[Trench Line.]

Just a line to say I’m all right, and we all are after our first night. Post goes at 10.00 a.m. Poor C. Shillington was wounded and missing from a patrol last night. He is in the 8^th R.I.R., attached with his company to Dublin Fusiliers, next to us in the line. Trenches very sticky and dirty; one is covered with mud. No mail yesterday.

6.00 p.m. Been hard at it all day, with few moments to spare. Got up at 5.00 a.m. and went round front line. Dark, misty, but no rain, and not too cold. Very quiet night and day and no casualties. Frank Lyon came to see me today here. He says, and should know, we go out of trenches on 23^rd and join XIII Corps, now forming, and take up line S[outh] of this, he thinks. Adjt, and I sleep in this dug-out, and five of us feed in it, and it is an office. Messages come in all day and night, and one mayn’t take one’s clothes off. Men’s dug-outs not nearly so good as before. Want a lot of work on them. Have seen no paper since last Saturday! Don’t want any more potted meat yet. We shall be on the move again next week.