Flanders November 12th 1917
Dear Winnie,
Your most welcome letter of Oct 14 arrived yesterday and was doubly welcome on account of coming just as we had completed a rather stiff trip in the line. The mud is terrible but I think we are now leaving Flanders mud for good and are about to resume the seige of Lens.
The Canadian Corps have attained all their objectives and are going back again. Back from the Jaws of death. Back from the mouth of Hell. All that is left of them. Left of an army.
I had the pleasure a few days ago of standing in what was once the Town of Paschendale (sic) and looking over the crest of the ridge of the same name down on the plain of Flanders below. It is a commanding position and it was no picnic taking it. I think I just said that I stood in the town of Paschendale (sic). That is wrong. I did not stand, but went through at express speed - it wasn't a healthy place to stand. I thought during the battle that I wouldn't have the pleasure of celebrating my birthday tomorrow. But you folks at home must have remembered me in your prayers for thank God I was never scratched and now I have great hopes of coming through the war alright for the Lens front will be comparatively quiet this winter.
I was in Ypres this morning and talk about destruction; about the only thing that is standing is part of the tower of the old Cloth Hall.
I believe that we are going back over the frontier tomorrow morning and then we will have a good long rest. Good Bye Belgium. I have only seen you for ten days but I never want to see you again.
The soil around Lens is much drier and higher ground so we won't have it too bad for the winter. The reason why I am telling you all this is that I am sending it across the channel to mail. A chum of mine is going to Scotland on pass tomorrow and he is taking it to mail and I thought that you might like to know once in a while where I am and what I am doing. I am in the best of health and spirits and feel as though I am going to pull through all right.
I came across the horse lines of Alex MacNaughton's battery the other day but the guns were in action at the time and he was with them, so I did not see him.
Say I used that "chocolate" while we were up on the Ridge and it was fine. This is the way it was made. A candle, chopped up fine was mixed with a piece of sand bag and placed in an empty bully beef tin this made a hot fire and in ten minutes time I would have a mess tin of boiling cocoa which tasted mighty good when a man was sitting in a wet shell hole with a rubber sheet over him and his "fire" to screen him from the enemy airplanes. But it is all over and the winter will be spent under much better conditions or we are all looking forward to a rather decent winter. Tomorrow I celebrate my birthday and on the 20th or after I expect to vote in the Dominion elections. I haven't decided how to vote yet for I don't know the composition of the national government but the old govt was not worthy of the confidence of the Canadian people.
Well, I must close. Will write again in a few days.
Love to all,
Archie McPhee