No.4 Officer training Bttn.
New College, Oxford.
10/3/17
My Dear Amy
I’ve just got through my second exam. The first one I just scraped through. I had a wee bit to spare this time but I’m feeling more confidant.
I am in splendid quarters, good food and a really nice room with a fireplace. It’s a change from field work.
(???) is very nice ??? hobb??? comfortable not always ??
We have had several falls of snow but cold is not half as bad under good living conditions. I can admire it much more than under Field Service where it is Hell with a capital H. Yesterday snowflakes an inch across were falling or waddling down – very pretty. The ground gets very slippery. The kiddies make snowballs and usually take up positions at corners to throw them.
We are supposed to be officers in the making and some of our chaps see it as an insult to get a snowball thrown at them. it hurts their dignity and then they get more of them.
There are twenty six colleges in Oxford, twenty two represent the university New College. The other day we saw a picture of Sir Walter Raleigh when he was a student. Cecil Rhodes went to the same college. Students with square-shaped caps and black gowns are more common than ordinarily dressed people. Pictures of the Old Masters are here, too. They are quite familiar to me from reading “Boys’ Own Paper.”
Sunday today and all the colleges have their bells. There are some very fine chimes.
We go for a route march all day tomorrow. We don’t see much sun now. The little of England that I’ve seen is very pretty. There are some very fine gardens and lanes about. We get invitations to dinner where the butler takes our hats and sticks and kowtows so it would be very easy to feel quite big.
Love to all from Brother Stid.
