Dear Mum, Dad and Jack:

…The training is still as tough as ever and they sure don’t spare the horses any. They still make us double as much as ever and when I get home I think I will run in the Boston Marathon.

There is quite a rivalry between the different companies of our regiment in sports and so far our company (A) is sure putting the leathers to them. The other day we had a track and field day, we have one once a week for sports and each company enters a team or two. We have B and C to beat. The sports were 100-yd dash, fifty yd dash, hop, skip and jump, weight throw, shot put, softball throw, broad jump, high jump, etc. Every coy has two teams entered and each team goes through it all. While one team is doing one thing the other is doing something else.  They add up the points of each team and the ones with the most takes it. We had two teams and I was in number one with nine other fellows. We won the event with 112 points and each man on our team got four large packages of cigarettes. It was sure worth it and the fellows who did real good try out with the Regimental team which competes in the Canadian Army Sports Meet held every year at some place in England. My name was taken for high jump. I made 4’11”.  There were two other fellows from our team who had their names taken. If we make it we get two days off to go to the sport meet so I am hoping. It is quite probable we will never hear any more about it.

Yesterday B Coy challenged us to a game of softball and we beat them 24-3 so that put them in their places. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed ourselves. I played first base. We are so far from any town and since there are very few shows it is our only recreation so we sure enjoy it. Tomorrow we play C Coy so we are just waiting to get at them. If we win we will have undisputed hold of first place. I really enjoy it and it helps a lot to take a fellow’s mind off things and pass what spare time we get.

Since then I have been quite busy doing washing and writing letters….

Well I have to scram for supper. We have supper at 4:30 on Sunday. It is just 11:30 back home so Dad will probably be in church. Give my best regards to the Grandparents and tell Bette I am waiting for her letter. I will write her soon. Keep the letters coming as fast as you can, your airmail came over in 8 or 9 days. Hope mine are coming good.

The best of everything to you all.

Lots of Love,

Pte. Bill

Airmail received July 5, 1943.