Letter to Mother

March 1st-17

Dear Mother:– I am using the ten minutes the other boys have for smokes to write I just finished a letter to Annie and want to get this away to you today.

I received four letters from home last night I just got them read and into bed at 10 P.M. I am on m.g. class now.

We had a half days sports yesterday and I am a little stiff today but am getting hardened in to drill again after the five or six weeks of quarantine guard after two weeks quarantine but I am feeling good as good as I ever felt in like.

I turned down the coarse for machine gun instructor that was offered me yesterday I told the officer that there was men in the detachment that were just as good as I was and I would sooner have nothing to do with it at all. So I will remain a private instead of wearing one strip. which would not go to make a better man at all. And enfact it would in some cases starte boys down I have seen how it expanded there hat bands to the extent of the loose of freinds. I can say to them that they excepted something that I turned down if I ever get the notion, There is only one more man in the batt that I know of that ever turned a stripe down I don’t think they add to a mans manlyness and manys the time I have seen an N.C.O. stand and freeze when the privates werent to good to dig into what ever was going on fast enough to keep warm

I got some good pictures yesterday that I will enclose one or two of

The sun is coming out. My Mother how the time does fly. No matter what happens the 128 boys that are left we can’t spend much frosty weather in France this winter but we may next winter yet. for no one know what is up for use yet.

I discribed my sundays dinner to you all in Ottos letter written Monday I think so you will all get it I was at Miss Christies.

There is a trip to Bristol on the 10th of March with our Batt. colours but I don’t expect to go we have to pay our own way and come back to quick so I don’t like the idea much at all 150 men are to go.

Well bye Mother dear I must go to dinner as ever your loving son Laurie.