France

Dec. 22nd 1917

Dear Nen:-

Here I am on a signalling course! I got my orders at 4 A.M. 4 days ago and left at 8. Some rush, believe me. Most of my kit was at the guns so I've come away with about a quarter of it. However the batteries are coming down in a few days and I'll be able to get it then. The first day we spent in a cattle truck and it sure was cold. I met a fellow from our Ammunition Column and when we got to Amiens we jumped off and spent a very comfortable night in beds at a hotel. Then caught the 6.7 A.M. train. It was a passenger train with real seats and heating arrangements. The course is at Aire near Bethune and is going to last 6 weeks. It's the divisional course after which we go to Corps for another 6 weeks after which —? I don't get the idea at all and am rather fed up as a matter of fact as I hate signalling and wouldn't take Brigade signalling officers job for anything. It's one of the non combatant cushy jobs which we all despise and there's plenty of fellows who'd jump at it but I'd like to have a bit more scrapping before I try it on.

However, I don't mind it just at present as I'm pretty well washed out after the big fight and as we're in swell billets with beds and sheets its quite a rest cure after the "line". A lot of our divisional infantry are on the course too and they sure have had a bad time of it. [censored]

The people down here are great and I'm the star boarder in our billet as I gave the kid of the family a franc the other day. As a result I got a room next to the mess, hot water in the morning and a "bon jour" and a "bonne nuit" from the whole family.

It's rather decent to be far away from the guns and you needn't worry for 3 months now. Still I sure do feel a bum for being on it but I never asked for it and would certainly have refused it if offered to me. They did the soft soap trick of telling me how I needed a rest and all that kind of mush but I'd like to see the country first.

If you send my letters to the old address they'll be forwarded to me so thats all right. We're going to have a swell Christmas here as there's going to be Church in the morning followed by a football match and a big concert with a piano in the afternoon. There's a whole pig for the men on the course and unlimited beer.

Well I guess I must close now.

Lots of love.

Bev