(61)
June 29th.
Another quiet day—oh! these quiet days—how many more of them!
(62)
July 2nd, ’15.
... remember—_we_ are the ‘trench diggers—builders—and holders,’ _and_
therefore are put onto every dirty job the authorities can find!!...
As for George—good luck to him in that benighted corner of Europe! I
will send him a line sometime. Personally I would rather be in the Line
anywhere than serving the guns, but that is merely through my experience
of the former, _long_ as it is!...
(63)
_July 3, ’15._ 8.30 P.M.
DEAREST M. & D.,—Here we are again—in the front line this time and a bare
20 yards from the Bosches—I came up last night after dining with the
R.M.C. officers at the Dressing Station—by car of course! It was rather
funny to see them bolt when the Germans sent over some large shrapnel—to
catch the transports coming up the roads—my—they were ‘up it’! Of course
to me this was amusing after 2 solid months of much closer stuff than
that! Well—this is the old trench into which I brought my platoon on the
24th when we came up to support D Company. They have improved it some—but
the Bosches have sapped right up, as I say, to within 20 yards—rather
less—and we shall have to chuck them a few chocolates, I’m thinking!
To-night we go out hay-making—in other words the Division want us to cut
all the grass in front of our lines—they are sending _scythes_ up for the
purpose! Doubtless this is to prevent Fritz from doing ‘creepy crawlums’
up to our sandbags! We are getting quite intimate with him now—eh?
Got Punch and letter-card _and_ provisions (from you and Winnie)—so am
well-set up!
So glad the lace arrived! No—I bought it in a town near our billets—4
miles from —— Good heavens! —— is deserted now—what do you think??
Much love—am writing in the dark. ‘You should never write home in the
dark!’