My dear Mother,

Here I am again to tell you that we (Cliff included) are well and I sincerely hope this finds you the same. We all have slight colds but you needn’t worry as they are not unusual here at this time of the year.

Well Mussie, we moved up to the battalion and I want to tell you that Cliff and us had some great talks. Cliff looks fine and is fully as fat as when he first enlisted. I was surprised after his long stay in the hospital. He is with A Company and Fred and I are in C Company. However A and C usually work together so we are really not split at all.

Fred was a very happy boy a couple of days ago. Even more so than usual but there was a reason. First he got his Christmas cake from you and then he seen Cliff a few hours later when he was returning from up the line where he had been on a working party.

Both of us have been out on several working parties and are slowly getting used to the sound of gunfire. I was out last Tuesday and I surely got a decent baptism for a starter. Old Hymie was decidedly peeved in the morning but none of us got hurt. You may be sure that we are truly thankful, too.

I expect we will be in the trenches in a few days, so will have something to tell you in my next letter. Fred and I are going out on a working party again tonight and will have tomorrow to sleep and rest up.

Say mother, in case anything happens to Fred or I, we both left a will with the paymaster of our battalion, so that you can get all monies due us from the pay office, London. I don’t expect that you will have occasion to use them but then you can never tell.

Must close for now but will write you again when we come out

Love and XXXs for you all.

You loving son,

Jim