On YMCA headed notepaper.

23261 Cpl R.P. Rice

Reply to F Company 3^rd Bat Leic Regt

Stationed at Hutments, Patrington

Nr Hull

Jan 27^th 1916

Dear Mr Walters,

            I must apologise for not having written to you before, but with having so many duties to perform I find very little time for writing.  I was stationed at Leicester for nearly six weeks & enjoyed the time there very much indeed.  We left there for this camp on New Year’s Eve, so have just been here four weeks.  The camp is situated 1½ miles from the village of Patrington & 16½ miles from Hull.  From our parade ground we can see, on a clear day, the shipping on the Humber, but the nearest sea-side village is Withernsea about 5 miles away.  It would be very nice out here in the summer but we find it rather bleak & desolate just now.  Of course we are in range of the Zeppelins here & at night there is not a light to be seen, & it is very difficult to find one’s way about the camp.  Most nights a British aeroplane carrying searchlights can be seen passing over the camp.  The work here is very interesting, and one hour every day is spent on trench work & bayonet fighting.  This reminds one very much of what the real work would be like.  At present we are taking a course of musketry, & next week we are expecting to go to Strensall for a week’s course in field shooting.  We are living in huts & are quite settled down to the life now.  At first we found it exceptionally rough, sleeping on the bare floor & packed out so that one could hardly turn.  It is a bit better now, & we can get about the camp better.  When it is all wet the mud is terrible, but still we smile through it all & really I have never felt better in health.  There is a beautiful old church in the village, which we all attend in the morning, & when possible I go in the afternoon, when the evening service is held, as it cannot be held at night because of the lighting restrictions.  I shall be very pleased to hear from you, & I sincerely hope all is going well with the Church work at Whitwick.  I hope Mrs Walters, yourself & the children are quite well.

Yours very sincerely

Reginald P. Rice.

In YMCA envelope addressed to Rev. T.W. Walters, M.A. The Vicarage, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.

Letter postmarked PATRINGTON 28 JA 16.