Pièce 41 - Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, 2 May 1917

Letter to Ruth Mallory written from France on 'May 2 1917'

He supposed he had been in the country for a year now. Holidays weren’t so frequent now as they used to be. It wouldn’t be so bad to get a month’s leave. Supposing he were to come home suddenly and walk into the orchard and find her lying under the trees. Or she could join him in the wood and see the flowers. Yesterday when of all days they should have been together he was condemned to sit all day in a trench and she was no doubt sewing in the nursery.

Life wasn’t very exciting, they were having a slack time and enjoying the sunshine. Dunbar’s absence had a soothing effect. He had finished Well’s book on the war which was very interesting but the end part on European civilisation was not very satisfactory to him and explains why giving his opinion on having religion without churches.

Thanks her for her parcel of sausages, potted meat and camp pie. Was amused to hear about Marjorie’s last place and interested in Clutton Brock’s views on the war. Thinks they need to put things right outside Germany by having self governing states in place of various oppressed members of the Austro Hungarian Empire, breaking down German power in Turkey and Bulgaria. If only they could go on until they could put matters straight but they could only go on until it was evident that they couldn’t.