Artillery regt., one of the family, I
fancy, who was tea-planting or something at Singapore before the war.
As to smoked herrings, I cannot say that I am very fond of them, so I
think that at present it would be as well not to send anything but
cakes, mincepies, or tartlets. Mincepies are presumably over, so
continue to send jam tartlets, please. Some day I will try to get our
cook here to see what he can do, but I am afraid our soldier man needs
more instruction before he can venture on pastry! Now I must stop, as
I have a great deal of other business to get done....

They have started shelling us again, bless them!

_March 3rd, 1915._

I was so busy yesterday that I had not a chance of sending you more
than a postcard. They sent for me to a hurried conference of the
General. I then rode off with another Colonel some miles, and after
putting on waders had to reconnoitre our new trenches and go over
other ground, marching along these under fire, with the mud, as usual,
halfway up to my waist. Such is life over here. I returned about 3
o'clock, and then I had to settle the endless questions which arise in
a regt. on active service, from getting the men new boots to arranging
whether it was safe for the shoemaker to have a fire in his corner
whilst he was busy cobbling. So far the tarts have not arrived.
Perhaps they will presently. All the war news looks good; but it is a
big war. I only wish I had been out with the "Rufford" at Weston last
week. Such a horrible day here, raining hard and everything
uncomfortable. I have managed to squeeze into a small house with my
adjutant Capt. Wright, and he has to sleep on the boards where we have
our meals, whilst the old lady and her servant cook our rations at 1-1/2
francs a day each. You should hear the French we talk!...

Glad the children liked the "meet."

_March 4th, 1915._

Your letter did not turn up yesterday! I have been most busy with
various things. If you saw my men in a spinning mill sleeping under
engines, etc., you would wonder how we exist! Of course, Spring is
coming on, and we shall then have to go in for business of the worst
type; so whilst someone else is holding the lines, we are now trying
to get our men fit for this work. Meals here are quaint, run by a
servant girl. She brings breakfast of coffee without milk and an
omelette, but we always have our rati