British Expeditionary Force
3 April 1915
My dear Mother
The boil that I mentioned in my last letter turned out to be a carbuncle, a piece of ill luck that has put me in the Field Hospital for the last few days. Very annoying, but not so much as I thought at first, for the Battalion does not go up to the trenches before Wednesday and I am sure to be released before then. I think there is very little delay in the postal service as regards letters coming here, but I believe letters home take a good deal longer. Don’t worry yourself about my condition out here as regards supplies; everything we want is served out in quite sufficient quantities, or if not we are able to purchase it here, although everybody here is in complete agreement that this is a very distressful land – worse than Ireland. I brought a reserve of tobacco which, coupled with the ration issue, is enough to keep me going for a long time. I should, however, appreciate it very much if you would send me the Weekly Times. I am fed up with the Continental DM and the Petit Parisien is worse! The latter wastes all its space day after day in vain speculations regarding the future action of neutral nations. Aunt Lottie performed a good act, which I hope she will repeat, in sending me Punch last week. I gather that your weather is rather worse than ours at present. We have had a lovely couple of days, and till today the worst feature has been a rather cold east wind. Today is chilly with drizzle and quite unpleasant. I shall be glad to get out of here. The hospital is in a few rooms of the Hotel de Ville and the accommodation is certainly not of the best for medical work.
Love to all from
Your affectionate son
George
