Letter Home (Bee) - 10th March, 1917

15^th Battery, 1917

10^th March, 1917

Dear Mother and Father

I am having a very quiet comfortable time at the wagon line and have been down here about five days. I got two letters yesterday, also a cable wishing me many happy returns of the 10th February, signed Austin. I took it to be Mr Ernie and have written him tonight

It's grand to hear you are having such a good season. I felt quite warm reading your letters. Am glad to see the North station wool sold so well, but I expect it would have realised far higher prices if it had been sold before the government stepped in.

We have had a great time shifting up our guns. The Hun got back out of our range. We are still having extraordinary weather. When the Hun evacuated his old line, it was very foggy but comparatively warm compared to what it had been. Most of the hardfFrost had thawed out and the ground got rather soft. They made me OC transport. I was meant to look after getting big guns out and ammunition and, in plain English, it was a devil of a job. There was one bit from our old position to a hard road, a distance of 150 yards, which kept us busy. It took us six hours hard work with eight horses in each team to get four vehicles over this bit. I think I used more bad language that day than I ever have before. I have quite decided that English drivers are not horsemen. They have got as much idea of what a horse can do as a fly. Anyway, we are out and established in our new position and the Hun has treated us very kindly so far but we will shake him up when it comes to the scrap as our guns will hit hard from our present range.

We have had snow the last two days and frost every night for a week. I can't make this weather out at all. There has been very little rainfall this winter but I expect it will make up for it later on. I do hope we will be on much more solid country before it does get wet. The country in front of us looks to be more solid and has grass growing on it.

I had a very nice letter from uncle Chester this week. It was very good of him to write as I know how very little time he has to himself.

Tell old Aplin I hope the pipe smokes are good. I find them very good myself.

With love to all,

from your loving son, Bertie.