roared by the Tommies, and then a C. of E.
Padre gave a short address--quite good. The Wesleyan did an extempore
prayer, rather well, and a very nice huge C. of E. man gave the
Blessing. Now they are having a Tommies' concert--a talented boy at the
piano.

At midday we passed a French cruiser, going the opposite way. They waved
and yelled, and we waved and yelled. We are out of sight of English or
French coast now. I believe we are to be in early to-morrow morning, and
will have a long train journey probably, but nobody knows anything for
certain except where we land--Havre.

It seems so long since we heard anything about the war, but it is only
since yesterday morning. (The concert is rather distracting, and the
wind is getting up--one of the Tommies has an angelic black puppy on
his lap, with a red cross on its collar, and there is a black cat
about.)

_Thursday, August 20th_, 5 P.M., _Havre._--We got in about 9 o'clock
this morning. Havre is a very picturesque town, with very high houses,
and a great many docks and quays, and an enormous amount of shipping.
The wharves were as usual lined with waving yelling crowds, and a great
exchange of Vive l'Angleterre from them, and Vive la France from us went
on, and a lusty roar of the Marseillaise from us. During the morning the
horses and pontoons and waggons were disembarked, and the R.E. and Field
Ambulances went off to enormous sheds on the wharf. We went off in a
taxi in batches of five to the Convent de St Jeanne d'Arc, an enormous
empty school, totally devoid of any furniture except crucifixes! Luckily
the school washhouse has quite good basins and taps, and we are all
camping out, three in a room, to sleep on the floor, as our camp kit
isn't available. No one knows if we shall be here one night, or a week,
or for ever! It is a glorious place, with huge high rooms, and huge open
casements, and broad staircases and halls, windows looking over the town
to the sea. We are high up on a hill. There's no food here, so we sit on
the floor and make our own breakfast and tea, and go to a very swanky
hotel for lunch and dinner. We are billeted here for quarters, and at
the hotel for meals.

A room full of mattresses has just been discovered to our joy, and we
have all hauled one up to our rooms, so we shall be in luxury.

Just got a French paper and seen the Pope is dead, and a very
enthusiastic account of the British troops at Dunkerque, their
marvellous organisation,