1 R.E. Mess.
Brompton Barracks,
Chatham. 28.10.17.transcription-editor Dear old Twin, How's the world treating you in Ireland?
Do write & tell me all about everything. I don't know your
address so I'm sending this home to be forwarded on.
It's most frightfully cold here, even a new pair of fur lined gloves don't 2
keep the cold out. What it's like in the trenches, Lord only knows.
Poor old Roy will be having an awful time. Imagine existing for days
in a semi frozen porridge of Flanders mud, & then being expected to feel
really cheery, & fit for a real good bit of Hun bombardment. And the advances too, I see they have to go through water up to their necks,
— cheery job for this weather, isn't it? 3 You should have seen us this morning, I had to take a Company of about 70
or 100 men to Church. There was a whole battalion of us, about eight Coys..
And we marched off to Church, you can imagine me strutting along on my
own —- three paces ahead of the Company feeling an impossible blood. Of course
the band played us all the way there, & when I'd got my men in, I wandered up 4
to the Colonel, gave him a crashing salute & said ''E Company all correct ,Sir''.
Then we went in, & the R.E. violin (string) band played us through the service
starting with the ripping Intermezzo Ave Maria, out of Cavaliera Rusticana,
& ending up with the Marseillaise. I got one or two real good bellows on in
the hymns. Then we marched back saluting the General on the way, & also
the guard, & formed up in a hollow square, I actually found my way all right,
& about 7 or 8 medals were presented by the General followed by a real Irish 5
'' Handshake ''. Then we broke off. That's what happens every Sunday
morning, except for the medals, only of course I'm not always on parade.
Often I go to the Hagues for the weekend, at least not frightfully often,
but just often deleted text enough not to tire them out. Nice girls, both of them,
have you ever met them? Of course you knew May in Killybegs years
ago, but doubtless you've forgotten her. I heard from Dad this morning, very fit & awfully happy building huts
by starting on the roof & putting in the foundations afterwards. 6 Dug ( First World War)
Delightfully original, & apparently successful. Poor old Italy is getting it in the neck, they are clever devils those Germans,
I daresay you noticed about 10 days ago a mysterious retirement on the
Russian front, quickly followed by the deuce of a push against
poor old Cadoma. Obvious they've shifted practically every man
across, but think of the staff work; a push like that worked out &
prepared in 10 days. It really is marvellous, but the poor Engineers, it gave
them absolutely no time to do their bit. 7 Here's a dirty piece of paper but you won't mind. As you've gathered I'm
merely writing this as I've nothing to do, as I thought you might as well
be bored too. Tear it up when you're tired. Brother Hun's got the wind right up this time, the moon's full on Tuesday,
& only one raid, in which he came off distinctly second best.
Swan & Edgar's are pretty well done in in Piccadilly. 8 It's quite a common thing to all motor cars & buses & I believe motor cycles
drifting about the place with semi-inflated gas bags on top. Petrol is
impossible to get, so they're using gas-engines. I mean people don't
even stare at them now they're so used to them. And it was only a
few weeks ago that one of the pages in Punch was devoted to the new
methods of car driving, & gasbags were put as the principal ways, &
certainly the most amusing. Have come to an end of paper, so you're released. Dug.