France
September 30th 1916
My dear Harry,
Yours and Mother’s of the 24th to hand last night. I have replied to Mother’s. Since you wrote Ethel will have had my letter of course. I think I wrote Mother as soon as I came out of the trenches so she should have had it when you had mine if not before. Very likely they didn’t send it on at once from Cardiff. Her letter anyway was by no means as full as yours. We took our gas helmets in our satchels which hang round our necks but there was no occasion to use them fortunately. I think the wind was in our favour also. One night in our bay we all started asking each other if their eyes were watering & smarting. All the eyes were so Fritz had evidently put a tear shell some distance away. I couldn’t understand it as it was after the attack & there could be no gain in their causing us such mild discomfort. Of course we wore our Steel Helmets. I know of no cases where they were beneficial but there were many surely. A fellow was telling me he saw one of those shields you see advertised pierced by a bullet & the owner dead. You will read in the newspapers all we are allowed to tell you about the Tanks. We call them “Caterpillars” or did. They are immense armoured cars & very strong. Our first battle was theirs also. When we were advancing we kept on turning our heads to have a look at them. Our curiosity was very great. We had heard so many rumours about them which we didn’t believe till a week or so before the battle. I don’t really know how I felt throughout the affair. I think I considered myself very fortunate, was rather uneasy at times but in good spirits on the whole. Whilst consolidating in the captured trenches I had three games of draughts with my section sergeant & won during two heavy bombardments much to the other fellow’s amusements. Of course I thought a lot of home. We have had spasms of very good & very bad weather. When it’s wet it’s fearfully cold, otherwise it is quite warm. I have not seen a newspaper for some days but there are rumours of further successes which I hope are genuine. Rogers suddenly disappeared one day. I heard the following day he was in hospital with a breakdown. Today I heard he was expected to come out about five days ago. On Monday so many of us from the battalion were sent to guard German prisoners at a camp some distance away from the rest of the batt. Hundreds of them have passed through the camp & almost all of them seem pleased to be out of it. They are said to give themselves up in hundreds. Amongst them has been *** **** officers. One was a fearful blood. He wanted a “mantle” as it was cold, then a carriage to take him to his next destination as he disliked walking far. Several speak English perfectly. They give us buttons for cigarettes as souvenirs. Consequently to a large extent they are buttonless & we have few cigarettes. The blood said we were very young soldiers but very good ones. They all agree our artillery is very accurate too! Dickinson & Rogers (if he came out of hospital) are with the remainder of the batt so I have no more news of them. Being here means some delay in correspondence. Four of us however have made a fine dug-out & have a camp fire & hot supper every evening. A soldier soon becomes expert in cooking bacon, making tea, coffee & cocoa. I “went sick” with my ankle this morning with this result: – “N.Y.D. swelling, Excused Duty”. N.Y.D. I said meant “Not yet dead” & with the rest it sounds rather funny. I suppose it is “not yet diagnosed”. I can’t understand it. It’s not at all painful unless I run about or jerk it. Most of our fellows have applied a second time for commissions seem very likely to get them. Dickson & I have not. Rogers has.
With love to Ethel & best wishes to you. I had better close remaining,
Yours
Alan
Many Happy Returns.
On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., 38, Glen Hilda, Park Avenue, Worcester. Ansd 8/10/16.
Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICEH.13 1 OC 16. Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3630 cachet. Signed E.E. Tam***
