France, Sept. 21, 1917

My dearest dear;

Your two letters of Sept 15 and Sept 16, respectively, reached me this afternoon the latter enclosing the four proofs which I am very pleased to have. Three of them are very good but you wear a rather formidable expression in the fourth. If in the future you should ever meet me with a look like that when I come home late at night I shall do like Mr. Jiggs and climb up a ladder through a back window.

Certainly, my dear, I am perfectly well and alright. If I do not write to you every day it is because I have nothing to write except to assure you of my undying devotion, and you know what Shakspeare said about people that protest too much. As a matter of fact I had not heard from you since I last wrote until to day. However the other day I found the letter I had written the day before peacefully reposing in our mail box. The orderly whose duty it was to clear the box had failed to do so.

I am very sorry to know that you have no chance of getting leave soon. It may be that when you do get it in January or later I shall be able to get away at the same time and we can arrange to have your leave extended indefinitely.

We had Lieut. Col. J. N. Gunn from Calgary in to dinner last evening. He is looking rather tired. Mrs. Gunn & baby are both in Canada. Gunn has been at it very steady for a long time now and has done a lot of hard work. Col. Gunn told me that Selby of his unit had just returned from leave with some very interesting news to the effect that I was open for congratulations. Selby had the date and everything complete in his summary of intelligence according to Col. Gunn. I told Gunn that I would have to see Selby and get the latest information before issuing a statement. Now where in the deuce did Selby get his news? We shall have to appoint him one of the inquisitors of captured German prisoners.

My mare is over her lameness and I have been having a ride every morning recently. The weather is splendid but there is just a suggestion of autumn in the air. I was over to see Moshier yesterday and found him quite well and with his amazing self assurance quite unimpaired. Moshier told me that the unit where my sister is had been bombed and some 30 casualties caused. As I have not heard from Margaret for nearly 2 weeks I am naturally anxious although Moshier is as you know somewhat unreliable in his reports.

Yours lovingly

Harold W McGill

P.S. Please excuse bad writing and give my kindest regards to Miss Reid. HWMcG

France, Sept. 7, 1917

Dearest Emma;-

Your letter of Aug. 31 reached me to day. It took 7 days on the road, the longest time any of them have done up to date. I am sure I do not know what the matter is unless the mails are being deliberately held up. I have also had several bundles of the “Times” from you and wish to thank you very much for them. Really though it is not worth the trouble to send them for they are several days old before they reach me.

Was much interested in your account of your dance and other activities in the social way. I think we shall be able to get along without many fights, for apparently we like the same sort of people. I trust young Owen will do well and that he does not go in for a temperature of 105° to any great extent. I remember well the day he left to get his commission. It was on April 8, and we were resting in a wood preparatory to going into our assembly trenches for the great attack on Vimy Ridge the next morning.

September has been a fine month so far and I hope that it maintains its record. We had a heavy thunderstorm yesterday but to day has been fine and very warm. I walked down to the Hq. 5th F. Amb this morning to hear a lecture on treatment of fractures of the femur. It was hot and close for walking. My mare has gone lame again and I fear that some of my riding program will have to be abandoned.

I am still with the battalion and we are still enjoying the blessings of peace. I do not know why I should be in a hurry to change while present conditions prevail. There are no souvenirs to be had here. The funny thing about souvenirs is that one is usually too busy with other things to think about gathering them when he is where they are to be picked up. Thélus was the best place I ever saw for souvenirs for we went into the place right on the heels of the enemy. In some of the dugouts we found their kits half packed lying on the beds. I didn’t manage though to find anything especially interesting or valuable. The next time we get the run on the Germans I shall keep my eyes open for something. I should like to get a compass pistol, field glass, or something of that sort. A 5 pfenning piece was all the German money I found in Thélus and I threw that away. I am sorry now I did. It would have been a rather interesting keepsake. When I go with the field ambulance I shall not have quite the opportunity to gather these things that I have had, for the prisoners are usually pretty well picked by the time they reach the dressing stations. Personally I never took anything from a wounded prisoner nor did I allow my men to do so. It never appealed to me as being “Quite the thing, you know”. Somewhat infra dig as it were.

What do you think of the political situation in Canada? Rather makes one think of Russia doesn’t it? I see by the papers that the number of automobiles in the western provinces has doubled during the past year. There are thousands of people over in Canada who do not give a damn (Excuse the expression please) how long the war lasts or how many men are killed or maimed so long as the prices of wheat and hogs do not fall. I have serious thoughts that, if Canada fails to enforce conscription, I shall never live there again but merely return to settle up what little business I have and then take up my abode in some new British possession East Africa for instance. I suppose I should say “We” dear girl shouldn’t I, for you are now certainly never out of my plans for the future. Would you be willing to go off to some new and wild part of the world?

Had a letter from Margaret yesterday. She said that it was time I had somebody to keep an eye on me, that I had had my own way long enough. I should like to know what Margaret had to say to you. She told me she had written to you but gave me no intimation of what she had said. I wrote to my other sister in Wpg last night telling her of our intentions.

Goodbye for present and good luck always.

Your lover,

Harold W McGill