France

July 7

 

Dear Parishioners,

I think most of you will understand how I come to be writing from France. I have felt that in this great crisis of our nation’s history, everyone ought to do what he can to help. I have said this both publicly and privately, but it has been hard to tell people that they ought to leave their homes, to go out into strange and new surroundings, to endure discomforts and danger—perhaps to face death—it has been hard to tell people that this was their duty and then to remain comfortably at home myself. So that is why I have left you for an indefinite period.

 

I am proud, very proud of what Frittenden has done. I know how hard it has been for many of the soldiers to leave their homes and their families and occupations; but the harder it has been, the greater the credit and the greater the reward.

 

I need not tell you that Frittenden will be constantly in my thoughts and that it will make things easier for me here if I hear that everything is going on well in the Parish.

 

I ask for your prayers. I ask you to pray that I may be a help to those to whom I have to minister out here. That God will bless and keep you all, is the prayer of

 

Your Affectionate Rector,

 

(Signed) Rupert E. Inglis.

 

 

              

July 10     

                                                             No. 23 General Hospital, Etaples. At last I am allowed to say where I am. I am Chaplain of this Hospital with 1,160 beds in it, but only 400 are occupied at present. I got here, after a good deal of traveling, at 11 p.m.—couldn’t get a bed anywhere, but an ambulance found us an empty hut

and then we shook down for the night. I slept in my valise on the floor, and though I found a good many more bones than I knew 1 had, I did not sleep badly. I was rather like the street Arab whose grace after a small meal was “I could have eaten more, but thank God for what I have had,” for I didn’t think I should sleep at all. I could write you miles but I have promised to go and write letters for men in the Hospital, so I am going to give you a few wants. For the Hospital I want a gramophone and as many tunes as you can get. Also I can do with any quantity of picture papers—they want them so badly…….   

 

July 12    

                    I have a little office in the main tin building where I am writing now, and have quite a nice little wood and canvas hut about 5ft. by 10ft…..I sleep on the floor, have got a mattress, I am very com­fortable and sleep like a top…..The Commanding Officer is a Colonel Harrison, who was doctor to the Guards……After to­day there will be only one other English officer here——the rest are all Americans from Chicago . . . . the nurses are also American.

……..The objection to this place is that the camp is on sand. There has been a high wind and everything has just been full of sand—ink and everything else. One is a long way from the war, but one realizes it much more here. My hut is not fifty yards from where all Red Cross trains come in. Two big trains came in yesterday and we got 110 new cases into this hospital alone, and there are many more of them ……. I have 35 wards in my hospital and when full there will be 1,000 patients  ….  

 

The men are awfully good and plucky—-some of the wounds are awful. One boy showed me a bit of shrapnel nearly 2in. long that had been cut out of the middle of him. One boy had a bullet clean through his face and is not a bit the worse for it—no pain, nothing hurt, and he eats like a Trojan.

 

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July 13

Though I am left pretty well to follow my own devices my day is pretty well filled up. I get up 7, breakfast 8, censor letters 9—1l (I am waiting for them now), Hospital 11—1. Lunch. Letters again 2—4, Hospital 4-5 tea. Hospital to dinner. After dinner read paper and go for a walk; I rather grudge giving four hours a day to censoring letters. Doctor has just been to say that a man in West Kent Rgt. was brought in last night very badly wounded in the leg - went up to see him --- asked his Rgt.——West Kent--asked his name --Jim Stone.

 

Isn’t it curious? He is a very nice chap and so grateful for the parcels you sent him. I am afraid he will lose his leg, but I haven’t told Mrs. Craddock yet, so don’t you, as it is not certain. They have taken three biggish bits of shrapnel out of his leg, but there is more to come. He was hit helping a wounded man to cover.

 

The boys want more cigarettes here than they are allowed. I got some yesterday at the Canteen and go into Hospital with my pockets full ….  

