oo, but I hope I shall not want it, as half the winter is over.
Good-bye.

Yours....
G----.

IN BILLETS.
_January 16th, 1915._

Am off in a moment on duty, winding up with luncheon at my General's
before I go to the trenches. Following out that note from the
Saddler's Co. I have written to ask for some comforts for my men. Not
clothes, but what do you think? Coffee and milk in tins. Then this
morning I have been practising bomb-throwers. This Christian device is
made of a jam-tin or crock filled with gun-cotton and nails, and has a
fuse attached to it. The fuse is lighted and thrown by hand into the
enemy's trench, where it explodes and does much execution. Cheerful,
is it not? Another plan of mine was rather unpleasant. I told you that
I pumped the water out of our trenches into the German ones, and that
they replied, and then dam-building began. Finally, we burst their
dam, and some men working on it fled. Our people were about to fire,
seeing them running, when an old soldier called out: "Do not shoot,
for they cannot run far in that mud." The poor things finally stopped,
panting, and they had to be shot down as they stood. Such is war. Very
hideous, and I loathe it, but what will you? I am sure fighting is the
thing I hate of all others, but I object more to these Huns coming
over to England and knocking our women and children about.

IN TRENCHES.
_January 17th, 1915._

Here I am back again in my trenches. During the three days we did
"support" the enemy blew up several houses in this road with shells.
Now they are being shelled by our guns, and I am afraid the scamps
will fire on us again when the gunners go to dinner. We got in quite
peacefully last night, and after something to eat, politely called
"dinner," I flew off to see and direct my trench working parties.
Starting about 8.30 o'clock, I arrived home between 1 and 2 a.m. Was
up again at 5.30 on parade. At 7.30 the General came out. I had a
working party of 50 Royal Artillery men as well as my own. We dug away
hard whilst the Germans sent occasional bullets amongst us and threw
rockets to try to show us up: we lay down then to prevent having
machine guns turned on us. B