Dated:

Letters from Pte. Charlie Thicke

Mr. S.E. Thicke is in receipt of letters from Pte. Charlie Thicke, from France. Below we give parts of several letters written the latter part of December, and New Year's.
Dear Father and Mother:-
This is Christmas Eve and everything going merrily and I will bet they are the same at home.
We have moved away from firing line for a rest and by what I hear we will have a nine day's rest. We are being brigaded with the Princess Pats, Royal Canadian Regulars, and the 49^th Batt. So we are with a good bunch.
There have been great doings around here lately at the line. The Germans made a gas attack but failed, and the third attack the British let come right up and then closed in on them killing hundreds and capturing a thousand. We had another great victory but I cannot mention it until it is published. The prisoners marched through here and they were a sight. All big men but they were in need of a shave bad.
We are billeted in barns and sleep in the hay. We have two blankets, rubber sheet, grey coat and fur coat. The farmers get a penny a head.
To-day I ran into Reg Runnells. He is with th 4^th C.M.R.
The Sergeant has just come in with a big bag of gifts, and we must put our hand in and draw one.
There is one thing I am down-hearted about and that is that I did not get your cake and candies yet but let's hope it gets here by New Year's.
We walked about seven miles to a lecture on gas and what to do in case of an attack. They had a trench with a gas pipe arranged in it and after the lecture we had to don our helmets and go through. They are a great rig. The Germans send over a gas shell besides the gas that travels with the wind. The shell is to blind you. We got the gas from the shell the other day when we were out; though the attack was faint, the gas sure did smart.
Tuesday the officers put up a swell dinner for us, goose, dressing, French peas and mashed potatoes, plum pudding, cake, oranges, apples and beer.
Charlie speaks of their celebrations New Year's Day, and encloses snaps of self and boys. He had received home parcels and was much pleased with the contents, specially mentioning his mother's cake and Lilly's candy. He writes in good spirits and thinks the war may be over in a very few months.