Sept 16th 1917
My dear Father
It is quite your turn for a letter. We are just preparing to move from our camp by the river where we have been for more than two months to take over a section of our front line of defence.
I hope as soon as we have had a few days to get settled and adopt a suitable routine of work we may be quite comfortable up there.
There is little reason to anticipate trouble except from possible Arab raiding parties, of perhaps a cavalry patrol, though one has to be ready of course for anything.
The weather is cooling down fast now, we have in fact just had five days when the thermometer failed to reach 100°; and the nights are distinctly cool, so that very soon it will be possible to be fairly energetic for a considerable part of the day.
You told me in your last letter dated July 18th, which came a week ago, of Arthur’s short visit during his spell of leave.
Mela remarked that it was his first leave for a year so you must have been glad to see him, and he to get home for a little time.
Things have been quieter in France lately. I imagine any attacking done there now is done against almost the whole of the German forces, and is a correspondingly tough job.
We have secured all the best observation positions all along the line so far as I can see, so when our next effort is made we ought to benefit accordingly.
We all wonder whether there is anything in the rumours that Turkey will try to regain Bagdad. She stands to get a big army smashed to pieces with little to show for it, if she does try; and that will not be much help in aiding her to keep Palestine.
I am very glad the fruit prospects were so good when you wrote, and I hope they come up to expectation in every way. It is a very sound thing to be a food producer of some kind in these days.
I was very interested in the despatch of which you sent me a copy in the Daily Telegraph. It was a long document in its complete form, a copy of which I saw later, but the Telegraph had it nearly complete.
Recently we have received official news of the decorations given to officers in the despatch of Aug 26th, and have reason to congratulate ourselves upon getting a DSO and three MCs to add to the five DSOs and one MC previously given as immediate awards during the operations.
Awards to NCOs and men, and mentions we have so far had no news of, and shall probably have to wait for until the mail brings it in about three weeks’ time.
I received a parcel of light novels from you a fortnight or more ago for which many thanks. There is plenty of demand for that sort of reading matter although we are better off at present than we generally have been.
I hope we may not be worried too much with flies this autumn. They have been appearing in small numbers for some time but have not increased much. They enjoy any temperature below 100°, so if they are going to be bad they should start very soon, and will only be overcome finally by frosty nights which we shall not get before the latter part of November I expect.
It is not entirely a matter of sanitation as flies abound in every Arab village and dwelling, and so one’s best efforts cannot entirely remove them.
Best love to everybody at home (I am sure you must miss Betty very much now).
Your affectionate son
Cyril E Sladden
