In billets
My Dear Uncle William
I was very glad to get your letter in the trenches: my first forty-eight hours' spell. I enjoyed it thoroughly, though it was in a hot corner; three officers had been outed in the period before in the same place. We came through it well, and only had two men wounded; so we were very lucky. The Germans tried to shell us, but if they did they got it three times as hot - we have the upper hand in artillery now. 'Mother' (a 9.2") gives them awful 'gyp'. (This same gun is now to be seen at the Imperial War Museum)
If you look at the communiqué on the 8th you will see the work the I.G. did.
The mill mentioned on the 10th is fifty yards from my platoon. The Brigade, they say, is always put where there is most work to be done, and I am hardly surprised after seeing our men at work. They are quite splendid, and shepherd me about a if I were something precious.
I am very happy with them, and feel they will go anywhere with me. I have eighty men under me, most of them dying to have a cut at the Germans, 200 yards away across a perfectly flat field.
The periscopes are wanted badly, and steel loop-holes. The Germans have both.
We are sapping ahead by degrees, straightening out the line, and look as if we were thus going to dig ourselves to Berlin. The trenches are drying up well now; in fact, in warm weather it will be a joy to live in them.We all feel so well.
* * *
Dear Teddy Milad
Don't blame me if I haven't written before, nor write again,; it is all the fault of the Army. They haven't let us go for a week's rest, as they had once promised, when I had hoped to get off a lot of answers, and it is all even chances you may not hear from me again (an audible sob!). Such is the way of the world here. We are 'Up agin it,' and all our officers are either getting wounded or going sick. Why they should in this weather I can't think; and for a wonder the trenches have been dry under foot for two days. But directly it rains the mud becomes ankle-deep again.
I hope you have some idea where we are - by a large main road where all the recent fighting has been with French and English (or rather, Irish Guards) advances. General French's despatch was good enough, but we all agreed (Coldstreams included) that it was more out show than anyone else's. Since February we have cone better work, so look out for more words of praise. When we don't push ahead, the French do - just across the road - and at these times you can see whole lines of periscopes along the length of our trenches, watching their advance. First you hear a succession of roars well behind the lines, then a stream of shrieks overhead followed by the most almighty cracks and bangs, one and two, again and again. The sound is bad enough 00 yards away What it can be on the spot I shudder to think. In the midst of this there is the ceaseless rattle of rapid rifle-fire. This goes on for ten minutes r so, until the whole German trend seems to be burning with these explosions and clouds of grey-black smoke.
Then someone spots the little grey men with their turned-up grey coats and red trousers clambering out of their trench; first five - then seems a long wait. Is the attack going to fail after all? But thank heaven, about fifty at last start scurrying across the 200 yards. Three drop before they have hardly started, on their own parapets, and then half a dozen on the way, and the remainder reach the German parapet just as the bombardment ceases. Then, strange to say, the French lie down before leaping into the trench under the very nozzles of the German mausers, if there are any left; and thus it comes about that a dozen more were shot, at point-blank range. Why they tried these tactics no one can explain. Anyway the rest crawl in, the wounded after them, and the trench is captured, as far as we can see - and the communiqué reads 'the French captured about 277 yards of the ... road.' (See February 16th newspapers.)
Later in the day my old regiment relieved us , and their Captain went over to pow-wow with the occupants of this trench and was met by a 'Wo ist da?' He didn't wait to answer. This explains the German communiqué of the same day.
I am very happy with my platoon, and, in confidence, my platoon-sergeant tells me that the regiment is in a much better way than it was when it started out. The officers trust all different, which the men like, and we also hear from higher up that the authorities couldn't have believed the Special Reserves would be so efficient. We had four Regular officers with us when we went through these recent operations.
I want the Stratford news - the Magazine - socks, etc
If you don't get any news from me write to my Mother. I am writing officially to her.
Make the boys write: and if you think of changing the prayer card you will find good Bible passages and prayers from the 'War Manual of Prayers,' price 6d (Longman)
My love to you, B, and all at Stratford. I will try and get back for camp.
Yours ever
T.A.
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