e coming from India that it has been
impossible to attend to such things....

Yours with love....
G.B.L.

IN BILLETS.
_March 7th, 1915._

We have been very hard at work to-day. At 9.30 last night I received
an order to arrange with the priest in a certain village for service
the next morning. As my billets extend over a mile, you can imagine
that I was not too pleased! This was followed at 11.30 p.m. by another
order that we were to be on parade at 6 a.m. Getting home between 7
and 8 a.m., I had to hurry to early service, bolt some breakfast, and
present myself at the General's house at 9 o'clock for a conference.
Returning from that, I then had to hand in the men's winter kits. Next
came the orders to move into fresh billets to-night in the dark. This
with 1,000 men and 70 horses, whilst I must send a working party of
four hundred men to a place 5 or 6 miles off at 10.30 p.m. to-night.
How it is all to be done I have not been informed, but you can imagine
the chaos that can ensue. We have been comfortable for the last two or
three days. After our life in the trenches we can say that we have
been _very_ comfortable, because we have been able to wash daily and
have a tub every second day, which things count much. I sent my Sam
Browne belt, etc., home two days ago, as we are supposed to wear web
equipment now like the men; and our swords have also been despatched.
Mine has gone to Messrs. Cox's shipping agency through the Ordnance,
with three labels on it addressed to you; it is well greased, and will
not require overhauling, I trust, until I get back. We have had two
days of rain, and things are rather nasty. My saddle-bags are quite
useful on my second horse; they take a lot of my kit, including a pair
of waders, with boots to go with them too. When the weather dries up
a little, I shall return these and push other things in. I wish the
war was well over, but I expect the Germans hate it worse than we
do....

BILLETS.
_March 8th, 1915._

Our little march in the dark was accompanied with heavy rain squalls
and the weather turning bitterly cold. We missed our billeting party
in the darkness, for it was intense. I think the inside of a pub