Series 1 Oliver McNaughton

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what she has done for him. I sure hope June comes through this alright.

I received yours & Jessie's letter of April 21st, & Normans' of April 14th. I also got one from Lily Martin, who is teaching at Dobbington Court, Jessie knows her. I used to meet the kid quite frequently at Yorke's when I was training in Parkhill, and she was attending High School. We never could get along; used to have a quarrel about everyday. Since I came overseas, she has corresponded quite regularly, and she sure can write a good letter, and a good long one. She has some very decided opinions which come out once in a while in her letters and add a little spice. She has a brother and

several other relations over here. One cousin has been invalided home. The reason I mention all this is, that seeing we could not agree, what possessed the kid to write I do not know. Verily a woman is past understanding. She, being a cousin of the Mollards, brings me to that family. How is Mrs. Mollard progressing? I had another letter from Merrill recently. Everett's nerves seem to be pretty well shattered; high explosives are very hard on the nerves, and often the strongest willpower is necessary to keep them under control. The high strung have the hardest time; I am glad to say that I am not very high strung. It

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is not fear, but concussion. Let half a dozen medium sized high explosive shells light near your post and you are not sure whether you are standing on your head or 'going up', not mentioning shrapnel at all. These are just little things but I mentioned them to explain Everett's condition; he was run down also, and his news got the better of him. The McNaughtons are not the coolest people in the world, but we are tough and have good constitutions. Itmakes me smile when I think of how mother used to declare that i would never stand it at least, what I have been called on to go through so far

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Our constitutions are largely subject to our wills. We always come back to the case of the schoolboy who thinks he is very ill, and the next minute you will find him playing ball with zest.

I never hear from Percy Foster nor Jack Baynes. I have not seen Dave Radcliffe as yet. I see Lieut. Carlton often and always get a glad greeting in the same old friendly style. He is already popular in his company as anyone who knows him would predict. I heard Capt. Ross was wounded. I have been extremely lucky; The closest shave I have had yet was last September while

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on a working party, cleaning out trenches near the front line, that Fritz had knocked to pieces during a bombardment. It was on Hill 70, and of course, at night. Bill MacPherson & I were cleaning out where a big shell had lit right in the trench and made the trench at that particular place about ten feet wide and only about two feet deep. We were working towards one another, our shovels almost meeting, when a Whizz bang 'whizzed' through between us and buried itself in the side of the trench not over a yard from either of us; - it was a 'dud'. Bill and I looked at each other speechless for a short space, when