A wet morning early has turned into a sunny day. Service at 10.15 a.m., and communion service afterwards. Sixteen cases of cakes and cigarettes came from I.W.A. [Irish Women’s Association] last night, just in right time for Xmas. Am just going to sally forth round dinners—2.30 p.m.

Well, the round of dinners completed. Fergie did wonders, and the company commanders worked hard, and had the barns looking very bright. They had beef, besides their two turkeys, one goose and one ham, for each platoon. What delights the men is that no other Battalion had anything! Don’t send any more comforts yet. Every man is well provided. When we move and have to leave stocks behind, we shall want everything you’ve got when we settle into a new area.

Footnote

The Irish Women’s Association, ‘to aid Irish Regiments and Prisoners of War’, was established in the spring of 1915. Women volunteers, led by Lady MacDonnell and largely from the titled and upper classes of Irish society, organised parcels of cigarettes & tobacco, knitted hats, gloves & socks, food and other basic items and small luxuries for men at the front and in prisoner of war camps in Germany.