Dear Mum, Dad, Sis and Jack the Commando,

…The parcel with the soap, etc. arrived yesterday and thanks a million. I was running short on it. We had a feed last night but I am going to be a hog and save these strawberries for myself. Guess I am being looked after a lot better than numerous fellows over here. I get five parcels to their one or so the postman says. There are very few who have received homemade preserves and none who had maple syrup. That was certainly swell and I had it with my porridge for breakfast. The only meal I don’t have milk with now is dinner and I can almost feel myself getting fat. Is it ever good. I am drinking about a quart and a half or two quarts a day so am about up to my standard at home. Those home parcels and that milk sure make a swell lunch in the evening. A pint costs four pence half penny which is nine cents but it sure is worth twice that much.…

We have had quite a little time for ball lately and you can bet we didn’t waste it. Our company is now battalion softball champions. We picked a company ball team and put a trimming on every other company. I am playing first base believe it or not so don’t say you can’t understand how we won. The toughest game was yesterday which we won seven to six after ten innings of play and it was sure a tough one. Of course we don’t get anything for it but we certainly give the other companies an awful going over. I have a swell tan now from playing in the sun without a shirt. For a while it was nothing but a swell burn but it has turned into a swell tan, hope I can keep it up now.

Those Time magazines and that Coronet were really swell and so far I believe about a dozen of the fellows have read them. They will probably go the rounds before they get so it is impossible to read them. The news continues to be very good and they certainly are pushing them back on all fronts. I think the Jerries have just about had it. They sure took a lot of prisoners at Cherbourg, he can’t keep it up forever losing on three fronts. Maybe we will be home for Christmas after all…. There is only one thing; they may want us to clean up on the Japs after we finish over here. I sure hope we don’t but if we have to it shouldn’t take long with everything concentrated on them.  We don’t hear very much news about the Canadian Army over here. The English papers just talk about the British, and Americans. Guess they are doing OK for themselves though. By chance I met a fellow in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps from New Glasgow in camp the other night and he was telling me about the people back there. Half the girls I used to know in N.S. are married now, guess everybody got the fever.…

Have the Wests had any more word about Johnny? Sure hope he turns up even if it is as a prisoner…

The best in the world to the swellest folks, sister and brother a fellow ever had. Lots of Love to All, Bill