C.M.H.E. – 9/9/17.
My Dear Sister,
I was indeed delighted to get your letter of a month ago and having an evening to myself (and photography), I will do my best to answer it, before dark, when I will have to do some developing
I am enclosing a few of the Irish snaps – and some others, so you may have them of your own. The two girls are two Canadian nurses, located in Birmingham, England, where they are with the Queen Alex. Nursing Service. The shorter of the two a Miss Mac Gibbons is a Tor. General trained nurse who has nursed in Wellesley and is no doubt known to some of the nurses there. Their year is up in, I think, December, when they expect to return to Canada. We had quite a good time to-gether, & I guess they were glad to see us as they are with Imperials up there.
I have the indenting for and accounting for the rations of the four personnel messes here now, still in the L.M’s office, and it is some little contract. I also help out the Sgt. Steward with some of his books and it (Shakespear), keeps me quite busy, so I get little chance to write, except Sat. & Sunday afternoons. I am usually down town or working at photography in the evenings. Once in a while, I even go to bed early.
I suppose you have had my letters home re Jack. Darrow. He has gone back to his Depot now, so he must be in pretty fair shape. He may have been sick, but I am afraid most of it was imagination. He told me the M.A. marked his papers T.B., but you know how much they would return him to duty were this the case. I think he had an idea he would make Canada. I believe Pete. has been married and is going back to Canada, with, I understand, T.B. If this is true, he sure is one foolish kid.
I know how you feel, when you say there are days when you feel you can’t go on. I have often been so “fed up” that I didn’t know what in the deuce to do. I have had to go blame hungry many a day too, but that is over for a time now at least. We are getting meals now with which I have no fault to find, and much better than many had at home in Peace Times. I had a dinner to-day, better by far than many I have had in boarding houses. My work etc. is quite congenial, and I feel now that I have a great deal to be thankful for.
You are unfortunate, losing so many patients, but you are silly to worry about them. They can only die once and most of them are better off dead than alive. Those that are not, are at least warm and that is more than we are, always.
Dot & Ken Mc Kinnon have both written me, and I will answer them this week or next, but really my Dear, it keeps me busy writing home, I surely appreciate getting them, but it is rather hard getting them answered.
Too bad, about you being jealous of Ivey. You should worry. I guess Wilf. will soon be in uniform, & he may be sorry some day that he did not volunteer, even for a Red X unit.
If they don’t move us out or split us up, in the spring, I am going to put up a first class argument for a change. Might be able to pull down a job as quartermaster by that time. Altho it is rather hard work. Heard Vas was likely to get something out of it but am not sure about it.
Why I could never have a picture taken without my hat, I am bald as a doorknob and that would never do.
Sure glad you were able to get over to Hamilton for the day, little outings like this do you a world of good when you are working hard, even if they do tire you some. It is the change.
Give “Victo” my kind regards and tell her not to work too hard.
I think I will have a bath before I develop.
Your loving brother,
Worth.