France
May 31,1917

Dear Folks:

We're in the front line tine at present -- I'm sitting on the firing- step trying to write this so its isn't going to be a very lengthy affair. It's a great P.M. and I managed to get pep enough to shave which is saying considerable. Just when I was in the middle of it - Fritz began bombarding the line to our right and we had to "stand-to:. It only lasted a few minutes but long enough to queer the shave act.

We came up here the first of the week and so far it has been exceptionally quiet. I've been on patrol every night but haven't run into any "game" yet._____ _______ (scratched out) we had a little excitement. We left right after dark and worked our way across no man's land. It was quite a bit after midnight and we were getting along jake when somehow Fritz got wise to our being there & he opened up on us. Tom Riley and & were scouts on one flank and he picked that flank to open up on. The first shell was a good 50 yards behind us but spindled us pretty well with mud -- the next one was wild and the third lit right behind us - throwing mud in every direction - but chiefly ours I think. It was some sensation laying there. We could hear them coming for some seconds and they seemed like so may days. Every time we heard one coming we wondered it if was going over us. You see when they burst the shrapnel all goes ahead so as long as the hit behind us we were jake. Well Tom & I had just decided that we were in rather unhealthy spot when work came for us to come in. We didn't need any coaxing believe me. The followed us up all the way in but were shooting at random & never hit any of us.

I'm pretty sure now that Reg is a prisoner of war. Have you heard anything definite? You see I wrote him from England and he was missing before the letter reached him. Well it went dead & was returned to me and marked on the envelope was for "missing " in led pencil & then over it again in ink was written "prisoner of War" I'll write to Mrs. Henry when we get back to Billets.

I'll write a decent letter in a few days when we get out of here.

Love to everybody

Bill