Somewhere in France

Sunday June 25^th

My Dear Ethel & Harry,

            Thanks so much for your two letters.  They reached me only last Friday, which was the first day on which we have had a post, but from now on they should come regularly.  It was great excitement receiving the mail, for two or three days we were expecting the letters to arrive & then when they did it meant a lot for nearly everyone.

            We were not long in France before we were sent to our present position in the firing line, in fact we only had 4 nights rest before getting here.  Since we have been here we have had to work fearfully hard both day & night but the back of the work is now broken.  Today and last night there has been one long continual roar of guns & screaming of shells.  The noise is terrific and Fritz is getting it very hot.  Last night we had the night in bed but it was impossible to sleep owing to the noise.

            You want to know how I fill up my time, well, up to the present I don’t seem to have had any to worry about, and, in fact, last night was the first opportunity I have had off writing a letter since I have been here, as I had rather a batch of letters on Friday I was very glad of it.

            It is a great experience out here and it is marvellous how unconcerned & cool everyone appears under most extraordinary conditions.  The War here appears to be just a huge business not half so confusing as Selfridges, but a bit nosier.  It is not half as bad as I anticipated, and the danger seems very small.  When we are firing it seems almost as though we are at practice in England; the only difference being that we are not the only people firing.

            I am very glad for both your sakes that the trip to London was successful and hope that you will be sent to some decent place, and that it will be a great benefit to you.

            Three of us have built ourselves a beautiful and select little dugout of which we are very proud.  It is a splendid little place and in time we will have every convenience.  We are all positive it is absolutely splinter proof.  To get in it is necessary to crawl on hands and knees, as the entrance is so small.

            When at the Rest Camp I cut off the moustache you speak of but the same morning the Sergeant Major gave us a lecture on the subject so it is flowering once more.

            I was not able to get my photo taken at Ross as both the photographers have enlisted & there was no one carrying on.

            Alan’s description of an artilleryman’s life out here is to say the least of it slightly exaggerated.  One would hardly call it a bed of roses & recently I have been wishing I was in the Infantry.

            Thanks again for your letters – you can’t imagine how much they are valued out here – keep on writing

            Yours with love

                        Bernard.

In envelope addressed to Mr & Mrs Harry R. King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Co. Dublin. Ireland.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 110.  29 JU16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Signed F.G. Dweryhouse