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Description: The sun is just going down. The Doctor and Mr. Mireau [??] are here with me. Do you remember how we used to go round in an evening shooting Archibolds. Wasn’t it fun. I wish we could do it again. The Gin ought to have a nice new gun. I must stop soon as it is getting a bit chilly, & put on my waistcoat. I still have that waistcoat in the evening that Mrs. Helme made me, & the one you laughed at so much at Winchester. It has been useful. I am so glad you are having such a good holidays [sic] little Gin Cracknut. You must have had quite a good day at the Armitages. I hope you enjoyed your time at Bodenham. I suppose you did. If only you could have had a hunt or two it would have been a good thing. Now little Gin I think I must stop. It is not much of a letter I am afraid. Lots and heaps of love from your ever loving little Jack

Description: Poor Mr. Farrer does not seem to get much better. I hear from him sometimes but his mother has to write the letters. You remember him and the honey. He can use his arms now but his legs are still paralysed. I do hope he will get all right. Captain Atchison is getting on very well. When it was the 1st April the other day I kept thinking of the time at Ford when I tumbled down in the passage and everyone came running along. Had no chance to make April fools this year. Must go to lunch & finish this afterwards. Now I will go on. It is so terribly cold now I shall have to go & put more clothes on I think. Went into the General’s house this morning to see him. He is in the most lovely house. It did look so comfortable.

Description: She had got very good red and white wine in the cellar so we bought some bottles of it. I smelt a very good smell and found she had got about 6 pigeons cooking in a pan so I asked her to cook some for me and have them brought down to the trenches in the pan to keep them warm. She said she only had old tough ones left but she would have 4 good ones for me next week. I was then talking French to them and chaffing her for over an hour. The doctor was quite surprised. I found I could talk quite easily after a bit. She is not a bit afraid of the shells, but her husband is and he has gone away. She goes on looking after the farm. I said if she was so brave she might go and join the Regiment and I would look after the farm. She was a funny old thing. She was quite ready to go.

Description: My darling little Gin, I must answer your letters now. I have had so very little chance to write lately. Have you read all about what Sir John French said about our Brigade in the battle of Ypres. The 80th Battalion is the one we are in. It is in the Daily Telegraph of 4th June. You and Vere don’t seem to be very good at nursing birds. I wonder how Mr. Hewitt has done with the May fly. I hope he will get a lot of trout. Let me know what size his biggest is. Little Gin, I have found a most beautiful place to fish and if we only go back again into the same trenches I am going to try and tie up a rod. Fresh fish would be very nice I think. Especially after the fun of catching them.

Description: My darling little Gin. I am afraid I have not had much time to write lately and this can only be a very short letter. I have not had my boots off for ages and my feet are so sore I can hardly walk. I have not seen my kit or ponies for ages, and last night I was afraid I was lousy but luckily it turned out to be a false alarm. We are getting very short of good things to eat too at present. My clothes are getting awfully worn out too. Luckily I manage to get a lot of good things by going into other people’s dug outs. I am very like a cuckoo in that way. Ask Molsh to show you the letter General Chapman sent me, little Gin. I am sitting outside my dug out, just like a rabbit when it comes out in the evening.

Description: You should see the lovely place we are resting in now. We got back here last night about 1 in the morning. This is a huge house, beautifully furnished, it is as big as a Club almost. When we got in we found that supper was laid for us in a lovely dining room, table napkins and everything complete. Salmon little Gin fresh not tinned and a lovely salad. We have all beautiful rooms to sleep in, this Jack had a four poster bed, lovely clean sheets & everything quite genteel. The stables also are very good and a fine harness room, so my two ponies and Mr. Williams are in lucks way. I wish it could last more than a day or two. I found a charming old lady in a farm behind our trenches yesterday.

Description: I was so happy and comfortable there and poor Jack felt very sad about it. It is rather nice work this though because I ride about and look at different Rgts. I have got 5 under me. One is about 8 miles away. Two are about 3 miles away in a huge wood and I have got two here with me. So you see I have got a lot of riding about to do. The Jack has written home for some gold & red tabs to put on to make itself look like a general. I find I want at least 2 horses and I should think I shall probably want more.

Description: My darling little Gin, I am in an awful hurry but I must try to write to you tonight. You will be surprised to hear that this great big Jack is a huge General now. Thinks it rather likes it. I am glad your trip to Hereford was successful and you did not upset the trap all the way. I did so hate leaving the Rgt. little Gin. I did not want to come away at all.

Description: That photo of me lying on the grass amuses everyone. We are in quite a decent house here. I have a very nice room & a beautiful bed in it, really very comfortable. That dirty farm I told you about was not so bad afterwards. We had it thoroughly cleaned out. There were rather a lot of flies and a good many maggots outside. I had a sort of tent arrangement made in a clean field close to, which improved matters a good bit as we used to live and feed there. Mr. Hewitt seems to have been doing rather well with the fishing. I suppose something is there too. I have got my war loan all right. Let me know when you get yours & then both the Jack and the Gin will have a bit of War Loan. Now I must stop, darling little Gin. Lots and heaps of love little darling little cracknut from your ever loving little Jack.

