Oct 29/17
Dear Mother
Very many thanks for a letter from you dated 22nd August, which I got yesterday. I have had letters from you dated later than that, so I suppose this is one of those mails that comes by Colombo and so arrives a little later. In it you talk of Dick’s coming home on leave & in one of the ones I got a few days ago you describe his doings on leave! So things are a bit topsy turvy. It had a gorgeous little bag of lavender in it; thanks ever so much.
The letter was in answer to one of mine written from hospital. Yes, that emitone injection is a wonderful discovery. It is one of the ingredients of ipechechuana (?) wine and has only been discovered & used within the last few years. It is supposed to nullify to a very large extent the chances of any evil after effects of dysentery.
So glad to hear Ben is so well again. She wrote me such a cheery letter which I got yesterday & says she knows she is so much better herself.
It’s an awful day today, nothing but dust & sand, one of the worst dust storms we’ve had. We have got some more kit up now, & now I have a tent & a bed & a clean shirt, so am quite a swell. Also a pair of pyjamas which I got from the Red X in Baghdad the other day. So nice after sleeping in one’s clothes for six weeks.
Not much excitement here just at present, we are still busy digging & don’t get much time for anything else- Sorry to hear Capon is still unwell- I’m afraid he’s come to the end of his really active capabilities now and after the war we shall have to look out for another factotum; there should be plenty of ex-soldiers on the look-out for a job. Capon will be a great loss I’m afraid, & the family will have to devise a pension scheme for him-
How amazing about old Swann’s answer to your letter! He certainly sounds very prim & spikey. I wish Nell could manage to get up to Delaford for a bit soon: I know you are always asking her, but she seens very busy with her V.A.D work always.
D.B. I hear is unfit for field service for 6 more months, but I hear Lyell may be coming out & may take over command from me, but nothing is certain. Splendid news from France last night, 11,000 prisoners & 120 guns. They can’t go on losing men like that, & that’s a big haul of guns too. I really do believe next year sees the end- I wrote you a day or two ago, so have no news-
Best love to all
yr loving son
Ted
Emetic said to be responsible for Karen Carpenter’s death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrup_of_ipecac
“The French took 11,157 prisoners, 200 guns and 220 heavy mortars.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_the_Aisne