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Dear Aunt Becca,-

I received you last letter some time ago and have been intending to answer it for a long time, but kept putting it off. I hope you are well and getting along all right.

Well Aunt Becca we did not get away when we were expecting to. The 12th Brigade Machine Gun Coy. went over to France with the 4th Division about a month ago, and when they got ready to go they found that they were a little over strength so they left the 51st men. We didn't like it very well not being able to go away with the other boys. When they went away we were transferred into the 38th Base Detail. When the 4th Division left there was about twenty Battalion left this camp for France so that made this place pretty quiet for a time, but it is pretty well filled up again with new battalions from Canada.

There is a small bunch of men left behind from each regiment and now they have all joined together into one battalion and have all been medically examined by the doctors and all the fit men are being drilled and equipped ready to be sent over as a draft to reinforce the others when we are wanted. Sam and I are in with the fit ones and I think likely we will get away this time, but I don't think it will be for a couple of weeks yet, and perhaps not then. I am getting tired fooling around so long and I either want to get over to the front or back to Canada. The boys will give a mighty cheer when we are free to go back home.