| 8th.Royal West Kents. | |
| 72nd. Brigade. | |
| Blackdown. |
| (June.) |
| Tuesday night |
One question I wish to ask, and that is, how is Mr. Mansford getting on now? I hope he is able to get about. Any news concerning Mr Gurrey will always be acceptable. My young brothers never write me any school news. Did you know that Bowyer is going out to France on Thursday? He must have heard I was home, for he came up to my place late Saturday night. I tried hard to get him to drink a parting glass of wine, but he would have nothing stronger than lemonade. He is going out with a large draft, quite keen, and cheery, although, as he said, he is going out just because he knows it is duty and not because he wants to go. He quite realises what "going out" means. I only wish it had been my good fortune to go out with him. With such good men in the ranks, one does not feel justified in holding a commission. I would give anything to meet him out there and fight alongside him. He is really an excellent chat and has been a good friend to me. I wish him the best of luck. Strange to say I also ran up against Allen this last week end. He had just come home for the Sunday, with a day pass. (Any number of day passes may be granted, but only 5% week end passes.) He is in the same division as myself, being in the Bedfords. As I said before I am having a slack week this week. This is because I am undergoing a course of range taking. The range finder is three feet long, and is carried slung across the back in a case like a golf bag. It is awfully interesting and is the best toy in the British Army. It has a magnification power of 14. And may be used as a periscope. It is a one man instrument (the cheapest costing £60) and may be used for obtaining ranges up to 12 miles. In the exam. At the end of the course, anybody getting an error of more than 2 ½% in the range, fails. I enclose a book that we have issued to every man. Muscle Exercises (same book) par.266 also extremely important. We have done at least five minutes every day for 4-5 months at these muscle exercises. I hope you will forgive me wandering about what I have done. I mean only to give you those charts. Still I know very often at the 11 o'clock break the O.T.C. Has nothing special to do, and those exercises are just the thing then. Excuse me making all these suggestions, but I know Mr Mansford will understand, that I still consider myself part of D.G.S.,O.T.C. There is yet another thing with which I want to bore you. I do not remember if I have told you about it before, but whilst we were at Shoreham, I was inspecting my huts one day, when I found a little poem pinned up on the notice board, along with other notices. Perhaps one could hardly call it a poem; on the other hand it is an attempt, and shows what some men of the New Armies can do. I was sorry, but as my name was mentioned, which is forbidden by King's Regulations, I had to pull it down. "The Queen's Own!" There, now I am sure that you are thoroughly bored. Please forgive me. In any case I positively refuse to read over all I've written. I quite agree that its an excellent plan, but rather than do it with this letter, I'd prefer to be lectured by the Head, the next time I'm in Dartford. Hallo! The 'Last post' is just sounding and I've not looked at my Range Finding notes yet. I shall come out from the exam with B.F. Written against my name. That is what they used in the Locals wasn't it? My kind regards to all. I hope Mr Mansford's hand will soon be quite well again. 'PeTer.' |