Sherriff told Pips that he had sent Xmas cards home, but had come up empty while shopping for Xmas presents:
‘I went into the nearest village yesterday to try and find something to buy you all for presents, but could see absolutely nothing worth buying – a few gaudy silk handkerchiefs and ornaments – little bone crucifixes etc, but really nothing worth sending home so I am afraid you will have to “make do” on the Xmas cards until I have a journey further afield…’
He told Pips he could not be sure when he would get leave, but that his Battalion appeared to be giving leave to officers once they had been in France for about 5 months (still another 2 months away for him). Of course, if he managed to secure a move to the Tunnelling regiment he might well receive it earlier.
Captain Gerald Spence Tetley M.C., as drawn by Private Edward Cole of the 9th East Surreys. By permission of the Surrey History Centre (Ref: ESR/19/2/7/1-15)
He was pleased that they were ‘now practically straight again after the sudden influx of 60 men’, although it would inevitably take some time for them to settle in properly. As for himself, he felt that if he were not relieved in the next day or two – before the Battalion went into the line once more – he might be able to stay in his present post. He told Pips, as he had his mother, that he and the other officers were laying in extra supplies for Christmas (something which he would not need to do if he were back in the Battalion, because such things were taken care of by the Mess President).
A couple of days earlier he had been invited out to dinner by ‘a Company Commander of another company, and had quite a good time – when the Regiment is in rest it is usual to ask each other out like that and it makes a change to spending all the time with your own company officers.’ [The officer who invited him was Captain G(erald) S(pence) Tetley, Commanding ‘D’ Company, and also at the dinner was Tetley’s ‘favourite Lieutenant’, 2nd Lt William Henry (Harry) Lindsay. Sherriff wrote a long account of the dinner in his Memories of Active Service, from which it is clear that he was very fond of both officers. See more on dinner with Tetley and Lindsay here.]
2nd Lt William Henry (Harry) Lindsay M.C., as drawn by Private Edward Cole of the 9th East Surreys. By permission of the Surrey History Centre (Ref: ESR/19/2/7/1-15)
He noted how pleased he was with his growing collection of books, to which he had added another – ‘France en 1614’ – which he hoped would help him improve his French (which he could read ‘quite well’, although he could not speak it ‘hardly at all’. ‘Books absolutely fascinate me,’ he wrote, ‘and if I see any in a shop I cannot refrain from looking through and buying one.’
He turned again to the subject of Xmas, thanking Bundy for sending him out the Xmas numbers of various magazines, one of which contained ‘a fine article on English Castles’. He and Bundy had decided to maintain their usual stocking tradition for Xmas, and to enjoy it on Bob’s return, to which end he asked Pips if he would mind ‘buying a few little hairy animals etc., as I expect by the time I arrive home they would have all disappeared from the streets.’ He would, of course, be able to come home earlier ‘if only these peace negotiations would come to a head’. He had heard of a new French victory at Verdun, and trusted that it might have some effect on any peace conference if there really were to be one. In the cold weather, with his feet ‘like bricks’, it grieved him that he had to ‘waste so much time here, and cannot do something more useful – but I suppose reading good books is the best hobby.’
[Next letters: 18 December]