1 21/11/15 My Dearest Mother Since I wrote you
on Tues. last I have had your welcome
letters of 10th 12th & 15th. I was so
pleased to hear all the news about
Kathleen's dear little Baby & it is
splendid that both are doing so
well. I have also had 2 letters
from Father dated 10th & 13th & would
you please give him my best thanks
for them for I might not have time to
write again for several days & it is
now getting late. I was so interested
in all the particulars he gave me
about the pistol & forward to
the first few arriving out here. I was speaking the other day about
the pistol to the Brigadier & as he
said 'that is just the thing we 2 require — something which will fill the
gaps between Hand Grenades &
Artillery' It certainly looks as if
the Pistol would do so. I have
been having a very busy time of it
since the Brigade left for the trenches,
as there is a lot of office work to do
looking after all these Details & then
in addition there is the supervision
of the Machine Gun training. Today
(Sunday) the men had a day off,
but I spent practically the whole
time in the office making up all
kinds of returns & answering letters
&c. It seems almost certain
now that we shall be moving from
here this week to some new
centre where the Brigade will join
us on leaving the trenches, as we
are apparently to be put into a
different Corps. It looks as 3 if they could not make up their minds
what to do with the Ulster Division the
way they push us about. They are
certainly doing their best to destroy the
individuality of the Divisions as one
Brigade has already been cut off &
another one put in its place. Then
one of the Batts of this Brigade has been
taken away to another one & we have
got a Batt of Lancs Fus. instead.
It is rather bad policy I should think
but we have all long ago ceased to
be surprised at anything that happens
in the Division. I only hope at
present that any move on our part
will be delayed till after the Brigade
returns, for if we have to go before
then, I shall have an awful time
with all these Details in connection
with billeting & getting the huge amount
of stores left behind transported. 4 The day after I last wrote we had more
snow which was followed by rain, then
frost & today it was just a little above
freezing point & bitterly cold. Fortunately
the parcel with warm underclothes
came on Sat. & I now feel a great
deal more comfortable.The summer
things I was wearing felt very light
but I partly made up for this by
wearing 2 waistcoats. And now
dear Mother I must thank you for
all the good things you sent me.
They all arrived by the same post
as the parcel of clothes & nearly
filled a mail bag by themselves.
There were 2 from Foster green with
cakes & sweets, 1 with butter which
arrived in splendid condition,
1 shaving cream & 1 toothpaste.
They came at a most opportune
time for on that evening we, 5 (that is the 3 Brigade officers remaining,
myself, the Signal & Grenade officers)
gave a little dinner party to the
8 other officers in charge of the Details
& the sweets, cakes & fruit were
greatly appreciated. Next time
however Mother dear please don't
send so much in the sweet & cake
line, I think there must have been
about 8 large boxes of sweets & I
have had to give away a good
many as I could not possibly carry
them when we move, as we are about
to, this week. Hoffman for some
reason again sent a pot of shaving
cream instead of a tube. If he
had no tubes a stick of soap would
have been better as I have no room
in my pack for any bulky articles.
I shall want a small supply of
medicines before long to fill up my 6 little case but it will be time
enough when I write again &
I will then send a list of what
I require. I shall be very
glad to receive the warm gloves
for the cold these days on the range
is awfully penetrating. The
poor chaps in the trenches must
have been having a very hard
time of it. I only hope that in
addition they have not had many
casualties. It is just midnight
so must come to a close. With
fondest love to all & hoping to
have further good reports soon
of K & baby Your loving son Jim 7 On active service
Recd 25thNov 1915 Mrs S. C. Davidson Seacourt Bangor Co. Down Ireland 21/11/15
J Davidson