I have just received a parcel from you; I might almost say _the_
parcel. I never remembered ever having received a parcel which caused
me greater pleasure. I opened one end of it and took out each article
in turn and each article was simply delightful. It was really like an
unexpected Christmas, or a visit to the perfect grotto. There is only
one thing, mother, that you really must not do, it is simply spoiling
one as it is impossible to realise that one is supposed to be on
active service, when we are billeted in extremely comfortable billets,
and given all the luxuries one could possibly desire. I thought that
once we left England we should have to say good-bye to comfort, but
not a bit of it. I can say with perfect truth that nowhere in England
were we half so comfortable, or did have half so easy a time as here.
We sleep in absolute comfort and warmth, we are fed far better than in
any hotel outside London, and we are given just enough exercise to
keep us fit. Most people told us before we came out here that the
billets were not at all comfortable, and we expected to be in any old
cowshed. Our last billets were extremely comfortable and our new ones
are equally so. Rotten billets are usually only given to troops who
leave their billets untidy when they leave. Before we leave we are
always very careful to leave ours clean and so we get good ones. Early
this morning we moved our billets again and are now some 16 miles from
the firing line. Continuing from where I left off in my last letter.
Quite unexpectedly we had to move on Saturday night. Unfortunately
practice night alarms have been very frequent lately, and so we were
prepared to move quickly. Every other night last week, almost, we had
practices. We were warned that we were to be ready to move on Saturday
night any time after midnight, and, as a matter of fact, had two or
three hours to get our things ready. We went to bed and got the word
to move early this morning. We marched for about three hours and
arrived here in comfort in the morning, and found we only had one very
dirty and tumbledown farm for the company. Within about three hours we
had cleared every barn of old straw, clothes, boots, tins, &c., put
new straw in, and are now quite comfortable, the officers have a sort
of sitting room again, with one bed in it, two on the bed, two on the
mattress, and one on the floor, and I expect we shall be very
comfortable. As we did not seem to have any food for the officers the
farm people asked us if we would like some chickens. And we had soup,
the typical French pot-au-feu, which they keep on the fire and put all
scraps into it and which makes delicious soup, chickens, fruit salad,
and cafe noire, which all French people know how to make. To-morrow we
will spend in making the place like a palace. Don't send me any more
cigarettes. The ones I have just received will come in very handy as I
am short, but in future I can get them out here cheaper.
Much love to all, and especially to you, Mother dear.
From your loving Son,
ALEC.
11TH SUFFOLKS,
B.E.F., January 24th.