No. 67
Jandrain

Belgium

Feb. 2nd 1919

Dear Mother & Dad.-

Well here is February around and we are still here, just marking time It is an awful waste of time here, we are having a rest though as we have very little to do, just feed and water and groom the [?] and keep the [?] polished. We got up at 7a.m. now, and are there at 12.30 for the day, one man is detailed to feed up for the lot at 4 o' clock [?] so you can see we are not over-worked.

As for the eats, well we get plenty, but there isn't enough variety. We have mulligan nearly every day and it gets rather tiresome, still our appetites are goof so anything tastes pretty good. For supper we have cheese jam, bread and butter and very often rice with raisins, currants or dates and it sure tastes good. In the morning we have bacon and mash or else beans (canned).

It's hard to get stuff from the canteens as they seldom have much, Last night however we had quite a little [?] an [?] sausage, canned grapes and biscuits. I am broke so I couldn't buy much anyway. I haven't been paid since Dec 17th. I missed one pat a week ago. I went to the doctor with a sore throat and so missed the pay parade

I think from what I hear, that it won't be long before we are back in England, but of course we May be there for several months, it will be much better than over here though

It is a year all but two days since that eventful day when I joined the army, it has been quite an eventful year too, but take it all around I think we have a whole lot to be thankful for I have had some pretty rough times and I have had some darn good times to make up for it I have seen quite a lot of the world and the people in it and have had experiences I would never have had outside the army. I don't think I will come back [?] the worse physically and not very much fin-ancially, if the government carries out [?] War gratuity plan. Another thing I have a job to go back to, which is more than a lot of them have. Altogether the outlook for the future is very bright.

For you two it has been a year of anxiety and worry, but then there are lots who have had worse than that, those that have lost sons or relatives, it will be hard for them when we all come marching home.

You must have felt good when the armistice was signed to go and buy that $50 War Bond, I hope you took the money out of my assigned pay. I will have lots of money and bonds when I get back, think I will have to retire.

P.S. Please keep the enclosed letter from Louise and it is her first letter -Walter

The Weather here still continues cold and the ground is covered with snow, though only an inch deep. Have you had any snow at home yet?

All the floors here are tiled, some of the designs are rather pretty and look like linoleum, they are fine to keep clean, and they certainly do keep them clean I will give them credit for that, but they are awful cold on the feet They nearly all wear wooden clogs, they make an awful noise on the cobble stone roads, but they are warm to the feet, A pair of ordinary leather shoes costs about $25.00

Please send me chocolate nut-bars in the next parcel instead of plain chocolates just for a change. Robertson's Neilson's or Lowney's are all good, don't send cream centers. That rubber sponge is very handy, wouldn't be with out it now.

Well I must close with lots of love

Walter