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- 117B-
have-to—opI-1- quits.—WiH— -I-<yen--e-gg-±Ti—tear-erff
-a—decent—letter?—
Prance,
May 10th, 1917.
My dear Sia, - .
I really don’t know just how long ago it is since I wrote you , hut it must he a couple of months at least. Somehow or other, lately X haven’t been able to settle down to this letter writing business at ell. The last couple of weeks I’ve had ample time to co so, but just simply hadn’t the pep. So rather than bore any friend with an uninteresting scribble I’ve refrained from writing. Can’t exactly say. I’m in the mood for it right now,, but hone to be able to tear off a few .pages.
Came down the line a couple of nights ago to a village where our headquarters are now located. Another B.C. boy came down with me, the two of us having been unlucky enough to get tangled ut> with a gas shell. Nothing serious, you know, but something requiring rest and fresh air, both of whioh we are now indulging in.
Suppose you'd like to have the particulars of our mix-un, Well we were un at an R.A.P, at the time,’ in a delightful little snot ’ dubbed "Napoo” valley. Might say that the R.A.P. has moved to more healthy surroundings since then. The dugout we lived in led off an old Pritzie cement gun emplacement. A fine little dugout with feather mattresses and pillows, but, ye gods, the fleas. Haven't got rid of them all yet. Just before dusk a. stretcher case came down from the front line, and we went up into the gun emplacement to take it out. Quite a strafe was going on at the time, the noise being fierce. I was standing at one end of the emplacement, when a shell hit the edge of it about four feet above my nut, and burst. I wasn’t long discovering that it contained gas, for the first whiff I got almost strangled me. Then I yelled "She's gas, boys, and nut on my helmet. Had to keep it on for half an hour as he threw over quite a- few more gas shells. After taking the case out to the A.P.S. our M.O, decided to send us two-down, as the air in dugouts is none too pure at the best of timee. So here we are, doing nothing at all.
Just lying around in the sun and drinking in the fresh air. This is my first experience with gas, and I don’t want to repeat it.
Gee, the weather is great over here now. Warm, sunny d.-
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