France

May 19^th 1916

My dear Harry & Ethel,

Thank you for your postcard and paper.  You have had a time of it and I am glad it is all over & that those blighters have been shot.  They might have chopped their heads off & done the thing in style.  Strange to say they aren’t a bit popular here!

We are now having glorious weather which is a great thing of comfort to life in barns.  We are slacking today as we are doing night operations tonight (naturally).  Yesterday afternoon we did nothing as we had been called up three times in the night.  We didn’t half swear.  First time for an hour’s march with full kit & belongings, second, a trial for an emergency move, and third as a warning for an expected gas attack which failed. 

The day before that we visited the shower baths which are a god-send.  You can leave your underclothes there & they give you clean ones which might be much too big or small but being clean is the main thing.  We are billeted in barns not far from three little villages & are in sound of the heavy guns, which we hear all day and night.  We have seen two enemy aeroplanes, which were being chased by ours & fired at by shrapnel.  Some of our chaps saw two brought down in flames.  We have to lie flat on our stomachs when one is overhead & it is a rotten sensation.  I always (by the way I’ve only had to once) dying to lie on my back & watch the excitement.  Three whistle blasts sound & we lie down at once whatever we are doing.  In this hot weather we don’t mind them coming over as it’s a cheap way of having a lie down that is if they come when we are working.  We can get up when we hear another blast.  We have a fine dry canteen here & I am a constant purchaser of tinned fruit.

Eggs are easily obtained & I am fond of the omelettes.  They are skinny beggars with their butter & have never heard of cake or pastry.  (N.B. This is not a hint).  All the meals we have resemble breakfast or tea mostly.  I am sometimes prepared to give anything for a steak, which I use to despise, or some fish.  I am so hungry that I have actually eaten bread & pickles for breakfast!  Of course we always grouse about the food but we really have sufficient & of course we can’t expect eggs, salmon & that sort of thing although we would like them.  One of my pals has some English butter & I am to go & get some now if I want it so I trot along, remaining with much love.

            Your old

                        Alan.

I have been successful.  Shall be glad to have a line from you soon.

Envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Co. Dublin.  Ireland

Postmarked Army PO 4 23 MAY 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 1347 mark.

On back of envelope Pte Alan H. King, B23178 no 16 Platoon, D Coy, 26 Royal Fus B.E.F.