22nd January 1916
Dollie is anxious as she has not heard from Arthur for a few days; meanwhile he is relieved to be out of the front line action for a short while, and hopes to be home by next Thursday (27th); Arthur is kept more than busy, helping to train all the new troop arrivals at Divisional HQ.
Arthur to Dollie
The Chateau, Sat: 8.29am
… I’m afraid this cannot be a very long letter: for I’m due on parade about ten to nine. But yesterday three dear letters of yours came – of Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday – & though I’m awfully busy, I was wild that you had had no news for some days & determined to get a letter off by this post. I cannot understand the delay: but the mails & papers in from home have been very irregular. The weather has been stormy & probably the boats have been held up. So we must endure in patience, darling; & realise that no new is NOT bad news. If anything happened to me you would hear at once.
The CO apologised to me yesterday that he had not written to you. “But tell her”, he said. “that I’ve done the next best thing, and brought you back here, out of the line for a bit”! Old Sportsman!
I’m awfully busy here. Yesterday I was on parade & lecturing all the morning: in the afternoon round with the CO to see some field work & from tea till about half-past ten I was copying out some plans… Well, little lover, cheero – keep a stout heart. Please God, I shall be with you on Thursday. I can scarcely hold my pen for excitement! …
Saturday 6.12pm
Another dear letter came from you to-day – Thursdays. Thanks most awfully, dear heart. I am glad that at last you had heard from me. As I wrote in my last letter, the mail these last few days has been all over the place. Please heaven by now too, Sammy will have phoned you & given you my news.
My leave goes in to-morrow: if all’s well, I leave here on Wednesday night & be with you Thursday, and I’ll answer all your dear letters in person! I do hope nothing stops it, for I am most awfully excited and can scarcely write…
To-day has passed pretty quietly. I am very busy as usual, but am very fit DG. This rest (!) is doing me a lot of good. Over two hundred more men and eight more officers arrived making a total of over 70 officers and nearly 300 men.