France

5th May 1917

Dear Wal,

Here beginnith another epistle.

It is some considerable time since I wrote, but one does not get much time to himself.

I received a mail a couple of days back and one P [postcard] was from you dated 4.3.17. Well I am still camped near Bapaume and still almost neutral well behind the firing line. We are attached to the A.L.R. (Anzac Light Railway) so I am well up in the art of navvying⁷. We've been making and repairing lines around Bapaume for the last month or 6 weeks and have only been among the big noises a couple of times, so we are in clover.

Nearly fell in the fat the night before last though, there had been a big stunt on the evening before in which our chaps gained ground and Fritz was counter-attacking, we had to stand to, but Fritz was held back, so we were not needed. He still shells Bapaume, but they are few and far between, a Taube [German plane] came over last night and dropped a few bombs but did not do much damage.

We are having bonny weather at present, almost a fortnight's drought up to date and still going strong, so you can guess that with good weather the bombardments are getting heavier, also plenty of scrapping in the air.

It is good-o with all the countryside looking green again, quite a different aspect to what it is around Fritz’s - the old front line. I was down there the other day, in fact it is only 4 or 5 miles from here and it’s still as desolate as ever - too much like the Egyptian desert for my liking.

We are shifting off this front any day now, but where to 'tis hard to say, likely enough up North.

Leave to Blighty is still given pretty scantily. I reckon if I'm lucky I'll get mine 'après la guerre' [after the war].

Well its nearly time for me to go on shift, so I close with best regards to any enquiries and hoping you are well, as I am.

Your Aff. [Affectionate] Bro. [Brother] Ern.