No 11 Platoon No 3 Coy
4th Seaforths
B E F 30/12/16

Dear Mary,
I received your rather late letter last night but better late than never. So you are still at the fever nursing. You are sticking it very well. When are you going to have a shift? There is not much news that I can give you. We are back a bit since a couple of days but are going up again on New Years day hard luck. We went into the trenches on Xmas eve a devil of a place and Fritz gave us an awful hot reception with shells near blew us all up but there was only one of my Coy hit. The trenches were knee deep in mud & water but were well booted or we could not stand it at all. We did three days there & it was quite enough. The worst job was the coming out in the dark We were all about done for before we came to the billets. We put on trousers now to go into the trenches & gum boots up to the thighs & still we get wet feet so you can imagine the state of affairs. Well I have given you a bit of a description of things I got no parcel from home as yet although it has been on the road a good while and there was a pair of socks sent me which I never received. I got a nice parcel from Aunty Mary and a nice letter from Nellie telling me to send for anything. That has been my first & only parcel I want you to send me as soon as you can a box of blue ointment & any strong powders you can get me for lice I think you are the most likely to ask so try & oblige as soon as you can. I must stop now, so write soon How are all the nurses I know.
Love from Dodo