Now that he was back in reserve, Sherriff had more time, so was able to write a letter to both his mother and his father today. He apologised to them both for not having been able to write long letters as he would have wished, but hoped that he would be able to do so now.

‘We are at present having a rest in reserve,’ he told his mother, ‘which gives more time for writing, although not nearly as much as I had with the RE. Still, I think it is a good thing to have plenty to do and I rather enjoy it – and I think in about a months time we are going to get a rest for some weeks – which will be a great relief after all the time you have in the trenches.’

Cutting about Dick Webb, taken from Sherriff’s Scrapbook. By permission of the Surrey History Centre (Ref: 2332/9/12)

He told them that he was unlikely to be given leave in the near future, and that he would probably have to have served at least 6 months in France before he would be considered – but since more than three months had already passed, he might not have to wait much more than a couple of months – and if one of those months was spent in rest, which he thought it might be, then so much the better. He told her he was counting the days:

‘I have a chart by which I count off the days, and I have marked off six months – let’s hope they pass safely and quickly and the  what a time we will have – it should be spring and we will have some fine rides around Oxshott and all the dear old haunts…’

His father, too, was maintaining a chart, so Sherriff advised him to begin another 90 day countdown, which, since eleven days had passed since his three-month anniversary, would now begin at 90-11, which was ‘not so bad to start with’.

He told his mother that, although he had been very sorry to leave the RE – the more energetic life he was now leading was far better for him: ‘We got very slack in our habits with the RE – breakfast in bed and all that sort of thing – which, all very well in a way, was not good for you. And when you are resting out of the line you have quite a good time, and jolly little dinner parties. We had the Doctor and another Company officer in last night and had a very nice time – it is really quite good fun, but I find work in the front line rather nerve-wracking – I am afraid highly strung people do not get on well in the line – but I must put up with it as  a necessity, and, after all, only a third of your time is spent in the front line.’

After asking her how her work at the hospital was going, he went on to thank her for her second Xmas parcel, which had contained fruits, but also a christmas pudding and cigarettes for Morris [his servant]: ‘Morris was quite touched and asked me to thank you very much indeed.’ He told his mother that he had also received a letter from Dick Webb’s father, who had  enclosed a cutting about him – ‘to lose a close friend like Dick makes you realise more what we are out here for.’

Both letters were relatively short because, as he observed, even while they were in rest there was still plenty of work to do – he had plans to draw up, and had to go off to inspect a working party, but at least he could hope that the 90 days (‘already bitten into’) until his leave would pass quickly.

[Next letter: 10 January]