Billie - Wednesday 2nd June 1915

Dear Mother,

Many thanks for parcel received just before going into the trenches also many thanks for John's parcels.  You will no doubt have heard from John by now.  He is a lucky chap in a way as he will get a good holiday, although it is hard luck on him that I should have received all his parcels.  His razor and towel I will keep for if he is in England, but if he is in France I will try to get them through to him. 

You will be pleased to hear that our Brigade has been congratulated by Sir John French for the way in which we've held the line during the fierce fighting round here.  We had a fine time in the trenches this time, the weather was lovely and we all enjoyed it very much.  We had some of Kitchener's army in our trenches for instruction.  They were in for 36 hours and we had to teach them a few wrinkles of how to go on and we had a fine time with them.  They were all Scots and rather funny, one of the chaps comes from Hensingham called "Preston".  He knew John and he knew me through my football career at Moresby.  He was a miner and I had a good chat with him. 

I think the war will not be long before it is over now after the big successes on all fronts.  You'll be surprised to hear I had another jolly fine parcel from our Director and it contained the same articles as last time, so you need not send any more on for a long time as there was a box of good soap and also 100 more fags. 

The weather is awfully hot so the sherbet will be handy.  We had our hut nicely lit up last night with the candles you sent me.  Thanks also for the silk handkerchiefs.  Sorry to hear about poor Jack Huggins, I think he must be a German prisoner of war, and it is awful to think he is. 

I will wear the bag of camphor you sent, as the smells of dead are when the sun get strong. 

I think I must close now, please remember me to all at home, all the aunts, Mr Ray &c. hoping all are well.  Tell Thompson I've let my tache grow for a few weeks and it's coming in slow but sure. 

Hoping all are well as it leaves me in the pink, and as brown as berry. 

Your loving son, Billie. 

P.S. I think we get most parcels of any Battalion and the chaps say we have a special post for the Bros. Thompson, so you'll see we have got a name - the sherbet is great.  You might send me another writing pad as I gave John mine, on the way to the hospital.  Get June 1st Daily News & Leader, look at page 5 column 5 and you see about the "Gay Garden"; this is where we spend our nights in reserve in this wood.  It is worth reading.