B Battery

Res. Batt. C.F.A.

Witley Camp

Surrey

Nov 23/17

Dear Aunt Fleda

               I was awfully pleased to get your letter, + it was not only a surprise but a real pleasure for me. By the way you write, you can’t have heard from Bob yet telling you that we have met. However I daresay you will have heard all about it by this time. I certainly was glad to meet Bob as I have no real friends, merely good acquaintances and to see Bob was like finding an old friend. Nelson was over here on leave a few weeks ago. You know he has been in France for over a year now. He came down here to camp one afternoon to see me, so I took him up to see Bob + Murray. Murray happened to be out on a gas course just then as luck would have it, so he didn’t see Nelson. Nels sure is looking fine, I guess that transport job he has must be doing him good, he still has that job you know.

               My friend George Ellingbaum expects to get his leave at any time now. You know he + I went out to France together. So if I hadn’t come back to Blightly, I would have been out there more than a year now.

               I had another 6 day leave back a couple of weeks ago. I wasn’t entitled to it by any means but I will tell you how I fooled the army. They put me in class for a brush up course, and as I knew the work well, I passed out in one week. Well when a man qualifies the first time he is entitled to a 6 day leave which is known as “shore leave”. Well there were a number of fellows who had just qualified the same time as I tried my list, so when they were putting in for their leave, I slipped an application for leave in with theirs, + as my name was on the list as qualifying that week, the pass came through O.K. marked “shore leave”. I certainly was lucky there. Another funny thing about it was that the date I had my genuine shore leave was from 9^th-15^th Nov. 1916, + my rogue shore leave was 9^th to 15^th Nov. 1917. Rather a coincidence wasn’t it.

               I received letters from both Marjorie + Mother with yours to-day. It is the first Canadian mail I’ve had for some time, so you can be sure I was very pleased to get some more at last. Mother says that Grandpa Nelson is ailing quite fast, + that they don’t expect him to hold up much longer. Well I think it will be a blessing when he does go, as it must be very hard on the poor man to have to linger on, not being able to do a think for himself, + when he wants to go.

               I have a permanent job here now which will last me until I am A1 again. You know I have been marked A4 which means “too young for actual service”. Isn’t that absurd. I’ve already been over, but I can’t go again because I’m too young. However, I’m not bickering, as I’ve a good job here, + it’s none too healthy over the water just now.

               Well aunt Fleda I guess I will close for now. Love to uncle Chris + Carrie + hoping to hear from you again soon.

                              I am

               Your loving nephew

                              Herbert