Sat.16.3.18

Dear Chrissie

I was mighty glad to get both of your letters, and glad to hear you are quite well and have been having a fairly nice time what with central hall concerts and a visit to uncles. I dont mean the one with the three brass balls, I have just had a letter from Ruth and she said she enjoyed herself immensely while you were there. I think you are very slow at catching on to anything. Why "dippy gang" is an abbreviation for diptheria ward.

I wasn't aware that Arthur was a jew, but apparently he is by your letter as you mention this, They are arranging for all the boys to visit Jerusalem, he is just longing for a glimpse of the homeland, Well I hope when he gets there he will find Ikey and Lolly and sundry relations quite well. You say we have had our pictures taken, who are the "we" and "our" is it that Christmas concert party affair. I had almost forgotten about it, Oh Say I think I stand a real good chance of seeing cousin Edward after a while.

Well Chris we moved back into a fairly decent place just after I wrote that letter mentioning that crop of whiskers so I got a broad axe (alias razor) and made a clean up, Well sis we are on the economising water again, as we dont wash at all round this locality. We are having glorious weather and I think it is going to continue.

Well Chris I dont think we'll go to Church tomorrow as there is a war on around here and it is very interesting, and the average sermon is not quite so striking and forceful. I suppose you dont think that it can be very interesting or busy here for me to find time to write letters, but it very much better out here now the nights are shorter as we do not have to “stand to so” long and we are working on a different system and a better one this time.

Fritz gave us quite a firework display the other night when our artillery put a little strafe on him just to let him know they had not forgotten him, and I think he quite appreciated being remembered judging by the nice fire works display he gave us in return, he was sending up red green golden and all kind of pretty lights, Well Chris I will not be able to send this letter for a little while so maybe before I send it I may add a little more to it so tatta and God bless you.
usual ending
Ben

17 March
Well Dear Sis. Its St Patricks day and I think some Sinn fieners in Fritz lines must have been celebrating or else some wild Irishmen went over and gave him a tune, for anyway this morning there was some (music) over in fritz lines, its was too comical for anything and I thought I would have burst a main spring or a spare rib laughing, the instrument of musical marvelousness sounded very much like a pennytin horn and the selection he favoured us with was in about the same class as a five year old boy would render on a tin horn, maybe he has a baby's Batt holding the line opposite us or else they got too big a rum ration over there this morning, which is most likely as his own artillery were dropping shells among his own men, Say Chrissie we are sure having glorious weather and the skylarks are singing are singing as happily as if there was not a war on, it almost makes one wish they were a bird but there I suppose they have little scraps between themselves and then again they never entertained by their enemies with such an amusing musical concert as fritz gave us this morning, Say but not very far from here last night we gave him some music, he tried to get funny and pull off a raid, and the artillery, and [machins?], etc opened up on him while he was in no mans land and cut them up good and proper, their were only two huns that the trench and one was bayoneted and the other taken prisoner and I dont think there were any who started out on that raid that got back to their own lines not wounded. It time he learned to leave the "Johnny Canucks" alone, or any part of the B.E.F. but I suppose when Von Hindenburg or Kaiser Bill gives orders to make a raid on those "damned" Canadians, the poor hun has to do so, but I think he is going to get used so rotten this summer that he is going to revolt against kaiser and hindenburg when he sees he is hopelessly licked, he has been getting ready for this war for forty years and we only four years and he has got to take his hat off to us every time now, Whether it is the infantry artillery or flying corps or any other part of the service he holds the whole of Europe almost to get his supplies from and we have to bring our supplies from the four corners of the globe, but it no use and he knows it too now or he so will that he cant hold out against British Empire, let alone France and the smaller countries and now that the States are playing the game. What of it if Russia does quit or even ally with Fritz, the cards he holds are beat Well tatta for awhile I may scrbble a few more lines after a while if I can think of any thing else, so Cheerio.

19 March)
Well Chrissie, We have been moving round a little and are in an Ideal home now. Just out side the door are some nice fruit trees in blossom and some currant bushes and straw berry plants. I wouldnt mind making a visit around this orchard next harvest.

A German prisoner was got dead by one of our Company’s and he had a letter on him asking them at home to send him some grub as they were starving: and he sure looked like it.

Everything about his person was souveniered except his shirt and pants which would not come off, for catching in the bones sticking thru his hide, So I am told anyway. If they have lots of grub in Germany and cant get it up to their front line, it is quite a compliment to artillery and aeroplanes, Etc, or if they hav’n’t got the food at all so much more the better.

So Cheery Ching dear thing
As per usual
Ben
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