River House

How very kind of you to send me those views of Bodiam they will be a nice little memento of a very happy afternoon.  I have just rescued your sketch of lambs from the Stores where they made a little frame for it.  I like it (the sketch not the frame!!) immensely.

I hope you had a happy birthday how ripping getting a wristwatch just what you wanted.  I wish I had known all of the event but hope the ??? sweets I sent were better late than never.

I expect you will all be coming up to town next week.  If I may I will drop in & see you & fix up about that theatre

PS I will send the New Zealand introduction next week.

I enclose the letter of introduction to my friend Duncan.  If you do go there though my brother's widow Mrs. W.V.  Trinder & her people the Brownings might be a lot more use to you & I am sure would be delighted to do anything they could for any of you.  They are New Zealanders born & bred & farming there.  Her present address is The Cottage, Otaki Railway line via Wellington as she is staying with an aunt.  I will write and tell her she may hear from you & if you like send you a formal letter of introduction.

I wonder how you have been enjoying your voyage & hope the weather has been better than here; it has rained nearly every day since you left.  our squad are just doing their musketry & as we have to fall in at 8.45  at Fenchurch Street to go to Purfleet Range my friend Guy Burnett is very kindly putting me up.  So far, that is in the last two days practice, we have done pretty well & when firing our class which we do for the next four days hope to be anyhow first class & possibly " marksman".  Owing to the corps being practically an Officer Training one we are both thinking of applying for commissions & I think would be certain to get them bar the age question.  You see the limit for the order a appointment as second lieutenant is 30 & as we are both over that the only charges that they might appoint us full lieutenants straight off but that is somewhat unusual.  However we don't really mind if we don't get them, when we joined we had no intention of applying for commissions.

I went to see "Potash & Perlmutter" with some cousins the other night; it's very good.  I need not say I didn't enjoy the evening as much as the Peg o' My Heart one though.  I am very much hoping you will be able to spare me a few lines at times.

River House

I think I told you when I last wrote that I & my friend Guy Burnett were applying for commissions in Kitchener's army.  When however we had got 2 out of the 4 necessary certificates signed they made up the second draft to join our first battalion in Belgium & we are both in it so we are going out with it & shall certainly leave this month perhaps even tomorrow.  If we find they are still using the Corps mainly as an O.T.C.  & that we are too old for commissions in the regulars we may, if possible, go on with the Kitchener applications.  Anyhow the experience will, if we come out of the war alive, be valuable &, though I expect it will be beastly uncomfortable & that for a few weeks we shall both be in a horrible funk, one feels one really is doing something.  This will reach you about the 8th Feb & by then we should be finding our feet a bit etc.

The allies really seem advancing at last but it will be a long job, I wish Italy & Romania would come in and shorten it.

You are about at Cape Town today & every 24 hours run will take you nearer & nearer to summer, it seems almost worth emigrating if only to get two of them in a year!!

I hope you're having a very jolly voyage as I expect you are.

I shall write you a letter from the front when we get there but don't suppose it will be interesting as one as not allowed to say much.