France August 5^th 1916

Saturday

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            Thanks very much for your very long letter.  I am glad to hear that you are both quite well and am pleased to be able to say I am very fit with the exception of pimples on my face brought on I think through bad water.  At last you know your destination and I suppose by this time you have left Dublin.  I think Worcester will be quite a nice place for you as even tho’ the town itself may not be very great show the surrounding country is beautiful as you must remember from our tour.  You are or rather will be very close to Ross, Malvern, Stratford and many other places and of course comparatively near to Cardiff.  Well I hope you will get the best of luck there and both like the place.

            I had a letter from Alan and in some respects he has a much better time than I do, as when not in the trenches he seems to be able to enjoy himself immensely.  Mother tells me in her last letter that he and a couple more have been having champagne & cigars.  The chance of such luxuries never comes our way.  After the strenuous times we have been having we are being granted three days rest at a rest camp near a very famous river.  Fifteen men go at a time and the second fifteen is now away.  The Camp is quite close to a town and the fellows are able to bathe to their hearts content in the river so it sounds very promising and I am looking forward to my turn to go.

            I hope you both enjoyed your holiday & very much envy you the sea bathing and also the placid quiet of a cricket match.  You must have had glorious weather – here it is too hot to move.

            Almost as soon as we reached here we had steel helmets issued and I would not think of going out without mine as they are very valuable, and save any number of head wounds.

            Well good luck & with love

            I am

            Yours              Bernard.

In envelope addressed to Mrv & Mrs Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin. Ireland.  At Enderlie, Auberetum Rd, Worcester England.

Ans^d 20/8

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE ***.  7 AU 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Also a Dublin postmark undated.