France, Oct 4, 1917

Dearest Emma;-

Four long days have elapsed since I have had a letter from you but I shall write you a short note anyway.

Our beautiful weather has come to an abrupt ending and it is raining dogs and cats to day. Fortunately I have not had to be out doors much but the day is very disagreeable nevertheless. So far I have found the work with the field ambulance much less strenuous than with the battalion and I had a very easy time of it during the last month I was with it. Of course I shall have more to do at times that I have at present.

Are you getting any mail from Canada these days? The last letter I had from there was written in August. Some of the mail boats must have been sunk.

Lt Col. McGuffin was in to see us the other day. He expects to go back to Calgary as AD.MS of Military District 13 before long. This will do Hux Johnson out of a job. I think I told you about having dinner one evening with J. N. Gunn. I have since seen Selby but did not ask him about his communiqué.

It must be more exciting to live in London these days than at the front. We certainly had some beautiful nights for air raids. It doesn’t take the French long to take action after their cities are raided. They usually return and bomb German towns the following day.

This is a very short measly letter and I shall have to do better next time. Hope to get a letter from you to-morrow. Do not forget to put “Canadian” in the address.

Your lover

Harold W McGill

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