France, Dec. 18, 1916
Dear Amy,
I am a little away from the section at a Military School. I will only be away for a few weeks. I am pretty lucky that it is in the middle of winter because it is much more pleasant – better and drier than being on duty. It’s pretty cold now- ice nearly always, rain almost every day- only a drizzle. I haven’t seen it rain hard here like it does at home but the ground is always very wet and it has snowed a couple to times lately.
I have been made a corporal which means 10/- a day to me and makes me more comfortable. There are lots of things- food and warm clothes- that extra money brings and in this cold weather a pair of warm gloves means a lot. We have our gloves on always when not writing, drilling or handling rifles or gear. Usually gloves don’t last very long.
We get plenty of work at school, drilling between lectures. We have to move quickly to get a wash or shave or clean up but it is very pleasant compared with wallowing in mud and plenty of work keeps us warm. some days we wear Great Coats all the time. Everyone gets a turn drilling the others. It’s something like being an M.C. at a bush ball except an M.C. must be very particular about detail. I am at an Infantry School, by the way, but haven’t dropped my Specialist job.
All the trees have lost their leaves and the country that looked so pretty when we came is looking very dull and wintry. I give a good lot of attention to my feet to save them from chilblains and frostbite. I wear several pairs of socks and cork insoles. They need changing often.
We can get one day old English newspapers daily and have been getting good news lately. Huns talking peace, even though we know peace won’t come right away, it’s a sign he is going down. We can easily notice he hasn’t as much metal to throw as we have now and we can tell by the amount of time we spend out of the trenches. It’s great to get a week or so to recover, get warm again and get washed and cleaned up. In this wet country it’s really rough- a few days in the wet without a change – perhaps snow one night and ice the next. It is pretty hard at times, but a lot is done to try to make us bear it with food and one thing or another. We have to use whale oil on our feet pretty freely to stop them from freezing. It doesn’t make them warm, but it’s supposed to save the bite from killing the toes altogether. There are many canteens where we can get food, underclothes, tinned fruit etc.
I am feeling very hopeful that the Hun will be smashed next warm season. He is a hard nut to crack but the British and her allies are growing stronger.
It’s awful the way earth, trees and villages get pounded up. Sad affair – any of us that have the privilege of returning will, I think, be much better men for having gone through it all. No one else could realise what continual wet, snow and ice means to men who carry all their clothes on their backs. See the old swagman and load him up with extra gear then put him in drains to walk and work brushing against the muddy sides, falling or being knocked over in the mud. It’s not unusual to get enough force from an explosion to knock mud all over a fellow and cause him to fall over.
Looking forward to my guiding star getting me home for next Christmas.
Love to all, Stid
