March 19th 1918
My dear Father
Your letter of Jan 16th reached me yesterday. You wrote at the time of the heavy fall of snow that had more or less cut you off from civilization. It is a very unusual thing to get such a fall in the Midlands, and I don’t think I can recollect more than about six inches at any time. I have a later letter from Jack written on the 21st, in which he tells me Juliet had managed to get back to London again. Breakdowns of telegraph wires and all the various kinds of damage of a bad storm must be a special nuisance in these days when labour is so short.
I get it also from Jack’s letter, which is the most recent I have got, that Mela is moving from Sutton Coldfield to Handsworth, which is I gather a larger unit. I shall be interested to hear her own views on this more when I get another letter.
I am so sorry to hear you speak so badly of Aunt Lottie’s state of health, I gather that there is something rather serious underlying the symptoms of jaundice. It is a good thing at least that she was keeping cheerful and not suffering much from it.
War news has been comparatively quiet for some time. If this great German offensive is really coming off they are not hurrying the start. I should have thought by this time the balance would stand as well for them as it ever will. I suppose it is a choice between risking a lot in a big attack somewhere, and holding on in the hopes of breaking the alliance bit by bit by propaganda and peace offensives, backed by suitable military enterprises. Just lately the air operations have been providing most satisfactory news. Our raids on the big Rhine cities are becoming more frequent, and appear to be very successful. One has reasonable hopes that this is the beginning of great developments in this line. Undoubtedly our superiority in the air must greatly hamper all the enemy plans.
General Allenby is making steady progress at very good speed in difficult country. I think the trying part of the complete Russian collapse lies in the fact that it seems to have pushed the end of the war into the dim recesses of the future. Previously there has seemed a definite prospect of having Germany beaten by some given date. Just at present few people dare even to suggest a date, and it makes the future look rather black. However things have a way of happening quickly, and it is quite possible the outlook may be very different in a month or two.
We have had it pretty rainy for the last week or two, with one or two really heavy storms besides quite a lot of ordinary English sort of wet weather. If we had had half the rainfall last year that we have had this year I doubt if we should ever have taken Bagdad. Luckily it has been of little consequence this year. I think it seems more rainy than two years ago, though it remains to be seen whether storms will continue so late as May. Grass and vegetation which had vanished utterly for months is recovering in a wonderful way, and that will help in summer to minimise dust.
Best love to all from
Your affectionate son
Cyril E Sladden
