hard when it got here. Perhaps it isn’t a very good thing to send. The dates were in fine condition though. I wrote a letter for Thursday’s mail but didn’t get it mailed so it will likely get to you the same time as this.

John.