July 14

I got no letter from you last night only the “Tatler,” which I read Last night and gave to Jim Stone this morning. The Doctor told me this morning that they thought they could save his leg. He has it in a most marvellous cradle. All the appliances are very good and quite up-to-date. We have a beautiful operating theatre, X-ray room, photographic studio, etc. I believe it is the best hos­pital in the place. My postman is a Yorkshire miner, we spend much time together as he has to lick down all the letters. This morning, having got very intimate, we exchanged photographs of our wives and families. Among other sundries he has been blessed with two pairs of twins ….   

July 17    

I have very little time to write to-night as I have to go and get things ready for services to-morrow. Our Chapel is a perfectly bare room, or was a few minutes ago, but I am hoping by now there is a trestle table there to act as an altar and some benches. That is all we shall have. We are to have services there at 5.15 a.m., 6.30 a.m., 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Romans have their services then at 7a.m.

 

 

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and 9 a.m. I saw the Principal Chaplain here this morning and he told me he had heard to-day from H.Q. that I was to be attached to a Brigade. It is the work I shall like best and will give me a better chance of getting to know the men ….    

 

July 18        

                    1 have had quite a busy Sunday. Celebrations at 5.15 and 6.30 and at 10.30 a service for the patients. It was such a nice service. We expected 30 or 40 and had only got seats for that number, but we had over 150, and we had to go about collecting seats for them as most of them were not fit to stand. I started the hymns, they went with great gusto. You might tell Norris we shall hardly require the organ when I come back as I shall be able to do it myself! On second thoughts, perhaps my efforts were not so successful, and after the service one of the nurses came and offered me 20 dollars towards the purchase of a harmonium. We made the altar quite nice for the early celebration. The frontal was turkey twill of a patients’ screen and the candlesticks were lust bedroom candlesticks.

The flowers were “Dorothy Perkins.” They were put on the altar by the R.C. matron who was doing her own altar at the other end of the room. They did not agree very well with the Turkey twill, but we were not very particular over these things here. I have got my first gramophone working. I have sent it off to one of the wards which is far away from here, so that I shan’t be bothered with it. Jim Stone has been shaved to-day and looks much better.

….The men are so nice and say such funny things too. One man to-day said he was suffering from “Diagnosis” but had got better of that….

 

July 19

                    Nothing much to tell you to-day. I went out to Le Touquet at 4 yesterday afternoon and got back at 8. I had between 10 and 16 miles walk, which did me a lot of good. I don’t consider it at all an attractive place, but the sands are very good and Margie would love

it. It is not being looked after now and some of the walks and promenades are 3 or 4 feet under sand…..

 

July 20

                    Yesterday they had rather an extraordinary operation. They extracted a bullet from a man and there was something behind it, so they went on and took out a penny which had been driven in by

 

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the bullet. It had really saved the man’s life, as it was pressing against an important artery which the bullet would otherwise have severed. There are really the most extraordinary wounds—its wonderful how they ever recover. One man was shot in the nose— the bullet went through his mouth--right through the tongue--down his throat and out at his shoulder. The man is really quite well now and able to smoke. I have not heard anything about my move; I rather hope I shall be here over Sunday, as I have got the camp carpenter on Friday and we are going to turn our Chapel into a regular Cathedral….    

 

July 21

I am very sad to-day as poor Jim Stone died at 3. He was going on so well, but this morning the nurse came and told me gangrene had set in, and that he was to have his leg amputated at 10 o’clock. I went in and stayed with him till he went to the operating theatre

—he was very bright and wonderfully plucky. I went to see him as soon as he was brought back. He was partially conscious. I think he knew me, but he only lived an hour. He was a fine chap and I had got to like him. He seemed to be quite a link with home….. .

 

July 22

                    I took round some of the papers and puzzles. There was a frightful rush for the comic papers you sent, they were evidently appreciated; I could have done with a lot more. I want books, papers, puzzles and any games like draughts for the men, as there is nothing here….    

 

July 23               

               I get very tired of reading other peoples letters and the principal Censor has asked me to read all the American ones, so I have to do it. They write at enormous length and very often the very greatest drivel. Their way of expressing themselves is often very good, but at the end of reading a few hundred I am so addled I remember nothing. One way of addressing your wife besides ‘‘Dear old sport” is ‘‘Little bit of ginger ’’—I am keeping it for Joanie as it will suit her!

