23rd March 1916
Arthur assures Dollie that they are nowhere near Soissons, as suggested by her Mother – in fact he gives her a coded message in this letter, indicating their current location is near Arras!
Arthur to Dollie
Billets – France, Thurs. even 9.15pm
… Your dear letter of Tuesday last came to-day: I was so bucked to get it; thanks awfully dear. I’m awfully glad to hear that your dear Mater is better both for her own sake and for yours, darling. For I just hate for you to worry & I know all that it means to you when your Mother is not herself. So tell her to buck up & get well!
No dear, we are nowhere near Soissons. I don’t know where she picked up the idea. We are much further North yet not so far as we were with the 47th Division. We are some miles further south than that near a big town that begins with the same letter & ends with the same letter as my surname.
To-day, dear, has been another rather dull & cloudy day. We did a Battalion route march this morning at 9. Beresford lost his way coming back so that we weren’t in until twenty to one. This afternoon we had a pow-wow at half-past three – about some work that we are to practise to-morrow. Then I went to watch two of my platoons play football – a very strenuous game between Nos 7 & 8 that ended in a victory for the latter 3-2. The winning goal was scored just on time!