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Description: You must have had an exciting time going off to see the King in such a hurry. It was rather good getting them?? there?? in time. It has been snowing again today, it is most annoying just when the ground was beginning to dry up a bit. We made ourselves the most lovely dug outs the other day. They shelled our farmhouse until we could not stay in it any longer not even in the cellar. So we had to make dug outs. Captain Bryant made a lovely one. He got firm boards out of the ruined houses for the floor & it has got a table and two chairs in it and a shelf for plates and a tea pot & jug & things quite good ones he got out of the houses close to. He first of all dug a hole in a grass field, a large square hole, and roofed it over with stout planks.

Description: It would do no harm there and I think there ought to be one day for the holidays. I hope you will be able to manage it all right. I had a very nice letter from Mr. Hewitt the other day. I do wish you could get a days hunting or two or three days fishing. I have just had a wonderful good lunch, so you can imagine we are in a big town, but go out tonight. I wish I could get a bit of leave. I suppose we all shall some day but not at present. Some people think this war will be over quickly. I don’t think so at all. It was no use our beginning it at all unless we are determined to see Germany knocked out and it will take a lot of time and money. So it is silly thinking of finishing it too soon. I think the book you are reading is quite right.

Description: We are having a day out at rest, but this house is so drafty, there are great shell holes in it and no glass left in the windows in most of the rooms so it is not over warm. Poor Mr. Holman who took all those snap shots some time ago was killed the day before yesterday. I want a new Mackintosh badly. You never saw such an old torn thing as mine is now it is not fit to be seen and all the buttons are off it. I found a button today and have told Layton to sew it on. I wonder what that camp at Winchester looks like now. It does seem a long time ago since we were there. It is not very long really either.

Description: My darling little Gin. I must try and write a letter to you now. We have had a lovely holiday for about a fortnight but now we are beginning again in a new place. It is quite a nice place, they shell us very hard but when they stop we are able to walk about all over the place instead of hiding in cellars and dug-outs because they cannot see us. We are in big woods & things of that sort. I am so sorry you won’t get a days hunting. I think if you were to go and see Fred Bevan in Corke they would probably arrange to have a bye-day for you in Sinners Wood & at Bunghope Gate.

Description: My darling little Gin, I have not much time to write today as I have such a lot of things to do but I must try and write you a short note. I hope you have a good time these holidays. I wish you could get a day’s hunting. I think perhaps you will be able to manage it. Poor Jack’s ankle not very well again, been walking on it too much. It is going to be bound up again today when I can catch the Doctor. One poor man has been killed today by accident by one of our own men. That was bad luck when cleaning an officer’s revolver.

Description: I saw Mr. Colville the other night, the 1st Battalion had been living in the greatest luxury for 6 months. I am afraid they will find a difference now they have moved. George Colville looked very well, he came to dine with me & I told him all about our trip to Loch Long. I have got a very nice letter again about our men. I am sending it home to Melsh, she can show it to you. Dorothy [??] seems to be doing very hard work. I hope it won’t knock her up. She is rather young to do so much. It is lovely & hot now and my clothes are too hot. I had a lovely cold bath this morning in this lovely house. I did enjoy it. It feels like peace time being here, I do hope they will not shell it & smash it all to pieces. I am dining in the town with the Interpreter tonight to learn to talk French. I get so little chance, but I talked quite a bit yesterday. Now darling little Ginny Cracknut I must stop. Give my love to the others. Lots & heaps of love darling little Gin from your ever loving little Jack.

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.