Dearest Emmie

Yours to hand of the 9th inst. I am not on rugged rocks but the floor. We had a bit of a hail storm last week so perhaps it was the same as you were in. Strange you should meet someone you knew at Ilfracombe was it at Bournemouth last year that you met Palmers what’s-his-name? I don’t quite see why you would have said “Have you any letters for me” should you have met Mr Painter again. I just rumble now, letters to take down I presume. Glad to hear you were so well off as regards food we have plenty of bully beef & biscuits here if we run short. Four in a loaf today, the bread is made with more flour on Sundays \ little & good. The Batt is out now. The paper you send me is quite good enough for a Tommy or Billy in this case.

The news is very good lately as regards advancing and taking prisoners but when it comes to leave I don’t see where the 60,000 a day get across the Channel. Are there many knocking about on leave in London. The weather has changed again now and the Sun is shining once more. It is now Monday morning, just turned 9 o’cl so I guess you have just started work and by now the old machine is clicking. I can hear the one next door in the Orderly room going it, that reminded me of you. They still seem to be doing things on the western front I suppose they will stop and settle down for winter soon. Well my dear I must now close for practice.

With Fondest Love

From Yours Ever

Will xxx

Dearest Emmie

Yours to hand of the 9th inst received last night. It has taken 7 days to get here quite a long time – no wonder I hadn’t had a letter for five days. I am glad to hear you liked your room, of course your holiday is over by now but I guess you had a good time. Of course you now we have servants to get our meals but we all have to take our turn. Sorry to hear you Dad is called up but perhaps they won’t have him if he suffers with his legs. What has you Mother been eating to get poisoned I hope she is better by now. I think I told you we are playing at the Corps H.Q. on Wednesday. I think it is a contest but I am not sure. I suppose Ilfracombe feels very little of the war are the street lights full on there of a night if so it must seem strange after darkened Londres. You like to watch the lights out at sea of a night and I dare say you would like to view the front line from the distance it is really interesting to see over-head shrapnel bursting and all the coloured verry lights in the air. The shells make worse noises than cats on the tiles; some are like engines going along and as I have said before it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for getting hurt. I might not get a chance to write much this week but will do my best.

With Fondest Love

From Will xxx

Dearest Emmie

Another few lines to let you know that I am still alive and kicking. I haven’t heard from you for four days now, what has happened? Of course by now you will be thinking of returning home and to work, well once more I say I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed yourself also Mabel. I expected to hear from Mable while she was away but no! Dad seems to be the only one who writes to me from home. I am feeding myself on Lyles syrup and condensed milk. Oh! we do have a time. I have written home for my cornet I would like to get a bit of an orchestra up if poss but I don’t know how many instruments we can get yet. Well Emmie dear I will close now hoping to hear from you this afternoon with

Fondest Love

From Will xx

Dearest Emmie

Yours to hand od the 3rd inst. I am glad to know that you are enjoying yourself and I wish I was now filling Maude’s place but at present I suppose that cannot be. You say that you have been picking “don’t-you-forget-its” so I conclude that was the same flower d’ans l’envelope for which I thank you very much. (I will finish this tomorrow as the light is going out) Somebody has come in the nick of time with another candle so I will continue. I have been trying some songs over tonight and I have found a pro organist in the Batt who accompanies me very well. We have not moved and don’t think we are going to now. I dare say that I could act that sketch well with you in private what? We have been having rain and still more rain this last week but one good thing is that our “holy” roof has been repaired. I hope that concert goes well and wish I could be there but I will be with you in thought instead. I wish I could answer Maude by wireless but as that is not available I can only say that her wishes are reciprocated. By the time you receive this letter I dare say you will be home again so you must start work again and settle down to winter nights. I dare say you find a friend in Maude do you go out with her much?

Well my dear I will now close as it is practice time.

Fondest Love

From Yours Ever

Will xxx

Dearest Emmie

I answer to yours of the 2nd inst I’m glad to hear that you are having a good time. I have not been able to write this last two or three days and if I had have done I wouldn’t have been able to post it.

You speak of blackberrying; that puts me in mind of about this time last year when I was at Aldershot and you used to come down we found some good ones there didn’t we. I guess that when you get with Maude you make a pair of nuts; I know what I would have done if I had been that soldier who felt the point of the prickle, I would have kept quite and not said a word and then retaliated at a suitable time. It is now pouring of rain and our roof has almost as many holes in it as it has tiles but for all that we are not getting much water in.

I do not compre your German “auf weidersehen” but I say “ditto”. What does it mean? We now play “Bound to Win” selection and we do chirp it out some. We are playing at Corps Headquarters again on the 18th inst. I do not know if it is a contest or not. I went to the pictures last night and saw G Watson there and of course we had a jaw. He does seem a nipper for line work and yet he is 21 in December. Please will you send me out some Meloids I have nearly finished the last lot. I think I will give up smoking for a time, we get in average 35 cigarettes issued a week but they are not up to much. I fully expected a letter today but no I must wait until tomorrow. I will now conclude

With Fondest Love

from Yours Ever

Will xx

Dear Emmie

Just a few lines to show that I have not forgotten you. I have been in the position this last two days where I could not write so please excuse me and also writing in pencil and this paper. I have received a letter from you which I will answer this afternoon. I am not in the line now, we had a fairly easy time. Hope you are enjoying yourself we are having a series of thunderstorms now but inbetween the weather is good. Well I will close now and write more this afternoon.

Fondest Love

From Your Will xx

Dearest Emmie

Just a few lines to let you know that I am still O.K. and hope that you are enjoying yourself now at Leighton. I dare say you will be at Ilfracombe by the time you receive this or perhaps home again. I didn’t have a letter from yesterday perhaps because they have farther to come now but I expect one today. I am still in my D.D.O. and am shure all are glad that I have not had much work to do as it is generally of an unpleasant nature. I am very sorry for what I said concerning the piece of white heather and would really very much like to know its meaning. Thanks very much for the book of Mirrors received yesterday we are most certainly winning it is a wonder how we keep advancing as we do. How is Will L. going on, does Mabel speak much of him. What must she think of me? If he is right to her mind I wonder if I am. We are having very good weather here and I guess you are having the same. Please excuse these few lines as there is so little to write about will write more next time.

Fondest Love

From Will xx