France
July 19th 1916.
My dear Harry,
Your letters of the sixteenth & seventeenth arrived today and are responsible for this one. I can imagine how busy you must be on Sundays writing to mother and myself. I always look forward to your letter and thought it was a day late. Well we have had a spell at the trenches (supports) and are now “resting” once more. During this rest things have been somewhat exhilarating. A shell over a foot long & six inches high has paid a visit to a spot twenty yards away from our present dug-out. It entered the ground, came out & went another twenty yards, then rested on the ground. Fortunately it behaved and did not explode. The shell is on view & has a notice about it’s not to be touched, but out of the many visitors to inspect it I haven’t seen many who care to go near it. Tremendous lumps of earth were thrown beyond & over our abode and we were in our dug-outs in very little time. Things have been more active lately. As it says in the papers bombardments are taking place continually all along the line. This morning the most popular & the cleverest sergeant major was killed. We all feel very sorry. There have been far more casualties here than in the trenches. Yesterday & today we had to spend four hours in no-man’s land in the daytime working but there is no risk in my opinion. The noise of the shells is terrific all the time & has made me forget several things I intended saying. I think the advantage of “resting” is being able to visit the Canteen, which is patronised to a great extent!
Now, I’ll see if your letter suggests anything to say. Bernard seems to be able to tell you anything he likes. There is one thing. It seems to me the artillery blaze away at their enemy all day. They don’t suffer themselves though. It is the poor infantry who get everything. I am glad to see he is busy. Of course he is partly responsible for the great advance, just as I am responsible to some extent from keeping the Germans from pinching Paris or Calais! I don’t know which it is they desire mostly. Don’t mention a week’s leave to me now please, let alone dropping in anywhere. We are all very touchy on the score of leave. The leave we want is a permanent leave quickly after the War is over & I am afraid that is all we are likely to get. Very well I will drink a bottle of champagne (with aid) since you prefer it. The food is getting quite good again. Ah! As I have mentioned that I am reminded there is no butter or jam for tomorrow. I should have touched wood I suppose. It isn’t often we have to go without both. We have had quite decent meals lately & sufficient bread On dit (hm!) that certain people responsible have been getting into a row. Don’t mention shells &c to mother. I have forgotten what home-made poetry was. I am trying hard to remember it but it’s a failure. Remember me to Ethel & give her my love. Tell her that it is not a case of no letter from her no letter to her in spite. Writing one letter is an effort but when she writes one I feel absolutely bound to reply whereas there is an excuse if she doesn’t. You ought to see what your brother has done in the dug-out improvement scheme. I have made a seat, table, mug-rack & plate ditto (and they say in sale catalogues) & floored the floor (naturally) with wood planks. I had assistance in the last performance. I also put a corrugated roof over the seat, table, racks &c. I’m afraid when Mother had not heard from me it must have been through the post, her being at Ross & perhaps through being busy. I have written a great deal lately. A letter in a green envelope (now stopped) seems to have taken much longer than an ordinary one. If you are to have this one soon I had better wind up. Don’t forget to write me & see Ethel does.
Yours as ever
Alan.
The weather is glorious & cool & the country is lovely.
On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin. Ansd 30.7.16.
Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE T.41 dated 21 JY 16. Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3274 cachet. Signed ** Shaw
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