Many thanks for parcel and letters which I received on Tuesday when we came out of the trenches. The parcel was jolly fine and tasty; the meat was jolly fine also the oranges, they were a treat such large ones. Thank Jess for the diary I thought it would be all right to read after the war is all over.
We had a very exciting time of it in the trenches. On our left the second night we were in there was a big bombardment and an advance. It was great to hear it. However the next day they had a bit of their own back and gave us such a shelling it was indescribable at first but you got used to it after a time. They blew some of our trenches up and dug our right, but I am pleased to say they did no damage.
The 3rd night we were in, our platoon had a great capture; four of them were out on listening patrol when two chaps came crawling up to them. Well they thought they were our engineers but challenged them when one of them let fly with a revolver at our chaps from 6 yds range. They were that near to our chaps that they could not move their rifles to get at them or they would have given the game away and they would have all been wiped out. One came down one side and the other on the other side. Well one of our chaps on the right was near enough to the other chap to be able to touch him, so he caught hold of his wrist just before the other one was challenged and started to wrestle with him. Well he got him down and though the chap was so startled that he dropped his pistol, so the chap picked it up and brought him in with it at his head. It was a very smart capture and the chap has been recommended by the General. The other chap who fired when he was challenged managed to get away.
The one who was captured was about 20 years old and seemed to be well off but he was very cute. When he was wrestling with our chaps he was talking in French, but when they got him in he said he did not understand French. However they soon frightened him into telling quite a lot of information. He said that he had been told that the English shoot all prisoners and when he was taken to H.Q. he kept saying "No shoot mister". It is all the more credit to our Battalion seeing they wanted a prisoner here for a long time to see who were against us at this part of the line, and one General offered £50 to any of his chaps for a prisoner but I don't know whether our chap will get it or not. The funny part of it is, the chap that brought him in could not find the trigger of the revolver as it was a patent, but he braved it out, and one of the others got to him with his rifle and bayonet for safety.
We are about a mile behind the firing line now, and in a big barn and we spend the nights going in front of our line making new trenches. The German snipers are awful, they are all over the shop and an awful lot of spies. Last night when we were digging an officer and a sergeant went out after a spy and they shot him just as he was crawling up to shoot some of our chaps. Oh, when they went out the night after that a German was captured, they found some flags which they were going to stick in front of our lines inviting us English to a football match. They are very daring young chaps and will do anything for bravado.
Well from all accounts the war will not last much longer. Oh you might send me some more boracic powder in a strong tin box if you can. Well I think I've told you all the news at present. We played one of the other platoons at footer and we licked them 4-2. We are having a big match on tomorrow. Did Pater get his letter? About our washing, we have none - only our socks. They have started when we go for a bath, to issue clean underclothing, so we throw the dirty ones away as our valise is something frightful to carry and is the curse of all the chaps, regulars as well.
Well I must close now hoping that you, Father, Jess, Sarah, Janey, Joe and Thompson are all quite well, also all at Greenwell House, George St and Catherine St.
Your loving son,
Billie.
Kindly thank Aunt Sally for the loaf, it was a treat. We were fed on Bully Beef and biscuits after the first day in the trenches. You ought to have seen a pudding I made out of biscuits and marmalade, all boiled together, as the biscuits are too hard to eat in their ordinary state.
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