Tuesday (July.)

Dear Gracie,

To-day I am having a most boring time. I am supposed to be the battalion orderly officer. The battalion had breakfast at 6 a.m. (which means I was about before five a.m.) And has been out all day since, and it does not look as if will be back before turned 4 p.m. It is now 3 p.m. And I am thoroughly bored, having nothing to do all day save a few odd jobs now and again. From 7 this morning until just now I hae been reading papers and 'mags'. Getting tired of that I thought letter writing would be a change, so here we are. Your letter arrived about 11.30 a.m. And it was a real change to get something interesting to read. I could not have wished for anything better at the moment. Your lines are quite excellent, quite a brain wave as a friend of mine would say. I have now heard of a sergt. Brown in our batt. I know he does not exist in 'B' or 'D' coys. And I do not remember either the name, or the man, you describe in 'A' or 'C' coys. However I will make enquiries. No doubt you will be sorry to hear that the supernumeries have, at last, been 'moved on'. They moved off 'en masse' on Friday morning to report to the 9th. Batt. R.W.K. At Colchester. Needham will have Ashton to look after him there, so that is a weight off my mind. We have quite a respectable mess now (as far as numbers go of course) having 40 officers instead of 90. Thursday. 7 a.m. I hear that there are 180 officers there now in the 9th. And that their (i.e. The men's) description of a platoon is:- A small body of men completely surrounded by officers. Apparently the 9th. Is just going to move into the huts at Shoreham. Just now we are being continually pestered with Inspector Generals. We have had three this week so far. On Monday, General Sir Archibald Hunter was present at the marching past of the whole division. Battalions marched pas, one at a timein close column of platoons preceded by the regimental band playing its own 'march past'. We led the 72nd. Brigade. In front of us were the 71st. And the cavalry, in our rear were the 73rd. Brigade. The marching past started at two-thirty p.m. But our turn did not come until 4.30. P.m. So you can imagine that there were a few men there. I have made inquiries and have found that there is a Sergt. Brown and that he is tall and hefty but of light and fair complection. He is away now, but I will see him on his return. At present, I am totally undecided as to whether I ought to ask for leave this week end or not. It is possible for me to get off every other week and I think, in a way, I ought to make the best possible use of it, but there are always certain objections. I must 'wait and see' what turns uo; -- for the present -- 'to breakfast'. 'PeTer'.