France,
Sept. 23rd, 1918
Dear Mother:
Have not time for a long letter tonight as I am on duty but will write in a day or two and tell you all about our leave. Am just sending a line tonight to let you know that I am back to the battery again all OK. Got back last night. Sent a note from London telling you that I was with Claude. Stayed in London Thursday with him and left Friday morning at 6:50 a.m.. Got to Folkestone about 9 and had dinner there, a dinner by the way being cooked by WAACs and a very good one too. Got away about 2 and landed in France again about 4:30. Marched about three miles out of town to a camp where we got supper. Then I got a pass and went up to see Laura. I only had from 7 to 9:30 and it was nearly an hour's walk to the hospital, so I had less than an hour with her. However, I was glad of a chance to see her at all. She looks fine and seems to enjoy her work. Of course, I would never have known her since it such a long time since last I saw her. When leaving she gave me a bunch of doughnuts she had baked herself and perhaps they didn't taste good!! Oh no!! Well the next morning we got away about 9 and after another tedious journey we arrived at the railhead about 6 in the evening. Stayed there for the night. Got a good supper and breakfast at a French house and started off about 4 in the morning in search of the battery. No one knew where it was so we went to our old position only to find it had moved some distance away. Fortunately I knew where it was and we were fortunate in catching a lorry and so after various wanderings got to it around 7:00 p.m. and although we didn't like leaving Blighty we weren't sorry to be back for wandering around behind the lines in search of your unit is no fun.
Found quite a large mail waiting for me including two letters from you, one from Laura and Lilla, one from Lois Clark. Have quite a number to answer as I received mail just before going on leave which I haven't answered yet. Sent you a few little souvenirs from Blighty. Hope you get them OK. Haven't received my snaps yet but will send them as soon as they come. Haven't time to answer your letter in this one but will write you a long letter tomorrow if I have time. Now I must ring off.
Love to all, Harold
