My Dear Dad,
I have just received your letter of 9th Sept and was glad to learn from it that you were all well. We get most of the news here before it is very old and of course hear a lot of rumours. We are only about twenty minutes away from a fairly big town where we can buy English papers only a day old. I have just come in from town where I have been for a hot bath and a change of clothing. We usually manage a bath about once a week. Needless to say the trenches here are fairly wet in the winter, but we are provided with gumboots, dry socks every day, and whale oil to rub out feet with, sot that the wet does not trouble us much. We are sleeping in concrete dugout which is supposed to be proof against high explosives, it leaks a bit but is very warm, and we manage to keep it dry with the assistance of a beer pump that we have installed. The pump we rescued from the ruins of a pub, about every other shop in the town is now some sort of a beer shop, they sell only French beer and light wines however and are under strict supervision so that a drunk man is rather a novelty. Along with several others from the Company I was recommended [illegible] not nothing will come if it but if it does it will mean a spell for a few weeks first.
Hoping this finds you all in good health,
With best regards to all your affectionate son, Rawei
