ey left 3 officers and 300 men
dead on one road alone from our fire. Hope our losses are light.

IN BILLETS.
_January 27th, 1915._

Sorry to hear from your letter that you are still in bed. I do not see
as much of my own bed as I would like to at present, but this thing
has to be seen through. Being the Kaiser's birthday, we anticipated an
attack, so to cheer our friends up and to show them what they might
expect we opened on them at 5 o'clock this morning with our heavy
guns. Such a row you never heard. The unbroken panes of glass in my
room have long ago had all the putty shaken out and they rattle away
to any extent when the guns are fired. It is very cold and chilly over
here now, but not freezing, and we are rejoicing in the defeat of the
Germans. They appear to be better at killing women and children with
their men-of-war than fighting our ships when they meet them. I must
say I have a poor opinion of them, not of their fighting qualities,
but because they behave so badly. Curiously enough, the enemy never
replied to our bombardment. It was directed on our right front, where
poor Bannon, my servant, whom you will remember in Dover, was killed,
and where we think these beauties gather in the mornings and stand to
arms. It was a good bombardment. If some of them were about, there
must be a lot killed. I did all I could to cheer everyone on. Well, I
went for a ride yesterday after discussing your most excellent
partridges at lunch, and saw my new draft. I am very strong, despite
my losses, and I would like to show you my battalion when it first
came out of the trenches and a month afterwards; you would see the
difference! We are about twice as strong as the regiment was under
Col. Napier at Dover. I heard from Admiral Gaunt yesterday. He has
just been promoted, and is in charge of naval barracks. I must write
him a note this morning. Wonderful people the French women! They are
like cats the way they cling to their homes. The lady of this house
has now returned, small baby and all, and has asked for two rooms.
Having succeeded, she has got an old attempt at a carpenter in, and is
boarding up the broken windows, etc. The bullet hole in the door will
puzzle him unless he stops it up with a cork. Anyhow, they are making
a most horrible din, banging away. I forgot to say that yesterday my
Mother sent me from Oakfield two pairs