Flanders,
Feb 26/16
Dear Doris,
Have been laid up for a couple of days on account of inoculation against typhoid and am filling in the time by writing to really everyone I can think of. I hope you will answer this sometime. – You have no idea how we look forward to the arrival of letters, it is about the only break in the monotony of life out here. Come to think of it, I don't believe I ever wrote to thank you for that photograph you sent me a year ago Christmas, but as I left home just about that time, I hope you will excuse the neglect. – Every thing is very quiet along the Canadian front just at present, but it is hard to say what the spring will have in store for us. – Both sides have been settled for nearly a year now in the same positions which means that an advance on the part of either will be accompanied by heavy losses. – We engineers manage to live fairly comfortably out here. – At present we are in a little Belgian village about three miles behind the front line. – We ride back and forth between here and our work which consists chiefly of superintending the work of the infantry in strengthening their position. – A great deal of the work is done at night as our trenches are only 30 to 40 yards away from the germans' in places. Some places of course there is a distance of 600-700 yards between the lines.
I suppose there was a lot doing out in your section of the country last summer with the various expositions going on. – I had liked to visit California in 1915, but when this show started up, I decided to take a free trip to Europe instead. – Three or four of us cut college together one day and joined a battery of Field Artillery, as gunners. – During the summer I was gazetted as Lieutenant in the Engineers and here I am. – I suppose it would be as well to give you my address if I am to expect an answer. It is as follows: Lieut. A.M. Robertson, 3rd Field Company, Canadian Engineers, I Canadian Division, British Expeditionary Force – France.
Uncle Jim's Murray, from Toronto, is down in Egypt somewhere. – He is a Lieut in the Royal Field Artillery. – I saw him in England last summer. – Well, this isn't much of a letter, but if you will answer it, and I haven't tried to stop one of Fritz's 6 inch shells in the meantime, I'll try to do better next time. – My love to uncle and auntie.
Ever yours, cousin Murray.
Excuse the scribble, – am writing this on my lap.