Letter Home: …unable to get near a bath for over a month.

June 24, 1916

My dear Mother, Daddy, and Grant:

Of course we always say that we have wet rainy nights whenever carrying out a relief. Well last Saturday night we moved into the line again from support on a damp night and last night, really this morning, came out in nearly absolute darkness through & over sloppy trails caused by yesterday’s heavy rainfall. On such nights where the clouds are heavy & black it is a case of every man groping or feeling his way forward with the great assistance of Fritz’s numerous flares of which he always uses plenty. Now in support a few days. Have been back with my old company now for a couple of weeks and Ed Shuttleworth having returned to England I am at last a company commander. Ed has a permanent job… in charge of a casualty company composed of convalescent soldiers. It is a nice job for him now that he is out of this, has a little home picked out and is bringing his wife over shortly. I am sorry to have him leave us, but for his own sake glad he is out of this and this game. Things have been quieter during the week on this front, possibly due to the brilliant Russian smash on the Eastern front… Our chief troubles at present are that we have (everybody) been unable to get near a bath for over a month. The shirts have come in handy, but I did not use them soon enough. Impossible to get a bath for another two weeks. However these are minor worries… I have little news of any kind and have had few opportunities to write at all. With much love to you all, Believe me. As ever.

Yr. affectionate son & brother,

Stewart

Antal, S., & Shackleton, K. (2006). The First World War – Better With Experience. In Duty nobly done: The official history of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment (1st ed., pp. 201-202). Windsor, ON: Walkerville Pub.