France

August 3^rd 1916

My dear Harry,

I had your letter of the thirteenth yesterday and was delighted to hear that Worcester is to be the city to boast of your future residence.  Strange to say the Worcester fellows think you are very fortunate.  They all say (they is the Worcester fellows in our platoon) it is a very beautiful place but we all know one’s native place is the most beautiful &c &c.  I never expected you to be so near Cardiff.  Is not the Government bucking up?  They have not been so long as usual surely?  I hope things will prosper with you.  I think it is about time good fortune became attached to the family.  I shall be interested to have all the details you can give me of your work, house and the place itself.  I am very glad you have had some foundation in the nature of a holiday to start work on.  Of course the Military XI won that cricket match.  You ought to have good cricket at Worcester.  Yes, as a rule we are in the Trenches the same number of days as we are out.  I think we are in a few more days in the long run.  This last time we were twice as long as usual to make up for an occasion when we were only in for a couple of days.  We came out this morning & had baths & changes of underclothing this afternoon.  The baths are huge vats in a brewery.  After my last letter things were much quieter.  Your parcel, I think I told you, arrived quite safely.  Yes, I am sure I did.  Our rest camp residences are nearly always different.  They were not at first.  Of course, sometimes our billets will only be a couple of hundred yards away from billets we have occupied before.  I always regret to leave improved dug-outs but have a certain amount of pride in the fact that they are sure to be appreciated by the next occupants.  Your letter was quite long enough to satisfy me.  You have no idea how eagerly I look forward to your letters week by week.  Always ask as many questions as you like.  It may be the cause of my writing something that I shouldn’t think of mentioning.  Mother knows where I am.  The Dickson’s found out & will have told her.  Evidently Ethel did not have time to write.  She will have all her time occupied for some time to come.  One or two lines of my last letter about the commission had to be obliterated.  Mother knows all about it though & can tell you.  I have applied to our Captain, but that does not bind one.  A lieutenant stopped Dickson and I this morning and said it was most unfair if we were unable to receive commissions.  He consoled us by saying that “we boys” would not find it all honey & so forth.

I had a fearful bilious attack this morning early.  I am all serene now.  I am consuming large quantities of tinned fruit this hot weather and doing without meat except at breakfast.  I am never a big eater of the army meat, although sometimes it is splendid.  I must now close & remain,

            Yours as ever,

                        Alan.

On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin.  C/O Surveyor of Taxes, The Avenue, The Cross, Worcester.  Ans^d 13/8/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE T 41 5 AU 16.  A second postmark DUBLIN Aug 9 1916 is also on the envelope.  Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3274 cachet.

Signed H. Simpson.