Dec 2/18
Dear Mother
No more mails in since I last wrote, but they say there’s one coming up on the 6th, I hope so anyhow. Since I last wrote we have moved further down the line & are back nearer comparative civilisation again- We are in camp near Tekrit, but I don’t know how long we shall be here- Gorgeous weather now, lovely warm days but quite a cold feeling in the air & nice & chilly at night. We have’nt had any frost yet, though this time last year we had some by this time-
I had Jim to stay a day & a night last week. After many wires (he got most of his after he had met me!) we eventually met at railhead, in fact we arrived there from two different directions at precisely the same time- He as you know of course was on his way to Salonica- He arrived about 10 one day & went about 10 the next. I was most awful pleased to see him looking frightfully fit & well, & full of his experiences in the last show up the Tigris.
We had some good old talks & hoots about everything & generally swapped lies about things in general- I was so glad one of the family has had a chance to meet my present mess-mates- I wish he could have stayed longer, but he had a party of men with him so I don’t quite know how he managed to wangle even a day off! He said I was looking very well, & certainly I am very well, now the reasonable weather has started and we shall be able to live sensibly for a bit.
We are back in the same old camp which we were in before the scrapping the other day. The flies are simply awful, & nearly send one crazy; they crowd round one at meals in an indescribably horrible fashion, literally in millions. I wish a snap of frost would come along and kill ’em off. And to think that one was brought up & taught not to hurt a fly or even kill one!
We are still all ignorant of our fate, but I suppose we can expect nothing definite to be decided just at present- Everyone of course is asking about leave & chances of getting home, and the whole place is a mass of the most impossible rumours. We had some good days’ shooting last week in our last camp, 30 & 50 partridges & suchlike! Ripping it was, & I hope we get some more nice days here. At present we are busy polishing up & practising for a ceremonial parade in a day or two, when the corps commander is presenting some awards given for this last fighting we’ve had-
Jim had his first potatoe for months with us the other night! We had only had them the first time for 6 months the previous day- We gave him a great feed of partridge & mashed potatoes which I think he will remember for many days!
A mail is supposed to go out today for home, but I really don’t know if it will catch anything special. Wonder when they’ll start regular mails from home again.
Best love to all
yr loving son
Ted
It took Jim a long time to become a soldier and it is good to see he finally settled to it. He joined up in September 1914, but didn’t see action until 1918. He didn’t settle well to soldiering, to the point where one senior officer in 1915 asked to have him removed from his command.