Camp Hughes
Man.
"C" Coy. 196th C.B.C.E.F.
August 29, 1916

Dear Folks:

I just got two letters from home and one from Mac tonight so I guess I'd better get busy with the pen. The boxes cam Sunday Morn and Sunday Night, the celebration. I called Feurt & Len McLoed over and we had a regular pow-wow. Still I have some left yet but I guess that will go tonight. The chicken were simply great. We could just pull the bones out of the meat clean - in fact everything was find so I won't enumerate. The funny part of it was that in Lou's letter she said that if there was anything I had a particular failing for to let her know. Well I find that my failing seem to run mostly to everything. In any case I think I will keep mum for the whole menu seems to come every time and if I started to order why I wouldn't have the nerve to order everything.

Saturday morning brought m another present in the shape of a camera, from Marg. It's a pippin. A vest pocket autobiographic one with a special sort of lens and a nifty little rey case. Its quite complicated for so small a camera and I think it ought to take swell pictures. The autobiographic stunt (?) is a swell addition. There were also five rolls with 8 pictures on each roll. I'm planning on some good snaps soon. I wrote Marg last night.

I think the Polk proposition is a good one. I don't remember much about the house altho' I passed it about a million times. It's a brown bungalow isn't it? The mortgage isn't very good but it would be jake if it could be handled as Lou says. We wouldn't need any bigger house for us now even if we did have to sleep in the streets around Xmas time. I hope I get home before you move. As far as I know now all I can get off is from Oct 12 to somewhere around Oct 26 but I'm not sure. I know that I can get two weeks but I'm not quite sure about any more. However I'll take my tunick so I'll wear my "civvies" while I'm home. You see no harvest leave all you take is your fatigues. I may be able to take my tunic tho'.

You sure put yourselves to a lot of trouble about those boxes. Whenever an extra big box comes to the Batt'n. P.C. - the portman says "I guess Corp. McLellan has another order here." Anyway its appreciated fully. It costs something too - about $2 for the last two. I'm afraid that's a little to much of the good thing.

We have had exams in Squad Drill & Musketry but it was a farce. Peener & I never missed a question. It was all oral and the major who was taking the exam, skipped us twice in order to take the others. You see we were called out in turn and they went all thru' the squad about five times. In musketry we had the same major and he only asked us about half a dozen questions the whole time. We managed to get those OK. We get Platoon Drill and extended order tomorrow and that another "pipe".

There is only four men left in our Coy. now besides those who are at the school. On Sunday they had twelve out for Church Parade from the whole camp, I guess there would be about 22000 men out harvesting. I guess this is all for this time. I'll have something definite by next letter. Thanks again for the boxes.

Your loving Son & Brother

Bill

P.S. Feurt says thank you for the application. I guess he'll have to have it cut down but he's got the signature & that's the main thing. WJM