'Friday, May 14, 1915
'I had a glorious hot bath yesterday ; Fletcher and I went up to the brewery here. The bath is zinc, and full length, and we have as much water, and as hot, as we like. . . .
'I spent some time, too, stemming the leaks in the roof of our shed. With my two waterproof sheets I have rigged up a kind of chute above my bed, so that any water that comes through the roof is led down behind my head. I don't know what happens to it there. I thought of leading it across on to the man next me, as the Germans used to do in the winter campaign. They fitted a pump in their trenches and led the delivery pipe forward, so that the water used to run into ours only the plan was discovered....
'I wonder if you saw the appreciation of the soda cake on the back of my letter from the woods. M.P. stands for Mess President. Fletcher was M.P. and was a very good one. I am now, as he has done it for a long time and is tired....
'As cheerful and well and happy as ever. Don't think I am having a rotten time I am not.'
'Sunday, 5.40 p.m., May 16, 1915
'We had a very fine piece of news yesterday. Over three weeks ago we were called out one night and were urgently required to dig a certain new trench behind our lines. The men worked splendidly, and got the job done in a very short time (working of course in complete darkness). The next day the Brigadier-General inspected the trench and sent in a complimentary message about it to the Colonel. The day after he complimented us again for the same piece of work! Well, we have had several such jobs to do, and just recently we have been to Hill 60, where the bulk of our work was deepening the trenches and improving the parapets. We were lent for this purpose to another Division (the Division that is at the moment occupying that area), and were away from here exactly a week. We got a splendid testimonial from the General of this other Division, who told our Colonel he had got "a top-hole battalion".
'Arising out of all this, we have now been selected as a "Pioneer Battalion". We are relieved from all ordinary trench work for some time to come. We simply go out at night and dig trenches or build parapets and so forth, and have the day to ourselves. This was arranged yesterday, and last night we went out and returned here at 1.30 a.m. The work is more or less under fire, but only from stray shots and nothing very serious. Our Colonel is awfully pleased that we have done so well; and we are all pleased with the new arrangement. One great advantage is that we can settle down in our billets and are not continually having to pack up everything and move off. We can now start and make tables, chairs, beds, a proper door for the hut, a glass window, and so on. ...
'Good-bye for the present ; it is lovely hot weather and we are all well fit and happy.'
[To a Brother]
'May 26, 1915
'I expect you have read it, but I want to recommend to you Simon Dale, by Anthony Hope.
'We had the gas over here on Monday morning about 3 or 4 a.m. Although it was coming from a point about four miles away, as we learnt afterwards, it was very strong and made our eyes smart very much.
'We have got hold of some liqueurs from Railhead, a large bottle of Chartreuse and one of Curaçao.
'Good-bye and good luck.'
'Saturday, May 29, 1915, 8.30 p.m.
'I got a letter from you to-day about 5 p.m. I was so glad.
'No, I am not making things out better than they really are. I like to write mostly about the pleasant parts, of course. We have our unpleasant moments, shelling and so on, but no very bad times as yet. Being on tenterhooks is quite the worst part.
'As regards Fletcher being worse than us, of course he came out much earlier. He left Edinburgh for the Front on January 4, and Laws left on December 31. He has had some awful times, and the winter campaign, and in any case the length of time one is exposed to the mental strain and worry makes a difference. I do my best to keep cheerful and happy all the time —I don't believe in meeting trouble half-way. If there was some indication of the termination of the war it would help matters —the unending vista is apt to be rather disheartening at times. I am very glad Italy is in —at last.'
