Seward House
Badsey
13th April 1916
My dear Cyril
We have been much interested in the letters we have had from you written on your journey out and telling us of your various experiences; your last one to me was dated March 7th & 8th. I hope long before this that you have been receiving home letters again, it must seem so long to be without any news. The 13th Division has very soon been set to work again, we see they were used for taking those two first entrenchments of the Turks. I do hope you came through unharmed and will continue to do so in the further fighting that must take place before General Townshend’s force can be relieved. We hear poor Harold Allsebrook has been wounded in his first fight, they heard two days but know no particulars yet, the telegram said “seriously”, but I hope it may not be too bad and that he will get on all right. Dick New has been home on leave, his division seem to have gone to France. I think Father told you last week that Arthur had had a week’s leave, it was very nice to see him though it was only a 24 hours’ visit. He was looking fairly well and very pleased to be able to see his wife and child and his home people again; of course he was delighted with little Dorothy and though her quite a fine specimen. I think Mela was feeling better when she last wrote to us, I hope the rest and air of Folkestone are doing her good.
I am not a satisfactory person at present, Arthur didn’t like the look of me and asked Dr Leslie to come and see me again. My heart is weak again and I am not to do any walking at present. Father is making enquiries about a Bath chair, meanwhile we have borrowed the old one from the Vicarage and I have been out three times in it. I am spending a great deal of my time in bed again which is very annoying and disappointing and every morning and evening have to do some wonderful exercises for strengthening the heart. Ethel came home on Monday, having stopped a few days at Sydenham on her way and so was able to meet Arthur in town. Father has gone to a Masonic meeting this evening, the first he has attended for a good while. He is getting on a bit with his rose-pruning now that the weather is a bit better. Juliet is very busy at the minute doing a three-hour Greek paper to send up to Miss Fletcher to correct, one of those from the last Matric exam. Kathleen will be home tomorrow and will help her do some mathematics I think. I hope she may manage to get through the exam, but she does not feel too confident.
I was just writing this sheet when a telegram arrived from the War Office telling us that you have again been wounded, poor old Boy, we are all feeling so sorry for you, though in a way we are almost relieved to think that for the present you will be out of further danger and one can see that there must be some very stiff fighting before there can by any chance of General Townshend’s force being relieved. We all hope your wound is not severe and that you will get on as well as you did last year. I wonder what hospital you will be sent to. I do hope you have been receiving mails all right the last two or three weeks. We have sent word to Mela about you, poor girl she will be rather upset, you may perhaps be able to send us a wire through the Casley Telegraph; I hope so as it will be a long time before we get anything more from the War Office.
I pray God you may get on well my dear, dear Son and be preserved from any more hard, God bless you.
Your loving Mother
Eugénie N Sladden
