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Date: March 12th 1916
Letter

Mar. 12, 1916.
France,

We are back in billets again for a few days and I had a bath. Not a tub bath just a shower. (fine too). Yesterday I had sick parade in the afternoon and we got some lumber and a couple of tin stoves to fix up the dressing station here, going to have a sign painted too. One of the stretcher bearers invented a medicine cupboard to carry around. It's a small box with shelves for bottles, fitting tight together and has a lid that goes inside to keep them from breaking. It is quite good and easy to set up quickly.

Monday night.

Did'nt get much written last night, cause I rolled over and went to sleep. Had usual sick parade today and this afternoon went for a ride with three others. It was the grandest spring day you ever saw. All the men were sitting outside on the stops of the huts sunning themselves (and some examining shirts). This is a very picturesque sight, but thank goodness "live stock" is fairly scarce these days.

We had a rotten spell of weather "in" this last time. It rained, snowed, thawed, froze and every other thing in turn. As a consequence many of the men have colds. I have one too, the first for about a year and I have'nt the nerve to offer them pills until I show myself as a cure.

I rode up to see Babs today. He's Acting Sergeant Major of D. Company and is being given a commission soon. I did'nt see Rex but Babs said his feet are bad again with rheumatism and he hopes to get a commission in Canada as instructor or some job like that. I called at No. 1 my ambulance when I'm at home so to speak. The Col. Said he heard a rumour about me. I expect it is a move to the ambulance. I've only been there for about a week since I transferred to the Medical Service I saw Bug Parr and Bobby Robertson, and also Herb Kingston.

There goes the phonograph down the line. It is playing the "By Hec Fox Trot" Do you know Hors d'oeures on the Victor? It is a peach too. You know that song "I arise from dreams of thee." I found the poem in my book that Hope sent me. It is a pretty little thing.

I got Mother's letter today, speaking about the Major's letter. Please dont get things mixed about that affair. Hope told me Uncle Jack had sent her some clippings and was wildly excited about it. There was'nt any D.S.O. or anything like that. I heard before that the old Major I went out to see had told Col. M- of the visit but there was'nt any rescue stunt as he was crawling in with an infantry sergeant helping him. I told one of his subalterns who was there and he got stretchers to move in the wounded as the ditch was full of them, so the Major could be got at. Then I went back to the phone. It was after the scrap had pretty well finished or I could'nt have left my phone long enough. I had'nt any idea who it was beyond "an artillery officer" and it turned out to be an old Major with an eye glass who relieved our battery for the first time in France after we arrived. The last time I had seen him he took me to their "mess" to have a drink and then found the Scotch had been left at the wagon line. You see I was the last officer to leave after they came in as I had been F.O.O. instructing their F.O.O. in the trenches. This happened away back in March last year. It was funny we should meet again in September like that.