Transcriber's Note:
Inconsistent hyphenation and unusual spelling in theoriginal document has been preserved.
Note that the style used in this text to record times such a 6-0 is quite different from the modern 6:00.
A number of obvious typographical errors have been corrected in this text.For a complete list, please see the end of this document.
11th Suffolks,
B.E.F., Monday, January 10th, 1916.
My darling Mother,—
This will probably be a long letter; I hope you will not get boredwith it. Please keep this letter and any that follow it, so that atthe end of the war I may perhaps achieve fame as the author of"Drivellings of a young Officer at the Front." As I have not got usedto the routine out here I will describe all the last few days as theystrike me, because probably, when I have been out here a little,everything will become such a matter of course that it will bedifficult to give you any idea of what our life is like unless I beginwith a good chapter one.
"The young soldier's last day in England."
The last day or two was rather a rush. Thursday we frantically packedvalises and vainly attempted to reduce them to something near theregulation 35lbs. At first one put in a wardrobe fit for Darius goingto conquer Greece, which, when put on the scale, gaily passed itsmaximum of 55 pounds. Then out came slacks, shoes, scarves, all sortsof things. The weighing was then repeated and further reductionsembarked upon, the final result being about 45 lbs. However, we packedthem up tight and they all passed all right. Friday was an awful dayspent in full marching field service order, inspections, and rumoursof absurd Divisional and Brigade operations, which were to take placeat night, although we were to rise at 4 a.m. to march to the station.However, the operations were only for Company Commanders, and so wewere saved.
In the afternoon we bought all the things we thought we had forgotten.As everything was packed up a group of half-a-dozen of us assembledround the anti-room fire to attempt to obtain a little sleep. I had achair and a great coat to go over me. The others slept on the floorwith table clothes and such like things. We kept a huge fire burningall night, and, unfortunately, instead of going to sleep one could nothelp looking into its red depths and seeing the pictures of men and[4]horses you always see in fires. Personally, I did not sleep at all,only rested and dozed. At 3-0 a.m. a man came in and announced in astentorian voice, "The Corporal of the Guards' compliments to CaptainSeddon, and it is 3 o'clock." Appreciation of the fact from CaptainSeddon, who had been sleeping, in unpr