[Received June 10, 1918]

#54

[Beauvois] France

May 24, 1918

Dear Mother and Father:

Father’s letters nos. 59 & 61, received today. My letter no. 44 did not have the picture, they are in 45 and 46. I have received all your letters 43 to 61, incl., excepting 47 and 60. You all did receive my #23 [January 24, 1918] because I remember you remarking about it. My letter of 7 April, about ride in Spad and Ailsa Craig and Sea was #43.

I saw where Charley Piggot had gotten a scholarship at Hopkins, in the overseas Sun. The Outlook of April 17 is the latest I have, am waiting for April 24^th.

I got a nice letter from Emma Strider, and Artie.

This is a great day for getting letters. General Dudweather has ordered us to go on a rest. Yesterday just as we were going on a show he came up and it has been raining and blowing since.

Night before last 12 of us had a 50 mile ride in a tender to a coast town for dinner. I met two American officers who are going to a part of the line where we fly over. The fellows over here joke a lot about the American Army. When I told our humorist about having seen two American officers at that town and then said that the American Army was holding the line at ______town, he said, “well I don’t see how that is possible when you say you saw it at ______ coast town last night.”

Last night most of us took a tender ride to the tank corps and saw a show they had on. It was about as funny as any entertainment I ever saw. That funny fellow I told you about in “Yes Uncle” who is in France as a soldier now was the leading light and at tophole condition. There were six other fellows in the show and everyone was very good. One was a real coon, who was a marvel. He danced, sang, and imitated a new recruit. When a fellow can amuse fed up soldiers by taking themselves off he must be pretty good at it. He was acting a sentry in the trenches for the first time and at one place said “I don’t think they ought to put us in the trenches for the first time” in a way that brought down the house.

This R.F.C. life is surely the pick of the war. Imagine living behind the lines, taking a nap in comfort in the middle of the day and have an orderly politely awake you with “your bath is ready sir,” and you look over on the floor 4 feet away and see a big tub full of warm water for you. We are pretty busy, usually 2 shows (2½ hours each) a day and the rest of the time is soft. We have seen some Huns but I have not gotten my guns on them since I last wrote.

Mary’s box of stuffed prunes arrived today. They are surely fine. Many thanks for them. Evidently you have not had the operation when you wrote. Here’s hoping and believing that you will be greatly benefited.

Lovingly,

Parr