France, June 7, 1918

Dear Emma:-

An attempt was made to entice me into a bridge game this evening but I considered it my duty to first write to my lovely and always adored wife. Your letter of June 3 reached me this morning, having been only 4 days on the way. I think this makes a new record as I am pretty certain that 5 days was the shortest time that any of them took to come heretofore.

The Canadian mail arrived this morning. I had several letters from home and a bundle of papers from Dr. Chambers. Among the letters I had one from Mrs. Clarke and one from my brother Frances, my sister has not been well and I am somewhat worried about her. She has been working very hard.

Do you know I am beginning to think that you will have to give up that work you are doing? Good Lord! Only think of making a meal with two sardines to do it with. Why I could eat a whole box of them quite handily before the soup. You require better rations than that if you are to work until 9 30 at night. Margaret has great faith in Matron in Chief Macdonald and thinks she will eventually find something suitable for you in the Canadian service, but personally, after reading that letter you enclosed to me, I cannot say that I share that confidence. Of course it would be much nicer if you were with a Canadian hospital. In any case do not let the powers that be in that institution impose upon you to the slightest extent. It doesn’t pay.

We had a game of indoor baseball yesterday. It was very hot work for those of us who have done no running for years. Lt. Col. Murphy was playing. When I told him I was too old for the game he asked me my age and upon learning it said I was just ten years older than his daughter. After the baseball game I went to the movies. We had a new film yesterday. The second performance is now going on.

I am wearing the new top shirts you sent me, although I feel guilty in doing so for it is a frightful extravagance. I should have worn out my old ones before starting on the new, but I must confess I like the ones you had sent. However that does not absolve you from blame for having exceeded your orders.

The weather here is not very hot during the days and the nights are quite cool, almost like those of Alberta. I am sure a good rain would be good for everything & everybody and might help to check the German offensive. It begins to look as though that were being held up anyway. The French are putting up a remarkable fight. The Americans are getting into the fight more and more every day, and unless Fritz can pull off something of a really decisive nature during the next two months his chances are probably gone. By that time I may think it worth my while to put in for my leave. There will be nothing doing in that line this month my dear. Most of the leave is being given to the infantry and that is perfectly as it should be.

I see by the wireless that the U. boats have been working off the American coast but apparently they have not done so much damage as first reports indicated.

Good bye for present Sweetheart

Your loving husband

Harold C. McGill

P.S. Many thanks for the envelopes. I am about to use one of them.

H.W. McG.

France, May 13, 1918

My dear wife; –

This has been a dreary wet day and it is still raining hard at 9.30 p.m. I had intended writing to you this afternoon but was prevented from so doing by the arrival of a visitor and later on by a game of bridge. The visitor was Gordon Jack of Calgary whom you perhaps know.

Your two letters written on May 6 & 7 respectively came to hand this morning. I am not getting many letters from Canada these days. Just now I am in the happy position of having no unanswered correspondance on hand. Several friends in Calgary used to write me more or less regularly but they are dropping out of the line one by one. I do not mind though how many quit writing to me so long as I have you to send me so many nice loving letters. Dr. Chambers has not written to me since he sent the one I forwarded to you last February. I never hear from Dr. Follett now.

I shall look forward with considerable interest to the receipt of your letter describing the result of your interview with the matron of Roehampton House. I do hope you will find something that will suit you. The main thing to be desired is to get among congenial surroundings and people. One reason I stayed on with the battalion so long was that I liked the people with whom I was working and could always be sure of working amicably with my O.C. The same thing applies to where I am now doing duty, and so long as things are as at present I shall hesitate to make any change. I know one M.O. who used to be with the division but who went down to the base at his own request. Lately he was sent up the line again and was attached to a British ambulance. Now he wishes to rejoin his old division but naturally the A.D.M..S. is not going out of his way to make room for him. The officer who fancies running from one job to another does not make much of a hit as a rule although there are exceptions apparently.

Yours ever,

Harold M. McGill