Just a line to let you know we are in the trenches again for 8 days this time. We have had nothing but rain for the last 10 days so you can imagine the state the trenches were in. Talk about a holiday - coming in last night we had to wade kneww deep in places through brown slime. I have never seen such mud before. The chaps whom we relieved went about with their stockings and puttees off and their trousers turned up and just their boots on and you should have seen the state they were in. We did not believe it when told but "seeing is believing". They are the worst trenches we have ever been in for mud and water and you can understand it as the trench is dug down into the ground and there are no trench foot boards to help you along. It was for all the world like a skating rink carnival.
However we have this consolation that when we have done 8 days we have a good rest out and if we only get some fine weather we will be all right. Our dug-out is a great dungeon under the ground and 16 of us are in it.
I am glad to know you are a bit better and hope you well soon be knocking about again. I was pleased to hear Tony had paid you a surprise visit I suppose he is as big a nut as ever. Out John's place is marked on the Daily Mail map but our place is not and we are in the French line.
Please send me some more health salts. When we were coming into the trenches the lady in our billet let us shake one of the apple trees and you can guess we brought plenty of apples in to last us. This tree was the only one on which the fruit was ripe. Just behind our trenches there are orchards all over the place.
The Germans are fairly giving us a shelling today but we are fairly safe in this dug out.
Well I must close now hoping all are well as I'm in the pink. I must go now as we have a lot of barbed wire entanglements to get out in front of our line. Kindly remember me to all my friends, as I've not had time to write to them all. Our comb band has just struck up and you ought to hear it. You would not think we were in the fire trench.
Your loving son, Billie
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