Letter to Mother from Somewhere in France

Somewhere in France
7-10-17[sic]

Dear Mother:–

I am sitting in the grass out beside a big bath house. we were just paraded for bath about a mile walk thru a town just carrying a towel and gass helmet. we never go anywhere without our gass mask, but we carry two in action they are good things I think a lot of mine anyway. They issued use with new short pants or drawers and a dandy new gray shirt, new cotton socks they seem very good all so a towel we just trade what we wear for the other stuff then our stuff is washed and reissued as other boys go thru the bath. They say are entitled to a bath and change of cloths a week but it is about 15 days since we had a change but I washed what I needed washed for I had lots of time every day, It is cool and cloudy today.

I can look to the right of where I am lying and see the coal slack cars running up and down the big slack pile at amine you see these mines for miles by the big slackpiles.

Bob McKeith is lying here and we got talking about our names I said my L. D. was Laurence Dunbar he said oh. I thot it was Long Distance te. he.

5.45 P.M.

Well Mother, when I got back from bath there was 3 letters lying on the bunk one from you at Weyburn one from Kates one from home but I was called out on clothing parade so did not get time to finish reading them all and now I am down town for a while I promised my m.gun corporal that I would come down after supper for a few minuits, well the result of the clothing parade was a knew tunic pants and putties I did not need any of these but they want use dressed to look alike in imperial uniform and the tunics are better for gass mask. and have a better collar to.

If I have any luck I will send you picture in a cupple of weeks or so but if they are no good I am not going to send them. Tell me as soon as you receive that transport picture that Mr Pedlar was going to send. If anything happens to that I don’t thing I will be able to forgive whoever is to blame for you would like it as I did.

We are having a holliday tomorrow all day won’t that be great.

We are getting my m.gun team taken together tonight seven of use and the m.gun. I only hope they are good for it will be all right to photos in France and England and canada just as the trip goes along they will have to take the place of souvenirs for I an’t much on that souvenir stuff. I will never get killed out in no mans land searching Fritze for souvenirs.

If I should send more than I do just tell me and I will try to pick some suitable ones at times.

Bye bye Mother dear as ever your loving son Laurie

I hope that aunty is still well and all at home I will try to get around with the letters again at this camp. L.