Dear Steve: Bramshott, February 2, 1917

I feel that I ought to write to someone tonight but don’t know whom I owe a letter. In any case I can’t go astray in writing you a few lines, altho’ the way I feel, I must apologize for any lack of style or automatic adjustment of thought which is conducive to successful authorship of an epistolary nature.

The 169th battalion is defunct, having been amalgamated with 92nd Highlanders and 95th batt. to form the "5th Canadian Reserve Batt." It is largely "Hielan" but I’m not in the kilts yet, but have hopes of getting a glengarry cap at least. We have remnants of 201st, 170th, 169th, 95th, 146th, 96th, and 92nd with casualties from 15th, 13th, 20th, and other active fighting units. Our sergeant’s mess accommodates over 250 sergeants and we are sending a draft to the front composed of about 20 sergeants of various grades, besides a draft of men for 15th Highlanders. We are formed as a reserve to reinforce 15th, 20th, and 134th battalions at the front all of which are Highland except 20th. No more battalions are coming over as units but the units left in Canada will send over drafts as required.

I’m a musketry instructor here and as such have so far had a very good time of it. My transfer to 56th O.A.C. Battery doesn’t’ seem to materialize. So I don’t know exactly what I’ll do. I was over to Whitby on Sunday and spent the afternoon with George Clark. The 56th has been broken up, half going to 55th, and half to 66th. The reason of the split in batteries was to make 6 gun sections instead of 4 gun ones, and it seem they split up all the best units to achieve this end.

I saw Carncross and several other fellows who all remembered you. Clark tells me that without a doubt you were top dog in the Ag. option last year. He has great respect for your powers of application. How do you like the work down there?

I had a letter from Isaac a week ago and one from mother a few days ago. They seem to be fairly cheerful, but the war has surely made great changes. The Germans seem to be desperate to judge by their latest move. I wonder how long Wilson will remain supremely supine. The USA have surely taken their share of German dirt. I hesitate to call it by its real name.

I hear from Carman quiet regularly – i.e. weekly. I will enclose one or two of his letters if I can find them. I can’t do much about my assigned pay until we get settled in new unit. In any case I will need it all until I go to France when I intend to have a reserve piled up at Ayr to be forwarded to me fortnightly as with $22 assigned pay on $33 per there isn’t much to spend in a month. Our pay has been held up for nearly 2 months and we have been getting privates pay but the difficulty is rapidly approaching solution and we will get pay of our rank. Remind them at home to forward my assigned pay at once as I asked them. I suppose I acknowledged receipt of Carman’s and my cheques a few weeks ago. Have you settled my insurance and such.

Yours in F,L,T Cannon