 

July 26               

               I was very busy yesterday and quite enjoyed myself. I had rather a variety of services and congregations. Celebration 6.30— we had all sorts—morning service 10.30, all wounded-—morning

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service 11.30 - about 700 soldiers drawn up in an open square. I took it from a balcony, and though I had the wind against me, they looked as if they heard me. The only failure was my organist (I mean pianist) was too ambitious. He wanted to sing the Venite and it didn’t go well—-I and the men in the distance seemed to be singing different tunes ….The rest of the day I was kept busy censoring letters—I had half an hour off to meet Field Marshal French. He came to visit the hospital….    

 

July 28        

                    An ambulance train (Princess Christian’s) came in last night or rather very early this morning. It arrived the same time as the telegram announcing its arrival. It brought us 100 patients, and most of them wounded, some of them terribly. I have only seen the bad cases at present. But I hear there are some West Kents in. I would like to condemn the German Emperor to spend the rest of his life going round a Hospital looking at the newly wounded, and to make him look at them. It is a pitiful sight, and with the really bad cases, one can do so little for them. The one blessing is, they are splendidly looked after and everything that can be done is done. One of the Surgeons have performed a wonderful operation—he has saved the man’s life—though his spinal cord was almost completely severed by a bullet, but the man must be an invalid to the end of his life.

 

I think I should have left the poor man alone, but everyone says it is marvellous. They are the saddest cases of all, they may live for years and will always be paralysed ….   

 

July 31        

                     The Gramophone arrived this morning and has quite upset the whole hospital. It was brought to the Office by the O.C.’s clerk. Both being as they said experts with the gramophone, asked if they might unpack it and put it together. They did that, and then be­gan to play it, and continued to play it for at least an hour, neglect­ing all their other duties. It is now in ward 21, which is full of patients. You never saw anything like their delight with it. It is the neatest one I have ever seen …. it really was a delight to see their happy faces…..

 

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           I am writing quite early this morning. We had another convoy in the early hours this morning. They called me up about three. Some of the men had been in a Hospital near the front and the Germans had shelled it, and as far as I could make out, some had been wounded a second time and they had to empty the Hospital.

 

Aug. 6                     

                  We had another convoy in last night. There was a train full but we only had 20 stretcher cases. The Red Cross trains come in about twenty yards from my hut, the train last night came in about 11-30 and I armed myself with a large box of cigarettes and went out to meet them. I think there were about 100 walking cases, the rest stretcher cases. It is really wonderful how quickly they trans­fer men from the trains to the ambulances, and they do it so smoothly. I never saw anything in the nature of a jolt, so the poor things are not made to suffer more than absolutely necessary. They had a terrible long journey, as some had been in the train for twelve hours. It didn’t niean there had been heavy fighting, as they had been collected from various places. Some of the men were just dog tired and laid down on the platform and waited for the motors. I managed to get rid of a great many cigarettes—at the end of the journey they hardly had one between them. The M.C.C. have sent me a splendid lot of cricket things. I think people forget the enor­mous number of R.A.M.C. that are required to run these Hospitals— we have over 200 here still 40 under strength——we have 35 doctors and 75 nurses….

 

Aug. 7                     

                I am awfully busy as I have such a lot of letters to write for other people,——they are such difficult letters as a rule. A boy who is desperately ill always tells you to write that he is going on splendidly. I have two of that kind waiting to be written now. One of the boys I am looking after is going to be 17 in a day or two. I was in when he was having his wound dressed and he hung on to my hand and didn’t cry, but he cried a bit when the others had gone and he told me he thought they were going to cut off his leg, so I had to collect the doctor and nurse again and they told him his leg was quite alright, and no chance of it having to be amputated. He promptly cheered up and smoked a cigarette. I have just

 

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had to write a long letter to the Bishop of Winchester, as the man who was with his son Gilbert, when he was killed, was brought into this Hospital. As the man has both his arms wounded they asked me to send all particulars. I heard from the brother Neville Talbot who is a Chaplain at the front. He crept out after dark and found his brother’s body close up to the German Trenches. *

 

