No. 1 Coy, 11th Reserve Battalion
Shorncliffe Kent
March 19th 18

Dear Mother,

I have just received a couple of letters from you dated Feb 3rd & 17th respectively. That latter one had a photo of Bessie and Philip enclosed. It is pretty good but Phil looks very solemn. Bessie is getting very grown up. You are wise to stay in a block and as for getting a house, there will be plenty of time for that when peace is declared and one of us is lucky enough to get home.

I expect Syd will be down here on Thursday the 21st. He was expecting to go on his "sick furlough". He put in for Ireland but I doubt he will get farther than Liverpool. He will be coming to the Command Depot which is just a thousand yards from the camp so I shall see quite a lot of him.

I was talking to Archie McElheren the other night. He is looking first rate and smart in his officer's uniform. His chum Norman Rogers is still around here and orderly sergeant for this company.

This is awfully untidy writing but I'm writing on my knee as the table is occupied by the poker players every night. Every camp around here has a YMCA hut, a Salvation Army hut and a Church Army hut in addition to the Regimental Institute which is divided into three parts, a writing room, a concert room and dry canteen, and a wet canteen. It is run by the Army Canteen Board and is kept up by the regimental fund.

Do you know a Mrs. Chettle at the 27th Auxiliary? Her son Joe is in the next bunk to me and is one of the original 27th boys. He and I are also in the same squad on the square. If you ever meet a Mrs. McMurphy, she is my oldest chum's mother. He is going to the railway troops. Sgt. Sprackland is at the C.C.D.

Well, dear, love all.

Jack