February 3rd 1915
Dear Mother
To day I sent off my Suit Case and Spare Kit to Miss Ansell to keep for me, which she has kindly promised to do. I have not been able to get away from here since xmas and as all leave was stopped sometime ago, there is no chance of my going up to London before we move, which we expect to do in less than a week.
There is no definite time or place known to us yet. Major Byng Hall and [?] have gone over as M.L.O’s and Capt Clark left today as billetting Officer. So you see we will be well looked after. Capt Moorhead and Carew M. are here and came over to see us on Monday night. They arrived Sunday and are stationed at Tidworth about 8 miles away. Instead of reinforcing the P.P.L.I they have been absorbed in the 16th Battn. which is the 72nd and 50th. I wish we had got them in this one as then we should have still been all B.C. Now we have had to get up a few men from the 11th Battn. which is our Base Battn. to replace men in hospital. The reports about the illness in the [Contingent?] are very much exagerated. As are a good many other things. I see in the home papers, including reports about ones behavior. True some of the fellows, chiefly old country born [?] drink disorder but as for the more serious charges there was nothing at all in them. Also about the man supposed to have been drowned in the flood of the Avon, at Amesbury. They never found his body and he may have deserted or may yet turn up. True there have been a number of accidents but remember there are 30,000 men and more and one must expect a few of such things. Walter is still at Portsmouth,
Love to all
Herbert.
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