Aug. 12       

                    Have you realized what to-day is. It made me feel a little gun. sick and visions of Glanwye and Carradale came up. Well I suppose I shan’t do any shooting this year. I shan’t be home to shoot birds, and they won’t let me shoot Germans. Did I tell you a boy came in yesterday. He will be fifteen next month. He was out a long time and is now wounded. He does’nt want to go back to England but wants to have another go at the Germans. I asked him how he got on with the hard work and carrying his pack, he said splendidly as long as he had plenty to eat, but that he went to pieces whenever he was cut short of food, which is to be expected of a boy who is growing       In our mental deficiency ward we have a very fine and large and fat nurse. Yesterday one of the patients looked at her steadily and in astonishment for a long time and then said “Am I dreaming or do my eyes magnify.”….

 

Aug. 15       

                    We have had a great many deaths this week, there is a boy I am very fond of, wounded in 27 places and as so often happens, one of the wounds showed signs of poisoning and I am afraid he cannot live. I find all the doctors and nurses very nice to me and they take quite a lot of trouble to let me know if any of the men are very ill…..

 

Aug. 19       

                     That nice boy I told you about, died. Another boy, Crutchfield is a little better to—day——he is only 16. I was in his ward as the doctor was going to dress his wounds--he asked me to stay with him and as the doctor had no objection. I did. It took just one hour and five minutes. How the boy has lived I don’t know. The doctor said he was wounded in at least 50 places—most of course small—— but some quite big. The boy hung on to my hand and he just moaned now and then, but it must have hurt him like fun. I should have been glad to cry for him….

 

 

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*   NOTE. The Revd. Neville Talbot won the Military Cross on this occasion (at Hooge)

 

Aug. 20

The boy Crutchfield is better. Yesterday I promised he should have an apple and sent down to the store for him. When I got in this morning I found he had never got it, as the supply had run out. He quietly insisted that 1 should fulfil my contract, much to the amusement of the other boys in the ward. I had to tramp into Etaples myself to get them, as the men are not allowed in Etaples owing to an epidemic of measles….

 

We had another convoy in last night. All our Tommies speak in a very kindly way of the Saxons. We have a wonderful man among our patients--a Corporal in R.F.A.—name Gore-Brown—his mother a Russian Princess. He speaks 23 different languages and writes 14 of them. He has fought in every war of modern times-—was a Major in Japanese Army. Till he became a private in the British Army he was Commander-in-Chief of Madero’s forces in Mexico. He was at Eton and he has a wonderful gift of speaking..

 

Sept. 1    

                it’s a horrible day—-blowy and rainy, but not enough rain to stop the sand flying, and one’s eyes and nose and mouth are just clogged with it.

 

They say the sand is encroaching terribly in this country, and I certainly believe that if the hospital were left alone for a year it would disappear under the sand. The nurse asked me to go round while Crutchfield was having his wounds dressed this morning. The boy insisted on my making a minute examination of each wound and reporting on it. They are awful, but I really think they do look better. There is still a chance he might lose his arm and I doubt if he could stand that. They had a wonderful birthday party in ward 26 yesterday. The nurse had got them a wonderful spread

—cakes and grapes--and I had to have some cake, which was quite good. My contribution to the feast was Edinburgh Rock. Crutch-field has his birthday (17) on the 3rd, so there is quite an epidemic of them….    

 

The dear old Colonel has just been in to help me finish the letters. The American letters are generally full of praise of him The doctors and nurses quarrel a good deal. I suppose it’s natural

 

 

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as we are all sort of on board ship together, but 1 have never found anything but praise of the British Government, British Tommy and British Staff ….The Americans, while hoping that they will not have war generally, think that all diplomatic relations between Germany and America ought to be broken off. I tell them that that is equivalent to a declaration of war, but they say with them that it is not so….The puzzles arrived lunch time and are being done now.

 

Sept. 7 . ...

