France
6-11-16

Dear Winnie

I received your letter & parcels ok, the last parcel which you posted on the 4th Oct I just got. The things you sent were just the ones we most needed. The plum duff was as fresh as could be and was a great treat. In my last letter I told you we were to take part in the big show pretty soon, well we were on the edge of the show for a time, got almost mixed up in it but have our turn still coming up. For some time before the day we were to take part the rain had been coming down steadily and when time was nearly up word was passed along line that the attack had been postponed. Three of our companies marched out of the trenches to billets & we stayed in. The next day we went out & the others came in and carried on the attack with our company out. When the attack was put off our objective was changed but if the weather had been fine we would have been in it. I think another attack is to come off pretty soon and which we will take part while the others stay in reserve. After the other companies went over the parapet & took the German trench and held it we went up from the reserves and relieved them until another battalion relieved us. The fighting here is altogether different from that on the other salient where we were first. Here you very seldom hear the retort of a rifle it's all shrapnel, whiz-bangs, etc. Here nearly everyone gets out of the trenches and takes a short cut over land when going to billets while at the other place you couldn't put your head above the parapet for a second during daylight, for fear of the snipers. I think I saw more mud, I certainly carried more on my clothes since I came down here then I did and all the rest of my life. The advance is going so fast that it is hard, or not worth while, to put trench mats in and fix them up properly. We have been out of the trenches, that's as far as fighting or holding them is concerned for some time. We have been on working parties, that is carrying in supplies, fixing roads, etc. I was on guard two four-hour shifts each day for about a week. Some time ago Fred McLaren was on a working party that was going into the trenches when he was wounded in the chest by a piece of shrapnel. I am pretty sure he died since but I can't find out for certain.

The letters are being taken up now so I will close for now

Jack

J Corcoran