Letter to Mother from Somewhere in Flanders

#782373
S.W. in Flanders 
21-10-17 

Dear Mother:–  

I am sitting where the big shells fell again on a fine sunny a.m., on a emty grenade box leaning back against the remains of some kind of a house

You have heard said of some people that they were getting so good that they showed symptoms of sprouting wings, well we look as tho there was chances of use sprouting web feet, in this part te. he. but we don't care, as long as we can shove more iron rations up to heinie than he can digest, that is our only motive I think,

Later I will not say how many days.

I am co'y runner now duties to carry messages from co'y head quarters out to officers on the field guide parties and etc,

I just feel fine only game to get on with the fight if we have to drive heinie back I want to help no one is more game or more ready to help do it than I am, as I ly in my funk hole and listen to the guns the only thing I can liken the continuous fire to is the cronching of wagons in the snow it would seem some times as tho there were hundreds of wagons others times less but continues hour after hour, why it that bothered a man why he would be in awful shape in a short time but, a days work to me here is just like any where else I could live for ten years here if I could stay dry, but I guess a shell would be liable to get me before that was up. I have not been wet yet so far. It would be such a treat to be able to talk to you for a few minuits before each big job,

I am bunking in a funk hope with McNaughton from the Klondike he is fort years old and single, he thinks such a lot of his mother and he speaks of her so often, he is bothered pretty bad with the terrible gun fire and noise, that I never think off. see what a difference we each have to bear for it never bothers me,

I helped one boy build up such a faith in God that he can go up to the line feeling indifferent as to shell fire where he was afraid of his life when I met him first I keep trying to get Mac to look at it different to but he is older and it is hard to change him. The lice bother him to and I have found only 4 in ten days the powder chaces them.

Mac says that his mother comes about as close to being an ideal woman as any one he ever met, well I can sincerely say that any mother or girl I ever met falls down 30% from the ideal which my mother sets, and maby, that is putting it higher than I should yet Evelyn Blair comes the closest to the ideal girl of any I ever met and you know what my other girl freinds are like.

Well bye bye Mother dear as ever your loving son
Laurie