                                                            …. I have just done up a wonderful envelope for John--it contains several works of art by wounded Tommies. Whittaker is the brightest little chap you ever saw, with lovely hair and very bright eyes. He was wounded in the foot and he told me that whenever it hurt him he began to sing, I am just going to say good­bye to him as he is probably off to England this afternoon. He is going to write to me directly he gets to England and if he is in London would like someone to come and see him. I quite enjoy the hospital being so empty. I get to know the people much better. I don’t have less to do, in fact I seem to have more. The boys get into the way of coming in here for a talk …. We had 70 Tommies at one choir practice and intercession service last night, which meant nearly every Tommy that wasn’t in bed came. They did sing. I am going to have confirmation classes as the Bishop comes here next Sunday week. I had your parcels to-day—-people are awfully good about sending things and my room gets more and more like a general store. Now when I get the games from Hamley’s and picture puzzles, I shall be very well stocked. I want more of those nice little packets of chocolate. I try to give all the boys going to England a packet for the journey….

 

Sept. 17      

                    I have just received my marching orders and am off on Monday to 21 Casualty Clearing Station. I hoped when I went away from here I should go up with a Brigade. At a clearing station there will either be a great rush of work or no work at all. Here there is regular work and lots of it. But I am quite contented and it is nice to be told just what you have to do and not to feel any responsi­bility. I havn’t the remotest idea where 21 C.C.S. is, so I can’t tell

 

 

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you; if I did know I shouldn’t be allowed to. I am glad to say nearly everything has come for my Chapel and I shall leave it looking quite nice. Thanks to you all, the hospital is splendidly set up with everything for the patients. I shall leave a great many books, games, sweets, etc., for my successor.

 

Sept. 21  

                21 C.C.S ……..This Casualty Clearing Station is a great deal rougher than what I have been accustomed to at the base. It is quite unavoidable. We have to keep near the firing line and if the line moves we should move with it, so we can’t be cumbered with much stuff. Sometimes if there is a train we only keep the wounded long enough to have the wounds dressed—the great majority stay from 12 to 36 hours. As a rule the Casualty Clearing Stations are in tents. We are fortunate in having the greater part of ours in an old ruined bicycle factory, and they have made quite a good job of it. It all looks very uncomfortable after the beautiful beds and clean sheets of a base hospital, but all who come in seem to think it very luxurious. We may be called on to deal with 600 cases—if that happens it will mean day and night work for all of us …. I went to the operating theatre and saw two operations which were not very serious ones. I thought I had better accustom myself to this sort of thing. I have spent most of the day in the hospital and have done a good deal of letter writing. The patients are almost all on stretchers on the ground—they are very close together and of course one can never get to know them. Still one can do a bit for them. We have a wonderful scratch pack for a mess. The Colonel an Irishman. One doctor a West Indian, one a Canadian, one an Aus­tralian, the French Interpreter and myself, and two others who I think are English—a pretty good variety for a small number …. I saw the Matron to-day and asked her what was wanted. She wants bed socks. The Hospital is an old ruined factory, and it is draughty, so you might set to work on these. There are a good many other wants, but before writing to you I thought I would see what the Red Cross can supply us with at once. I am living in a very comfortable farm house—have a room to myself with a bed in it—no sheets — I expect I shall find it too soft to sleep in. There is a “Gloire de Dijon” just opposite my room, and there is a covey of

 

partridges in the field between us and the Hospital. I have put it up twice. I saw for the first time to-day three barge ambulances drawn by a small steam tug--they looked very nice. They have them now on all the rivers in France….

 

I had a letter from the Bishop this evening asking if I would like to go back at once to 23 General Hospital as permanent Chaplain to the end of the War. I was very happy there, but I would much sooner take my regular turn of work with all the other Chaplains. The regular thing is 2 or 3 months here, and 2 or 3 months with a Brigade and then back to a base Hospital, and so on.

 

Sept 24

                …. If I break into a swear, its the midges. They are simply smothering me. I am writing under a big lamp and they are falling on me all the time. We had a lot of bad cases in yesterday and everyone was very busy, so I was able to make myself useful…..

To-day I have had a good deal to do. We sent Out 146 patients and there was an awful rush. I gave quite a lot of them their dinner and helped to dress them. I got quite cute at putting on their socks. One man I gave all his dinner to with a spoon, and in the intervals of feeding we discussed the shooting at Faccombe, as he always used to go out beating there. We have only 46 patients left in, and they are the very ill and very well ones. I was very glad to have all the papers along with the chocolate-—I was able to give out one a piece. One of our doctors went away ill to-day and another went last week, so we are two short, so if there is a rush of wounded to-morrow we shall have a bad time....

