Another short letter home from the front line, this time to his mother. He told her that he was quite well, and ‘the time still goes on bringing me nearer that great day when leave becomes due.’

He let her know, as he had Pips the previous day, that he was working on an Engineering job which suited him:

‘I get far more freedom to carry out various work and I believe when we have a rest I shall have a freer hand in doing [the] sort of jobs that interest me – I hope so at any rate, for if you can have work that really interests you the time goes by in a far pleasanter manner.’

He hoped that her own work was not becoming monotonous, although he doubted that it would: ‘I should delight in your work – it is so interesting and useful – far more useful than my work, which is sometimes so sickening and weary.’ But he was hoping that they would not be much longer in the line, and when they went out for a rest ‘I may have the opportunity of training a party of men specially on Engineering work.’

Apologising for the brevity of the letter he explained it was due to pressure of work. And although, ‘when you have a special job you can have an easy time if you like, I always feel that you should work hard to make it a success.’ He often wondered how home now looked, with the new furniture that had been bought, and he felt that, once he got home, ‘I shall never want to leave it again, despite old Harman’s shop and the trains etc.’ [The local trains rattled past the end of their garden at home.]

[Next letter: 16 January]