France, 21st May 1916

Dear Mother,
We are now in the trenches and as the weather is fine are not having such a bad time. Except when there is a bit of shelling going on here things are reasonably quiet. There is a cuckoo that flies over our trenches night and morning giving its peculiar cry and in a hole next to our gun and dugout a cat with three kittens has taken up its abode. It lives on the mice and rats that are so plentiful here.
Tomorrow we go out for an eight day spell into a fairly large town that is close by. There we get hot baths and clean clothing. I have not come across Gordon since leaving Egypt. His brigade left from Port Said and although they are somewhere near us we do not know exactly where.
We have an orchard just behind us and the gooseberries and currants are just ripening. With you of course the fruit season will now be over. I hope you have done well.
I do not know whether this will pass the censor or not, but will close now with best regards to all from your affectionate son,
Rawei

France, 6/5/16

Dear Bob,
Many thanks for the camera and films which arrived today. Unfortunately we are not allowed to keep cameras under penalty of court martial so I am returning it by this mail. The films we are not allowed to post. We are lucky to have arrived here just at this time of the year as the weather is now becoming warmer and the mud of which we heard so much should now be drying up.
My address is now 2nd Coy. N.Z. Machine Gun Corps. It is useless for me to tell you here of our exact position or probable movements as such information does no pass the censor and at any rate the papers will no doubt keep you informed as to our movements.
We are getting leave to visit England. About four or five go from our Coy. each weekend and I am looking forward to the time when my turn comes around which should be in about six weeks time.
Well I trust you are all in good health.
Kind regards to all.
Yours sincerely,
Rawei