My darling Mother,--

I am afraid I have not written to you for several days, but I have not
been able to do so as we have been marching every day. We were
relieved in the trenches by the Australians from Anzac. They are a
very casual lot and did all manner of absurd things in daytime,
thinking it so much safer than Gallipoli, but I hope they have learnt
wisdom now. The first day we moved only about five miles independently
to a new billet; we had two rooms with a big bed in each, and we slept
two on each bed. That was Monday.

On Tuesday we moved again, about 15 miles, to Havesoskirk. It was
raining all day, but we managed to put our packs into our waggon, and
so marched the whole five days in Sam Brownes only. That night we had
a farm house, with the usual arrangements, and went a few miles into
St. Vement for dinner, where we went over the school of mortars and
saw several interesting guns, especially the 9.4. Major Dodgson was
very interesting and pleasant to us. We had dinner at an
estaminet--quite a good dinner, but a mad female served us. On
Wednesday we again wended our way farther on our flat feet marching
again; also rain again and a very cold wind. When we march it looks
rather funny, as we have a long train of handcarts, which are our
transport, packed with all sorts of things, including a lot of wood,
chiefly composed of ammunition boxes. We had an hour's halt for lunch
and tried to get some lunch, but were pushed out of one estaminet by a
fat madam who was bustling round, and evidently did not trust us near
her very unattractive daughter. Then we went to get some lunch at an
hotel piloted by a major, but discovered we only had sovereigns and
halfpennies, and so bought chocolate instead. That night we had a
topping billet--a house in a lane at Roquetoire standing by itself,
which belonged to a French doctor; we had a dining room, the use of
the drawing room, and three topping bedrooms with big double beds in
each. Kitty and I shared one, Carol and Brand another, and Seddon and
Douse, the Brigade Signalling Officer, another. We had a topping time,
but, unfortunately, had to wait till 9-30 for dinner, as our servants
seem to have fallen on evil days. After dinner we made our confessions
in a book of Madame's, such questions as "Who is the greatest author
of the day," "Describe the girl of the period," &c. Afterwards we went
in with Madam, a topping old dame, who spoke English very well, and
Madamoiselle, wh