Last night very little frost and thawing cloudy sky, up to about noon today, and mud. Cleared now, and I think will freeze again. I don’t know what’s happening to our ‘planes about here, but they are letting the Bosche ‘planes come over freely. The 9^th played 2^nd R.I.R [Royal Irish Rifles] in a neighboring Div. at footer yesterday and beat them. Fergie very pleased. He marched the Battalion over with the Band to view the match, and the men loved it. He’s simply splendid. Duke comes back on Thursday, I’m glad to say. Good deal of shell fire going on all day. B. Oliphant gone to Senior Officers’ Course, at Army School today. They wanted to send him in a lorry, but I protested and got him a car.