BEF
24 Feb 1918
My dear Father
Your last letter was indeed packed with ill news. The determination of Aunt Lottie’s trouble as being of so serious a nature is very sorrowful. I am afraid she will soon discover the truth about her disease, but I hope she may keep up her spirits even so. I will write to her shortly: would have done so before, but I have been so busy recently that I have scarcely written a single letter for over a week.
The number of men in this Section has fallen considerably in the last few months. Casualties have only been partially replaced; for as man power has become scarcer there has been a natural tendency to reduce administrative staffs to a minimum. And further, the increased rate of leave keeps a larger proportion of men continually away. So I have recently been reorganising the Section so as to obtain greater economy of time and it has taken a great deal of work to get the thing devised in full detail.
It is rather cheek on my part to do it in the absence of Mr Craig and without consulting him. But he is a very conservative minded man and suspicious of new methods. And the CO was interested in the matter and gave me a free hand, so I have done it and just got the new system in work. It is too early yet to say how it will work; but it promises well. Now I shall have to write to Mr Craig and confess what I have done.
Mr Craig won’t be back until the middle of next month. I hope nothing will have happened to interfere with leave before then. If it keeps going I shall hope to get away immediately he returns.
I was very glad indeed to hear about Boo’s Military Cross. I had felt for some time that he must have been rather unlucky not to have got one. With his record of service a decoration must be well deserved, even if there is not especially outstanding act to gain the decoration. I know several MCs that can’t have been half so well earned as Boo’s. I expect Mela is in high feather over it, isn’t she? I must try and write to her soon, also to Boo.
What a shame that Bernard was shipped off so suddenly. The Army is too prompt and efficient sometimes.
Love to all from
George
