France 7th November 16
Tuesday
My Dear Harry,
I must thank you very much for your long letter of the 29th and note the number – I think however I must have missed a few of yours if the number of your last denotes the number written to me. One thing about the numbering of letters to Mother, I always forget the number of the previous letter I sent her, and am therefore afraid the system is not much value.
I am very glad to hear you too have a cellar and if when I visit you you put down a few boards in it I shall after my experience here be able to make a home in it. For our lighting arrangements we have to rely on candle power, which accounts for our clothes being covered in candle grease.
I myself very much doubt the eighty per week, especially, at this time of the year, and am confident that unless they are much faster (or rather not so slow) than the first ones and otherwise considerably improved they are useless. They have only been used once to my knowledge.
I am sorry my desire to buy you something appears foolish to you but I am very anxious to do so and I think Mother being on my side I shall do so. You spoilt the whole thing by reading a letter not addressed to you.
I was very glad to hear Mother was again with you and hope her energy on your wardrobe was well spent. My wardrobe is getting very extensive as recently we have been issued with all sorts of things – when we move I don’t know how I shall manage to carry them all. I now have a long waterproof cape, a fur jacket, in which I fancy myself immensely, it is a very smart affair being of black fur or rather goatskin, I suppose it is. Amongst other things I have woollen gloves and undervests – all issued by the Army so you can see we are being well looked after for the winter & should keep warm in the coldest weather.
Until the day I received your letter, when I also received your letter, when I also received a Cardiff Weekly paper, I had only heard the faintest rumour of the Verdun victory. For over a week we received no mails at all from England and therefore we had no idea at all of what was happening. You get a lot more War news than we do.
I had a letter from Alan from which I see that he is not in France at present. He has been making enquiries of every R.G.A. man he meets as whether they know where our Battery is and one has just told him that his Battery relieved us at a place we have never yet been to. I am very surprised at the way Alan mentions place names in his letters and still more that they are not struck out.
I hope Alan will be able to get a few days leave, but it is a thing you are not certain of until you get to England.
Well I am just going to drop a line to Ethel and then turn in, so cheero
Yours,
Bernard.
In On Active Service envelope addressed to Mr & Mrs Harry R King, Esq., 38, Park Avenue, Worcester, England.
Ansd 19.11.16.
Postmarked ARMY POST OFFICE *.**. 9 NO 16. Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447. Signed SH Cooke
