24. 10. 16.

(rec’ 27. 10. 16.)

My dear Father,

Many thanks for your letter enclosing a copy of Uncle Jo’s–also thanks for various books & letters from Mother & Cecily. I am glad the pram is about again & hope she will soon recover her normal composure.

A filthy day in which we have walked some 9 miles in the mud & I am at the moment in a kind of greenhouse, which has no stove & hardly keeps the rain out. This is our mess, but we are going into the line to-morrow,

where we shall at least have a rain-proof dug-out, & perhaps a stove which weve not got at present. A copy of Blighty has arrived,

quite good–but I don’t know whether

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we owe it to you. I am glad to hear G. is back in her shanty again. I have heard from her to-day. I told you I think that we had a tame C. O. attached from the 3rd [illegible] L. I. it appears that he was out last Nov. also attached to someone else in the very bit of line we are going into. He is quite a good old thing but not above the average in competence. I shall probably have to report on him at the end of his month, as the C. O. is still

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away & when he comes back will probably go to the Brigade at once while the Brigadier is on leave. I fancy Sam Barrow knows v. little about the tanks. A gunner told me, who had seen them & the particulars of the armament you give are greatly exaggerated so far as I can gather. Clayton was offered one but refused it, as he is still suffering from gas after effects. They tell me the Bosch tries to stop them by throwing

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bombs at their driving bands, but it doesn’t sound very effective & I expect any weak points they have have now been spotted & will be rectified. I don’t fancy the Bosch’s winter on other parts of the line, if they start these things at him at unexpected points & positions. They should prove far worse than a gas attack.

Love to all

Jack.