 

Sept 26   

I started the day with a celebration in the attic at 6.45. It was very nice—-a huge great room with rafters and a peaked roof. To my surprise, 16 Tommies and a nurse came to the service. But there were about 50 Tommies lying in stretchers round the room. They were as quiet as mice. At 10 o’clock we had matins—we had it in the same room. There were much the same number on stretchers round the room, but of course a good many more at Service in the middle. I was amused to see how many of the stretchers could raise up when I started “God Save the King.” At

 

 

 

12 we had an evacuation and nearly emptied the Hospital. I heard to-day that the boy, Fred Crutchfield, who was so terribly wounded, has been sent to England and is very much better…..

Oct. 2

We went through the place to-day where the Virgin Statue at the top of the Church was hit by a shell in January.* The statue was knocked over, but has never fallen, I sent you a picture of it. It really is a wonderful sight. It is incomprehensible how it can have stayed there, but I think it is now lower than when the photograph was taken, and no doubt will come down with the next gale. The Church and village are wrecked, there’s a huge hole made by a Jack Johnson just outside the west door of the Church.…

 

At 3.30, Percy and a friend turned up quite unexpectedly— I thought they were in the trenches, but it seems they started off to the trenches yesterday, having got 6 miles were sent back to billets. I gave them tea, and Percy had a bath in my big bath. In honour of guests we have tinned herrings as a second course for dinner. The tragedy is, they have used my only two clean towels. Percy and his friend are bicycling back….    

Oct. 4

It is 10 p.m., I have just got in from my last service…. There has been a wonderful variety in the places where I have held services to-day—-I started in our attic at 6.45. I had the next celebration at the hospital at 7.45. The Altar was the Magistrates desk. The next service was in the attic and the fourth back at the police court. At 4.45 I motored some miles to Headquarters for a service at 5.15, which was held in a wine shop—we had to be out at 5.45 as the wine shop began business at that hour. Then I motored another four miles, when I was met by the Flying Corps motor and motored another 12 to 14 miles to the aerodrome where we had a service in a very large barn. We stood all through the service all among the straw and there was just one bright light in the centre and the rest of the place all dim. They were such a nice lot of fellows. I have been invited to go and look at the German trenches from an aeroplane…..8 o’clock we had about 48 patients in to-day—-an aerial torpedo exploded in a dug-out. There were 30

 

 

* NOTE. Les Brebieres. Albert.

 

men in it——8 were killed and all the rest were burnt mostly in the face and hands. They were an awful sight coming in. The shell evidently contained liquid fire-—one or two will probably lose an eye. I went into the the operating room while one was having his face dressed, and then it did not look as bad as I expected, but they were very helpless—only their eyes and mouth could be seen. I and a nurse fed the 10 of them—beef-tea and milk had to be poured down their throats….. .

 

Oct. 9        

                    I am glad to say all the men with burns are going on very well to-day. I have written letters for them all and talked to them a good deal, but I don’t know one of them by sight. They have com­plete masks over their faces, I do not think any of them will lose an eye, yesterday it looked as if they might. Only two of the lot are wounded by the shell, the rest were all burnt with the contents…..

 

Oct. 27      

                   The nurses sleeping tent was burnt down this afternoon. I didn’t see it as I had left the hospital a few minutes before and the whole thing was done in about seven minutes. I am afraid three of the nurses have lost all their kit, bed, clothes, etc., it is an awful nuisance for them. Fortunately it was wet or the whole camp would have been burnt out. A boy who came into hospital to-day said that yesterday a German came over into out trenches and gave himself up, he said he was starving. The only thing handy was a pot of jam, the German eat it straight off neat. History does not relate if he was sick afterwards.

 

Nov. 4       

                   We get a great many head cases in from bombs and hand gren­ades. The French Infantry in the trenches now wear metal helmets. I wonder we don’t do the same. I fancy they would save a good many lives, as so many head cases die. We had our first case of frost bite in to-day, it seems very early to start, of course it is more the wet than the cold now…..I have asked for my leave to start on the 16th, if I get my permission in time I can leave early on the 15th and so should arrive in London about 4 a.m. on the 16th.

