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Date: June 7th 1917
To
Mother
From
Gordon DeGear
Letter

France
June 7/17

Dear Mother:

Received your letters of April 22 & 29 & May 6th this week the first Canadian mail for about three weeks or more. Got a letter from Aunt Babel last night & she had one from Alf and said he expected to be up to visit her about the middle of the month along with Gordon. I guess it will not be long now before they will be over now and hope to see them when they do come. Well I will have to close fro a short while as I hear that darn old whistle to turn out to water and it is about 7.30 now. I forgot to tell you that on May 24th we were given mules in place of our horses. Today we have had a kind of sports day. All kinds of entrees comprising of horses & mules in saddle & in harness, a few races and things turned out fine. People will hardly credit it but even when the artillery are in action they certainly turn out some pretty spick and span turnouts, of course there is cash prizes for theses and our section pulled off quite a few today. I saw Stanley Bell on Sunday and he was to leave for England on Tuesday to get a commission. I also saw Geo Carmichael who was looking pretty good but much thinner than he used to be. He belongs to one of the C.M.R. battalion transports. I also saw Geo Young of Payntor & another fellow from Edmonton. I got that parcel alright but do not send any more tin coca or coffee yet as I have lots left yet and now that it is warm weather and we have fires we do not need it so bad & do not for goodness sakes send out any oxo the place is over run with it as nearly every body get it I think and very seldom use it. I am glad that Will Taylor & Ted Redding are back on the farm as that is the place for them and a few more that were in the 232nd. They will be lucky to have any left when they got to England the way they have been doing things. I wonder if conscription will be enforced but if they do not have it pretty soon it will be hard to fill our ranks as there has been pretty heavy casualties amongst the Canucks. I never realized how much "BULL" the paper at home have about the war. By their stories you would think that the war will be over in a few days as they make a big ting out of small raids and such like but nevertheless there is always something in them. I suppose I should not say that but it seems funny that there is so much more details than there is in the English papers and when we do get the news in the Canadian papers we have almost forgot it ever happened, but still I am not in the place to know really what is going on like the infantry men or a man at the guns. I had a dandy trip the other night from nine oclock till 5.30 in the morning up with ammunition. It was a nice moon light night and we would hardly realize that there was a war on and that was my first trip up for about three weeks as we are taking it rather easy now but I guess some day before long it will be go like the dickens again. If Russia was to make a big smash now I think it would help an awful lot to finish the war but it is hard to say what they will do and now the Uboat question is looking better every week. I got that undervest and there is quite a few in use out here now. Hoping this finds you all well

Love from
Your son

Gordon
Did you ever get the photos

Original Scans

Original Scans