In France
3 Oct 1915
My dear Mother
This letter must serve as answer to two from home, for I have not replied to the last one from Father and now I have just received yours of the 30th. We have had stirring times since I wrote last for we were where the trouble was thickest and, though resting now, I hope that things will continue to hum and that when we go into the front line again it will be to press forward again and see some more of the German country. It is a great change to get the chance of seeing German prisoners and the most pleasing thing I have seen out here, I think, was a battery of field guns that we had captured being taken to the rear. Another new experience we had recently was an introduction to the real article in heavy German shells, though luckily at a safe distance. They were fired by a gun which was probably one of the famous 17 inch howitzers, though rumour (which loves exaggeration) say that they were 21 inch monsters. They burst about half a mile away at leisurely intervals. The first few did no harm but at last we saw a great burst which raised not the usual cloud o grey black smoke but a yellowish-reddish cloud of enormous dimensions. When it cleared we could see that a block of houses (I heard afterwards that there were three of them) had disappeared. They were flattened right out. I managed to gather news of Cecil Brown Constable from one of the men of his battalion whom I met on the road two days ago. He said that Cecil had come through quite safely, though they also had had a hot time.
Amazing news the romance of Miss Holmes. But how pleased she must have felt at having conducted the affair in so romantic-comedy-drama a way. That in itself would have been almost enough to make her do it, I do believe!
I must call roll.
Love to all from
George
