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France, February 3 1917.

My dearest Mabel:-

At least I am able to write home again after an interval of I fear nearly three weeks. I wanted to send you a letter for your birthday but am afraid I am as usual too late. Anyhow I wish you very many happy returns of the day and may I be there to give you your ----- last two weeks will be hard to beat. I expect you know what severe weather we have had, it has been freezing steadily for two weeks with a lot of snow. The cold has been awful sickening.

I was sure that in such weather we should be billeted in houses but no, in just the same tumbledown barns and cowsheds. I have at last got a billet in a house so am able to write to you by the kitchen fire, but I shall never get really warm again I fear. At the end of last week I felt that I had aged ten years since rejoining the battalion ----- weather. Of course we can not have a fire in these darned old barns and as there are no windows the door has to remain open all day, not that that makes much difference though as usually one or other of the mud walls has collapsed.

But I shall make you so cross if I write any more about it that you will be wanting to have the war stopped. The last week has been better as I had some money from Sister Lizzie so was able to warm myself in a cafe each evening drinking boiling glasses of red ink and water which is the most warming thing I know. I am thankful to say that parcels arrived with beautiful regularity nearly every day. What I should have done without them I can not imagine. Effie's cake and

BC Archives, MS-1901 Box 1 File 19 RUSSELL, Alma M., 1873-1964. Victoria; librarian Letters from Cecil Harrow Unwin, 1916-1917.