Jan. 7th
Sandling

Dear Dad- Am writing and trusting to luck to find a stamp I guess I will always be broke. Rollie has not gone yet and they have no Idea when he will go. We expect to leave here soon but dont know where we are going. There are rumors of Seaford and others of Bramshott.  We had a Medical Examination today after church parade and I was classed as A2 whatever that means. I think it meant fit with slight repairs I think one tooth pulled. [?] Jackson classed as D3 I guess that is pretty low. I think they will take the unfits and put them at work of some kind and likely we will be broke up and put into reserve Batt. They are reorganizing the C.E.F. in Eng. and I don’t know how what they are doing. I think I will go over as soon as I get a chance as drilling don’t seem to appeal to me now. I got a parcel from Gorrie last night so you see how they are sometimes delayed. It is the Xmas rush so I haven’t given up hope of the tobacco yet. I am at the ranges on the [?] for this week. We have to leave camp at 6.45 O.C. and don’t get back until after one but we are off then for the day.

We had a heavy frost last night but it is raining again tonight and that isn’t pleasant when your tent leaks like a sieve like ours does. The tents here are all painted green so the Zepps can’t see them and I think that has something to do with it. It rained the night before last but not long enough to wet the blankets thru but everything in the tent was wet and if you we stuck our head out in our sleep we would wake up wet. We are sleeping 10 to 12 in a tent you we havent much room. We have to eat in the tents too. It is a nice sight to see the aeroplanes practicing. Every clear day they will be out. One machine will carry a target flying in the air tied into the machine and the others will manoeuvre around and fire at it when they get a chance it is a fine sight. I am writing this in a soldiers club here. There is a Y.M.C.A. Alexendra Home a French Club and a Church of Eng. club here as well as a Canteen so you see we are well fixed that way but it is very muddy. I guess leave comes pretty far between in this country so it is hardly likely I will get off again before going to France. I would like the life hear all right if we could only get settled down in huts but it is rotton crowded in tents at this time of the year. There dont seem to be much farming around here sometimes there is a field broke up. The farmers are ploughing now. They have awkward ploughs here but I believe I told you about them before. The roads here are never wider than about 14ft from fence to fence and some places will only let one rig on them.  One of the main streets in Folkstone ‘High St’ the sidewalks are about 2ft wide and the wheels of a cart will scrape the curb on both sides at once and they are never straight. The country is fairly level and high but cut up by deep valleys so you can not go far straight in any direction without going down a steep hill and up the other side. All along the coast here are what what they call Martello towers. They are built round about 30ft high and 30 thru they were built for defence against Napoleon. There are also remains of Old walls around Hythe but I don’t know how old they are. Hythe is an Interesting town.  It is on the beach and runs part way up the hill. I cant think of anything else of interest tonight so will close. Give my love to all including Buster.

E B Nash
A C O 1 6 1 Batt