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Letter to Ruth Mallory written from France during the Battle of the Somme, 'July 20 Friday' [Friday was actually the 21st]

Describes the work he had to do the day before clearing and then occupying an enemy trench. Had walked to the front line but seen nothing by ruin and shell holes. Describes the German dug out they had taken. Describes his companion Glen’s physical appearance and character and the fact he was a great blessing for whom he felt quite an affection.

Not as optimistic about the situation as she was. Still at the stage of weakening the enemy.

Comments on the capital the press were making out of the war and that Lord Harmsworth had passed by and stopped to look at one of their guns firing but had missed him as he was drinking tea in a tent at the time.

Comments on her letters.

Letter to Ruth Mallory written from France during the Battle of the Somme, 'July 1916'

Full Transcript

My dearest Ruth,

This is merely a note in advance chiefly to say that if you haven’t already bought the potatoes it will be better after all not to send them. We have discovered a way of getting them here.

I have just had breakfast after firing for 3 hours. We are very busy and I feel rather tired – chiefly I expect because these field guns make such an offensive noise. I believe our operations are going as well as expected – it’s a hard life in which one has to be reasonable. Will you send along parcels of the Times 4 or 5 at a time. It so often happens that for some days I see nothing but the Daily Mail and the Harmsworth popular press disgusts me in its present stage of rampant jingoism over ‘the great push’ than at any previous period of the war. The government is very largely to blame for that e.g. for the official photos. A picture of one of our guns as it stands in the emplacement with its girdles on appeared in the Daily Mail of July 5. This is evidently the advertising centre. O God! O Montreal!

The car is to start now. So au revoir till I talk to you again later on.
Your loving George.