Dear Miss Griffis;-
Your letter of Sept. 10 reached me a day or two after I last wrote you, about the beginning of October. You would think that a frightfully blue letter of mine; I felt ashamed of it after I sent it off. We all felt more or less depressed just then for although we had taken the Boche trenches we had to pay the price. I could not forget my fine little stretcher bearer sergeant who did not live long enough to know that he had won the Military Medal. Soon after I wrote, some of our old officers who had been wounded earlier in the year returned to the unit and their presence served to make the battalion more like its old self again.
Shortly after I wrote you I got 8 days special leave which I spent in England. It took me two days traveling to reach London and I was four days on my way back. I passed through Rouen and Havre both going and returning. Both are fine cities especially Rouen. Normandy is the prettiest part of France I have been in. I had a whole day in Havre on my way back and called to see Miss McFarlane at No 2 British General Hospital there. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to see my sister who is still at No 2 Canadian General situated in Le Trefort. She wrote me the other day and is keeping quite well.
The severe strain of the past two months took more out of me than I had thought and I did not go in for a very uproarious time when in London. In fact some days I did not leave the hotel. I was at only two shows. I went with Dr Pirie one night. Capt Geo. Johnson is in London and I met him on two occasions. Also saw Major Ings, and Capt Dunlop, M.O. of the 137th Bn. Dr. J.E. Palmer is doing intern work at Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. I went out and stayed over one night with him. He is kept quite busy. He expects to return to Canada before long.
We are holding a very quiet part of the line just at present and I have an opportunity to get caught up a little with my belated correspondence. It is like a Sunday School picnic here compared with our experiences of last month.
Many thanks for the sweet peas which I still have in my possession. The horse you inquired about is not the one that refused the fudge. I had to leave him in quarantine when we left Calgary and never saw him again. The one I have now is very quiet and will not start when even a 9.2” howitzer is fired right beside her nose.
Excuse this short letter and write again soon.
Sincerely yours
Harold W McGill
Dear Miss Griffis 