Letter to Otto from Granville Canadian Hospital, England

12 - 10 -18
B. Sec.
Granville Canadian
Hosp
Buxton Derby
Eng.

Dear Otto:–

I am writing for the first today with my right hand The bandage bothers some,

I received a grand long letter from you some time ago, and have had lots of time to answer it but hate to write with left hand it goes so slow and does such a poor job.

So you enlarged your farm this year well it was a shame that it turned out dry this year but I suppose we can't help that now she is a thing of the past. I was glad that we had a dry winter and summer in France for it adds to the comfort of trench life to be dry and warm,

I can't quite seem to realize that I have got clear of the old battle field by paying such a price as I have, but they seem to be going to invalide me to Canada right away under the usual order of procedure.

By the papers I think I left France a good time to miss a lot of heavy fighting, I was only in the two advances this summer but they were very good ones. The tanks help use out a lot, we could hardly go forward without them. You see we do it under a smoke barage so they can not shot by aim with there m.guns I never want to see an old battle field again it is one of the awfulest things in the world to see the finest young men going down, dead and wounded miles from proper care in the line of [phesiance???] Oh the whole thing is crule and the more I think of it the more I hate it all thru.

If I live to get home I will be able to tell you more of how it appears to be to go into battle.

I don't do much running around here I have got more interested in some good books and I read from A.M. till P.M. and then untill bed time.

There are lots of girls in town but I have no interest in the kind that I have an oportunity to meet so I don't mix at all.

Well I will have to pick a Canadian girl yet on my return

I have some good souvenirs if I don't lose them before I get home, if I do tho I am not out, I did not pay any thing for them.

Well bye bye old boy, I hope to be in the good old land of the Maple Leaf before spring Give my love to Kate and the little ones

Yours as ever
Laurie.

P.S. I was wondering the other day if you had the oxen out at all