16th – 17th – Sept./19   D.B.Bearman

(7 enclos.  Friends War Victims Rlf Cttee

 Which please      A.P.O. S.5 B.E.F.      France

acknowledge)

 

Dear Père

I fear I am hopelessly in debt in the way matter of letters. But I have been working at the office this evening. I was away at Ham over the weekend – with Walter Bowerman, Ernest Holliday & Mark Haylor (the latter two English).

We had a splendid time Saturday and Sunday, a two hours & a half railway journey from the Gard du Nord lande dus at St. Quentin at about 3.30, from which place we tramped at the easiest of rates about 20 kilometres to Ham arriving at 8.o.c. pm.. The whole region is devastated, & the fields are crossed and recrossed with filled in trenches.

We looked round Ham & the Chateau Sunday morning. After dinner I did the washing up for the whole Équipe. Later in the afternoon two members of the Équipe & myself had a swim à nature in the Somme, which runs at the bottom of the garden. At 12.20 we arrived back in Paris & had to walk home  owing to the Metro being closed. (it closed just before 12) – so that I did not reach Rue de Sèvre until past 1.30 & very tired. But it was a splendid change.

The Friday evening preceeding, I walked home with Miss Fletcher again & treated her to a ’Platonic’ lecture (for want of a better word) on her own character.

I suppose Mère got safely my letter of last week to Deal. And I hope you received my note from office re. a (Brooks) saddle for my byke. I don’t think I mentioned a ’Brooks’, but they are deemed to be the best. The sooner I can get that the better. But mind & send it through St. Brides St. for I doubt the post. I have not yet received those undershirts.

Some day I am going to write some real letters again, but it is just on 12 now.

I enclose five cards & two photos. I shall have some better photos soon. In fact the one I sent to Mère was pretty good.

I am still thriving on Vegetarian diet.

By the way, last night I had the pleasure of entertaining here at the Rue de Sèvre & getting to know David Yourlay – our cashier at Grange.

Love to all – yours affectionately

      Don