26 April 1917

 

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26. 4. 1917.

My dear Father,

Many thanks for two letters & R. k’s book, which I was very anxious to read, as I had only just heard it was out and read a review on it. Many thanks also for the offer of a telescope, which we shall be very glad to have, but I tremble for its fate, as it will probably go the way of the two others.

We have done another march and are not far from the spot where we spent our first 3 weeks in this country. Absolutely in the depths of bucolicism & almost out of hearing of guns. I gather that the Bosch is doing all he knows to stop us & wasting any number of men in futile counter attacks so I suppose he will keep it up for a bit till the pressure gets to great & then things ought to move. The French here are fairly amiable, but we are so far from the line that they are not used to troops & are making too much money out of their farms to be bothered with soldiers. We had great difficulty in billeting at first with regard to officers beds & messes, as there can be no compulsion but now we have arrived they have changed their attitude a bit.

The weather is very various with occasional indications that there is a sun somewhere & that there is a season known as spring. At the

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moment I am basking in the sun, but carefully out of the wind, which is distinctly chilly.

Please thank Mother C. G & O for letters. I am sorry they are taking Burridge, as you will be in difficulties with him away. However I suppose everyone is or will be in the same boat & nothing much is said nowadays when a fluffy damsel lets at £2000 a year house on a 99 year lease at a £50 rental. I should think the trusty Tomlin might come in useful.

I spent the morning riding round the training area & billets. The latter are very scattered about 4 or 5 kilometres along a road, so it takes some little time to see them all

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The training area appears to be completely sown with crops, so I don’t see that we can do much training over it. However there may be a patch here & there, where we can extend a few men.

The question of baths & washing clothes is now the trouble, as we have no facilities such as a brewery which served the purpose at our last halt. However we shall probably unearth a cauldron or two somewhere & then wash the men anywhere. We are on a small river, so the water question does not trouble.

Love to all

Jack.

 

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