Dear Steve:

West Sandling, 22/8/17

I’m too busy being knocked about to write but here goes for a jumble of incoherence, perhaps. Have been put through gas, thrown live bombs, and am now skipping a training period, a thing I’ve done several times in the few days since I’ve been put on draft. Any letter addressed to me as before will reach me but I expect my address will soon be

#681036 Pte. J.C. Stothers 15th Canadians, C.E.F.Highlanders, France

I will send full address as soon as possible. I’m a rear rank private but are still carry the stripes until we leave here. There is quite an exodus of N.C.O.’s all of whom have had a fair term of it in England, most of them much longer than I. At any rate I volunteered for it and have no regrets.

Aug. 27 -

Still here and it looks like an early departure, we’ve just got paid and as I’ve been saving up for some time to go on leave I’m lousy with coin. I’m leaving it with Jimmie for him to forward to me at intervals. When sending over Carman’s and my cheques you had better send them via Ayr c/o Miss Joan C. Paterson, Albion House or to Jimmie or to Miss Paterson herself. As I instructed in a recent letter I want a couple of months of assigned pay held back for a balance. I enclose two cheques one for $48 for insurance due in Nov. and the other $10 to R. Johnston for church. You as usual will look after the same for me. I got your letter telling me about Geo. Sanders getting married. Hurrah! Banzai! Good luck to him, but I prefer my own position. John Wilton came over to see me last night and I’ve wired Carman and hope he gets up before I go. I’m sending my Bank Pass Book to the bank to be entered up and sent to you for safe keeping.

I will either now or later send you a cheque to cover my insurance premiums due in Nov. payable to G. J. Allen. As you know my "Will" such as it is, is in safe keeping at Ayr and I’m sending all my private papers there, including letters, etc. Of course I expect to come back for them myself when I get a nice little Blighty, but on must always be prepared for contingencies. My watch & rings are going up to Ayr as well as France is not a safe place for them and the gas corrodes a ring badly. I intend to get an Ingersoll, but they’ve got too dear over here since the war. I made insurance cheque payable to you so that you could have access to ready money at your convenience. Don’t pay insurance until last of Nov. Bailie’s cheque for furniture falls due this fall. It might be wise to pay that to Excelsior Life Insurance C. on loan that I’ve never cleared up. I will let you know what to do about it toward the end of the year. In meantime do nothing.

My private papers in Ayr are for you to edit, destroy, or preserve as you see fit in case I can’t do it myself. Jim P. as soon as he comes out of Hosp. Will see that my valuables & papers are sent or taken to Ayr. I’m writing home in another letter. I wrote a week ago but have been waiting longer than we expected. Then I wrote yesterday saying nothing about the draft.

Yours in F.L.& T. Cheerioh, Cannon