I hoped to get potted meat, and asked for "pate en
bottine," which being interpreted is meat in boots, which was
unfortunate. Parker then entered another shop and asked "Je desire un
larabeau si vous l'avez," which means "I want a basin, if you have
one." But, unfortunately, the good lady thought he meant not "si vous
l'avez" if you have it, but "si you lavez" if you wash. I am afraid
that No. 36 was delayed, and so it arrived at the same time as No. 37,
I suppose. Read both very carefully together and you will perchance be
interested. To-day I had an inspiration. We could not get anywhere for
the men to bathe for the last week or two and this morning I was
desperate. I believe a lot of the little friends which are said to
dwell with the soldiers are due to troops in the same conditions not
having an inspiration and so starting badly. The idea was almost too
simple. I dug four holes in the ground and pegged a waterproof sheet
in it, and got four dixifuls of hot water, so that each section of my
platoon had a bath per platoon and water not quite cold. As there was
a gentle zephyr wind blowing and a nice warm sun it was very pleasing.
We have been having topping fine weather--hardly any rain so far.

Good-night, Mother,
From your loving Son,
ALEC.

11TH SUFFOLKS,
B.E.F.

My darling Mother,

I hope you got my last letters all right and understood them. Since
writing them I have moved, but the battalion has not. Two of us and 71
men are on a course in trench mortars. We have moved some 12 miles
further, and are, I think, about three miles from where Arthur was. We
came right up here in 'busses, and arrived here no one seemed to know
anything about us, so we had to forage round and get billets for our
men and then for ourselves. When all was settled, an officer came and
told us he had orders from his brigade to have these billets for a
battalion just coming out of the trenches, so we started off again,
and finally fixed the men up and in the end ourselves in an estaminet
(whisper it softly--a pub.) in a wee room with one large bed. We both
then slept on the bed and used the rest of the room for storing our
clothes in. The men were roused up in the night by a false alarm