March 17/18
Dear Mother
I believe an English mail goes out today, so I’ll write on the offchance anyway. We are still in the same camp as I wrote from last time – no we are not, as I see from my diary I wrote to you just before we moved a few miles further on. We had 2 nights here without tents, but have got them up now. The last week has been very wet and boisterous, howling gales & winds, and very cold too. I believe we are going on farther in a day or two.
I see in Reuters wires that mention is made of the occupation of Hit, but of course there has been no fighting as the Turks discreetly retire as soon as we show any signs of concentrating or advancing. I have seen a good many prisoners & deserters coming through and they all look pretty miserable, ill-clad and hungry and thoroughly fed up with everything. The roads as you may imagine are none too good here, as they are only glorified tracks. What with all the rain and constant motor traffic up and down them they soon get hopelessly cut up, & we have spent most of our time in trying to keep them in something like a decent condition, though this is somewhat difficult as there is nothing to mend them with & I’m sure I should’nt know how to mend a road if there was!
We don’t seem to be getting much war news nowadays, & what there is is rather dull. Russia & Roumania now definitely out of it, and things in a hopeless muddle there. But we seem to be doing well in the air, and the Boche seem still to be hesitating where to attack in the west. Unfortunate about Sir W Robertson & his resignation, but I suppose it was inevitable under the circumstances.
I’m longing to get the next mail, we have’nt had one for just a fortnight now. It ought to tell me if Paul’s wedding came off all right as it had been arranged for 17th Jan when I last heard. I ought to be getting a line from him too as I have’nt heard for a long time. I wonder if old Nell has found time to go to Delaford for a bit. I do hope so. Then there’s old Ben’s wedding, I’m longing to hear all about that, and there’s all sorts of news I want to hear. A very dull letter I’m afraid but there’s nothing to tell you. I’m very fit & flourishing.
Best love to all
yr loving son
Ted
Commons discussion on Sir W Robertson’s resignation
- http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1918/feb/19/prime-ministers-statement
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Robertson,_1st_Baronet#Fall_from_power
