Officers
Hospital Sauvic
BEF France
Dear Rex and Elsie,
Cheeryoh and merry Christmas and here’s how and how’s how. Got
settled done comfy again with a big fire in the dining room grate and
the old fur rug in front and the cat on top (of the rug I mean not the
grate) and the old armchair and Rex inside and Elsie on top and oh
it’s a happy little home. And , Elsie, does he still have brekker in
pyjamas or is he civilised yet ? I guess I’ll just have to worry you
some day if only for old times sake, when we used to sit round the
fire and grunt and grouse about our rotten luck. What times they were
weren’t they! And what a good job we didn’t know what was coming
or we should probably have grunted still more eh?
Well I got your letter all correct and just mopped it up and soaked it
all in and now it’s oozing out back to you again in my usual sort of
hash.
I’m having a fairly decent time here, out of bed and getting about a
bit, but rottenly run down and they aren’t right yet, though
improving. I don’t know how long they’ll keep me here, the Doc.
won’t say anything, but when I do get out I understand I go to the
M.G.Base; I mean to have a try for something there if I can get it.
How’s old Mont ( Elsie’s brother) getting on ? Give him my love
and wishes and congrats on getting home and say cheeroh to him and the
little missus for me. ( I bet that makes her mad).
I had a letter from Leo who writes very cheerily and seems devilish
keen. I bet he gets on alright, trust him.
Well Bless you my children, there’s no news here. We just take walks
to the front, watch the shipping, get bored go and buy sausages for
tea and come back again, sleep & eat and scrap one another. We
must scrap somebody!
So cheeryoh and the best of luck and the best of love from your ever
loving old fool of a brother, Joe.
P.T.O.
If you find this epistle too feeding by the time you’ve got to the
end, don’t read it.