At last I've found time to write to you. We have been busy out here. We came out of the trenches last night or rather this morning in the early hours. We had a very exciting time of it again and the Germans were very busy with their artillery and we got plenty of big and little Willies. They usually start shelling us about 9 in the morning and keep it up all day long, and I can tell you we get some very near ones. We had them bursting about 10 yards behind our dug-outs and what don't get behind the parapet the others knock our parapet about.
The last day we were in this time I was on periscope duty from 7.30 a.m. until 9.30 a.m. while the others got a few hours sleep. I had just taken this duty on when the officer came along and told me to start sniping and he observed, so I had 2 hours of this and I can tell you it was all right. He was observing through a loop-hole and I did get a lot of ammunition off. When I had finished this 2 hours spell and turned in for a few hours sleep, we had the order to stand to and we fought them all day long. My shoulder today is all discoloured with the rounds from the recoil of the rifle.
Then one night I was out in front of our barbed wire on listening patrol between the trenches for three hours at a spell; 4 of us all laying in a star formation and I can tell you it is a rotten cold job.
We have had a good number of casualties and we have now a large draft on their way up to us. The Germans are dirty dogs and no mistake and you can hardly credit some of the things they do. They bayonet all the wounded and you will no doubt have heard of the Canadians whom they crucified with bayonets. This is quite true you can take it from me, and also the other crimes which we are not allowed to mention. So the order of the day is "No Prisoners".
I was talking with a Canadian today and he was telling me of a little experience he had. He said he got 4 Germans in a corner when they immediately threw down their arms and went on their knees for mercy, but needless to say they got none, and one of the chaps said "Spare me, my uncle is a Canadian". "Oh" said the Canadian "in that case I will finish you off and then hope to meet your uncle".
We have just had a Zeppelin over here in the early hours of the morning.
Well Tom, how are you getting on at work? I hope you are sticking it. How are your father and mother keeping? Well I hope, also all at George St. You might let May and Jennie read this. I am writing a little letter to Jack for himself in reply to his.
Hoping you are all quite well and thanking you for the papers you send us.
Your loving cousin, Billie.
P.S. We are in huts just behind the firing line a little to the right of a village that was very prominent not so very long ago and it is smashed up. The church is awful to see.
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