May 16, 1915,
Sunday.
Just a line to you all after this scrap to tell you how things are with us. James will doubtless have told you most of the news, but I propose filling in where I know he will have left out.
First of all, and this is absolutely between ourselves, old Jim has been fine all through this game ever since the night of the 22nd when they gassed us down at Ste. Julien and we fired away until we got under rifle fire to a flank when we sent back for the gun teams and pulled in to a new position. Jim was always on the job just when wanted with the teams, there was no confusion, and he had everything working down to perfection. In those two days we moved to five new positions and that meant calling up the teams from the rear, through all sorts of shelling and rifle fire and they never failed us. Also old Jim was right on the job when it came to bandaging our wounded or burying some of our mutilated dead. He was always the same, cool and resourceful and full of energy. Never got tired and even offered to relieve MacDonald and me as F.O.O. when Lovelace got wounded and the double duty devolved on us to subalterns. Then again we never went without something to eat even in the hottest of hell holes and the same with ammunition. One day we must have shot away 3,000 rounds, and as a wagon only takes 176 rounds, you can see how many dangerous trips were needed. All the Battery is proud of him, but not so proud as I am to have him for a chum. So you can be inwardly very proud of him.
We expect to be relieved in a day or so, and things are temporarily very quiet, like the lull before the storm.
I hear Gerald is a prisoner. That is the first good news I have had of him. The Major is well, also MacDonald and myself, Lovelace is wounded and gone to the Base Hospital and old Jim as I said is flourishing.
We have had 35 casualties and the horses have had one half their number replaced. Well I must stop.
Too bad about the Lusitania, but there will be worse things happen yet. We have only begun. Give my regards to all the family and I hope you are all well and enjoying the spring weather.
Well goodbye for now and best regards,
Yours sincerely,
ELL. GREEN.