Description: I was lent a motor to come over here, it was rather nice. A general’s flag on the motor. Mr. Williams came over with the ponies later and arrived about tea time. I wonder if you have had the gun out yet and got any archibalds. I hope you have. Do you remember the day I said I would eat a whole archibald, skin and all. Haven’t done it yet. Jack would like a kipper but I expect they have all gone to the Regiment. I wonder if the Gin will be very surprised to hear the Jack has grown into a General. Poor Jack only wants its Gin. Doesn’t want to be a General. Now I must stop. Goodbye darling little Ginny Cracknut. Lots and heaps of love from your ever loving little Jack.

Description: Quite an event with this Jack now. Longing to see the photos. Do hurry them up. [?? Very great big Jack now. Slowed up a lot, going to have his … taken perhaps.??] I was so sorry to leave the Regiment, Gin, it was awful. There was an out of door concert that night & one of the Sergeants told the men I was going, and then I had to say something & they cheered & cheered and this poor little Jack did so hate going away. Going to borrow a car and have a joy ride to go and see them soon I hope. Major Luard has done jolly well with the 1st Battalion too. They did very well here the other day but they have never had such a bad time as the poor old 85th.

Description: He has been running about after me for two days. He brought a very nice Staff Officer with him. They both went back yesterday. I am so glad you are getting plenty of riding, little Gin. It is splendid if you get a few rides on Buffy as well as Stella. I suspect you will be down there every day. I wonder if Fred has been up with the hounds yet. This Jack loves waking up early and dreaming of its Gin. It has had quite a comfortable time lately and time to dream because I always make Layton wake me early. I am going to have a bath tomorrow morning if nothing prevents it.

Description: My darling little Gin, Your letter was such a nice one. The best way to shorten Brigadier is just to put Brig. It is rather a desperate long word to write. I have been doing such a lot of dining out and I lunched out today. So afraid of getting intoxicated when I am dining with people of the first distinction. I am so glad I have got such a nice staff. They all know Jorrocks so it is all right and they all hunt. I have had the most charming old man staying here with me to learn the work. He is a General over from England and a Guardsman.

Description: Do send me some of the snap shots when you have had them printed. I would love to see them. Mr. C[??] is here on my staff. Do you remember him at [??] and at Bodenham. Do you remember his sister getting that bad fall at the Vern [?] Venn [?]. I have got to go out to dinner tonight so I have got to hurry. I wonder if you have had a ride out on the pony. I hope you have & I hope the saddle will fit it as well as you think. Your last letter was such a nice one little Gin. I was delighted with it.

Description: I think you would have been amused last night if you had seen how this Brigade does its work. Mr. Compere[??] was reading Jorrocks aloud while the rest of the staff was working and we were in tears of laughter all the time. It was the part where Mr. Jorrocks was being tried as non compos and he had made a search of the dead horses and finished off the top with horses heads.

Description: My darling little Gin, I hope by the time you get this you will have had a day’s cubbing. Get as much as you can, 6 days is possible. I am afraid Stella must be an awful nuisance to catch but you are a very good Gin to do it all yourself. I am afraid it must have been rather hard cleaning the bits & stirrup irons. They looked quite nice in the photo.

Description: Those photos were not a success because you had such a dark background. Can’t you try a few more. If you could get it in a plain grass field well away from a fence it would be better. And turn the horses head up hill slightly so that he has to stand out well. Would so like another. Could not quite see my Gin very well in the ones you sent.

Description: I heard from Mrs. Hunter but I don’t know what to do about the dog. It would really be rather awkward having him here or rather getting him out. I don’t know how to manage it. I must write and say something about it though. Poor Gin back at lessons again, never mind, had a good summer holidays & 3 days cubbing. I do hope you will be able to have some days at Xmas. I shall have to give you some money for a subscription if I can. Not got much money at present. Poor Jack. Wasn’t it funny of Mrs. Sandford wanting to know if we would take Fred Hall [?] again after all she said. I wish we were all back there again & going to have a winter’s hunting. It would be lovely. Now darling little Gin I must stop. This Jack does so miss its Gin. Give my love to the Hewitts & thank him for his letter.

Description: It would be lovely if we could each have a young puppy and train it. I wonder if I shall hear from Hunter. I think the vets had a pt. to pt. meeting the other day all round my dug out. I could distinctly hear them cheering after the cull. I suppose it must have been a good win. I am thankful to say it is fine here at the moment. I do hope it will stay like this. No one seems to have had that rain last Tuesday. I suppose you will be going back to Newbold very soon. Don’t forget to send me the photos little darling little Gin. Now I must stop. Lots and heaps of love darling little Ginny Cracknut from your ever loving little Jack. Give my love to the others.

Description: I wonder if you have got an archibold yet. I do hope you have. I am longing to get that half pound of butter you have made. Been horribly wet and the parts of the trenches are full of water. I am so sorry for the men. I wonder if you have heard anything from Mr. Hewitt about fishing yet. By the way before I forget, I love eels. Could you send me 2 or 3 really big eels. I think they would travel all right. I must stop now, my darling little Gin. There is just a faint chance I might see you about the 11th but I don’t know yet. Lots & heaps of love, darling little cracknut from your ever loving little Jack.