Somewhere in France
Nov. 19th 18
Dear Mary
I received a big bundle of letters from N.Z. again last night including two from you No’s 9. & 10. I also wish to tell you that I received the Cake which you sent away on July 6th I got it two days ago where ever it has been all the time goodness knows. I had given up hopes of every getting it long ago, however, it reached me in good order & wasn’t at all broken though the tin was somewhat dented. I am at present in a C.C.S. Hospital recovering from an attack of Measles I also had a slight touch of Pleurisy following the Measles but it wasn’t very bad. I have been in Hospital now close on 3 weeks so I expect to be getting shot out soon again. You would be pleased to hear
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of the rather sudden termination of Hostilities out hear & it is to be hoped there wont be any more bloodshed before peace is definately declared. I think they will manage to get things fixed up alright now. I didn’t see very much of the fighting but I don’t regret that. I hadn’t been right up to the front line at all, the nearest I was to it was at the “main dressing station” which is several miles behind but I saw some of the results of the fighting there which was quite enough. I don’t suppose I would be quite a month with the Amb. when I took the measles, so if the war is finished, I can consider myself very fortunate in not seeing more of it. I suppose it will be a while yet before we will get away from France not until peace is declared anyway whenever that will be, they are sending a lot of troops up to the
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German frontier to hold the lines there until peace is definately signed and I understand that the N.Z. Division is going too so I will probably be sent on after them when I get out of here. It is my intention to get discharged from the Army in England if all goes well at least, I filled in my “demobilisation Card” to that effect before I left England, quite a lot of us had to fill in these cards before coming over here & they gave us the option of being demobilised in England if we wished, so for different reasons I thought I would like to, of course it will cost me a bit to get back. I would like to have a good look round Scotland & other places of interest as well as see a bit more of my relations then I would go home by way of Canada. You will probably be able
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to answer this letter so as to catch me in England of course there is no telling how long it will be before I get clear it might be six months yet. I will most likely cable you when that happens. I am not saying anything about this to any of the others yet time enough for that. We have just had a solid weeks frost, it has started pretty early I expect we will get a much longer winter here than in N.Z. Thank you for the children’s Photo’s I didn’t know that Alex was a Photographer the baby comes out well but I cant say who he is like. You will be getting summer weather now I suppose & you will appreciate it too after the severe winter. Now, I dont think there is any more I can write about just now so will close hoping you are all keeping well. Your affect bro. J. Hall
