The Coy. Commanders’ conference at 2.00 p.m., daily, and we have a talk over things, which generally lasts an hour. Then post comes and I write. Tea at 5.00 p.m., and a walk round various working parties. It always takes me a day to settle into trench routine, and then I am quite happy and hate nothing but the first day. I am feeling unhappy at the amount of work there is to do. Then once we begin to tackle it, one is absorbed in the work. Now I’ve got the hang of these trenches and got the work organised I don’t get up early except for some special reason. The afternoon Hate just begun. We sprayed inside of Mess with creosote and the flies are much better. I hadn’t been to ‘Wipers’ [Ypres] before. A sad spectacle! Not a wall more than eight feet in height left. The Cloth Hall practically disappeared. A quiet night; they put a whole lot of ‘oil cans’, [mortars] about 50, into Bde. on our left yesterday p.m., and were very noisy with guns and Hows. for some time, but they let us alone. Holt was down last evening looking round. He now commands a Coy. and rather likes it. So hot and muggy today, and the flies are very trying. The new lot are doing capitally, two of them out on patrol every night, quite on their own, and full of enterprise. Altogether I am very lucky. Kentish’s letter will interest you. Of course, he’s always flowery, but it’s quite a nice letter to get. Was called away to talk to some gunners, and gave them tea. Humphreys is B. Gen. R.A. of the Corps. I haven’t seen him yet. Someone says Horne has got 1^st Army and that ‘Putty’ has gone home [he hadn’t], also Keir [he had].

Cloth Hall, Ypres