cake. I have about one and a half of ordinary candles a
day.

Much love to all,

From your sleepy and loquacious Son,
ALEC.

P.S.--Don't believe all I say.

A/101 TRENCH MORTAR BATTERY,
101ST BRIGADE, B.E.F.

My darling Mother,--

I received yesterday a letter from you and one from Win. I am sorry to
hear you had not heard from me for some time. How long was it? as I
have never been a week yet without sending off a letter. Only once has
there been more than five or six days between letters. My last was
sent off on Friday night and the previous one the Friday before. By
the time you receive this you will be glad to know that I am out of
the trenches (D.V.) for 16 days, and shall have a nice rest. Yesterday
we fired some ranging shots and were unsuccessful, as there was a
strong head wind. I was firing obliquely thus:

[Illustration]

and the first shot got blown right back into our wire and put me in a
fearful funk. To-day I had my usual breakfast at 10-0 in bed, washed,
shaved, and then went along to see "A" Company Commander to arrange
about firing. On the way to his headquarters I saw a captain of the
R.H.A., and found out he had come to be in command of a heavy trench
mortar battery in our brigade. While talking, he mentioned the name of
a man's father whom I knew at Jesus, and then I found out he had been
at Jesus; he was in his third year when I was in my first, I had met
him and knew his name well and he knew mine. I was extremely pleased
to have him in the brigade. This afternoon a major in command asked me
to get on to a dug-out in the German lines, the roof of which was
showing over the parapet and from where a sniper had killed one of his
men. I did so. We fired four shots, all landed in the trench, the
fourth blowing up the dug-out. That sniper snipes no more. The
infantry were awfully bucked and several men have spoken to me as I
wander along the trenches about our good shooting. It was a long-range
and there was a difficult wind. I was very pleased. The Germans
retaliated with mortars, but fell short of our front line. Then I went
and had tea, having done a good day's work. To-night the company I
mess with kindly invited Lloyd-Barrow, the Jesus man, to dinner, and I
am just going to bed now. I will send this letter off to-m