 

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Nov. 24

Here I am back again. Just after we got through Oakley Park last night the engine broke down and we sat there for over two hours, altogether we were four and a half hours getting to South­ampton. When we got on board there wasn’t a seat to be had, and not much lying down room on the floor. I got on to a pile of lug­gage, in the middle of the night I stretched out my legs and kicked what I thought was a pile of luggage, but it happened to be a man, he expostulated rather vigorously, I am not surprised. I don’t think anything exciting has happened here since I have been away and I do not think there is any chance of our moving at present….

 

Nov. 25

It certainly is a good thing getting away for a bit, I think I must have been very stale after doing just the same sort of thing for 41/2 months and having little or no recreation. I found everything much easier after the splendid week at home ….We have only forty in hospital, of course they were all strangers to me. This afternoon I was making arrangements about the recreation room. We hope to open it next Thursday. All the games from Harrods have arrived. We have got a piano, quite a good one. I have got to interview a General at Querrier about supplying us with chairs and tables and another at Head Quarters about coal and lights. And then I shall go into Amiens and buy cups and kettles. It is rather a business, and two of the Chaplains who have helped me have gone away.

Nov. 29

………….Gordon Geddes called for me at 10 o’clock this morning, and I had a most interesting time with him. We went and visited several batteries—inspected dug-outs and went to an artillery observation point, from which we could see the German trenches—— in fact we looked right into them and could see the French shells bursting round and about the trenches. Unfortunately it was a poisonously wet day, and there was rather a mist, so we couldn’t see things very well, though we had very strong glasses with us…..

 

Dec. 3

I went into Corbie to-day, to get the club into order. Things were quite upsetting. In the first room the stove smoked

 

 

 

 

so badly we had to let it out. Then the windows, which ought to have been mended last week, were not mended, and the mantles for the gas which ought to have arrived last week had not arrived. In the course of the day things got more or less straightened out, and we had a big crowd this evening…….

 

Dec. 5

                    I received my marching orders to-day and am off to­morrow. I think my address will be H.Q. 46th Division-—I am sorry to leave. . . . I have more interests here, than I had. I should very much liked to have gone all round this front with Gordon Geddes——he has been most awfully kind to me. It’s the sort of opportunity I shan’t be likely to get again ….

 

Dec. 12       

                    It’s a pity I cant tell you straight forwardedly all about things, I can only tell you that after my interview with the Officials to-day I am not going where I was sent up here to go, and that Syrian fever had something to do with it. I haven’t the remotest idea where I am going. I shall probably hear about Tuesday. I went for a long walk to-day to a fairly interesting place, and as I had no C. of E. service to go to I went to two R.C. ones….

 

Dec. 13      

                   No news for me yet, so I don’t know where I am going or what I am going to do. Yesterday was lovely, I went for a 20 mile walk. While lunching I was patted on the back by Eric Thesiger. He was busy in the afternoon, so I continued my walk to a place I wanted to see, and then got back at four and we had a very substantial tea together, which took more than Th hours. It is very nice meeting people out here. I had a very disturbed night, as the bed was only Sft. óin., which made it difficult for me to fit in. Then a battery of artillery lost its way in the dark, and one of the riders came and knocked at my window to see if I could help, which I could. Then a rat came and gnawed over my head for the rest of the night. I talked to it violently several times but it never stopped. My billet is in a very old house attached to a mill and is full of rats. I am feeling very dirty I haven’t had a bath for nearly a week and I haven’t had a change of clothes on since I don’t know when, all my things were at the wash when I left 21 C.C.S.

 

 

22

Dec. 15

…..Taking my walk abroad yesterday afternoon the first person I came up against was Tom Jackson, its was his battery that disturbed my slumbers the night before. He is billetted in a farm about a mile from here. . . . I know no more about myself than I did yesterday, it is really a great nuisance being kept in this very uncertain state and I feel I might just as well have spent the time in England as there is nothing for me to do here…..

Dec. 16