No. 10 Convalescent Camp

France April 12, 1918

Dear Jane,

I suppose it is up to me to send you a letter seeing that I am not with the company. It is close to three weeks since I left and have been in hospital with a dose of the flue and am now waiting to be sent down to the base. I am wondering how the deuce Bill and Harry are getting on for there has been some hard fighting lately. I see in the paper that the NZers had been attacked three times so that will mean a rough handling for them. My word, I have been lucky to get away just now but by all appearances I will get may share when I get back. It is rotten being away from the boys and not knowing what is doing. Although it was a grand life sitting by the sea-side in a nice warm Sun. Today is grand I have been sitting on this sandhill watching the boats going across the Channel. I wish I was on board one of them on my way back home again. I have been here a week now and expect to be sent away any day. I met Tom Bigwood Sergt Major as I came in. He was going out after having three weeks of this camp. The parades are not hard nine o’clock to about eleven chasing a football or something like that and after dinner a small march and home again by 3.30.

So you see we are not overworked at all and would not need to be either for the food was none too plentiful. Still I suppose if we had plenty to eat here it would become an old mans home and nobody would want to have it. I am doing it pretty hard just now as I have no francs and do not know when I will get a pay again. It is rather awkward especially when there is a good canteen here and I can only look at things. Well I suppose it cannot be helped and I should be satisfied that I am away out here. I expect you will have heard from Bill before you get this and I hope there have both got a good Blighty and away from it all. I will have to stop now as it is near dinner time, with best love to you all. Young Un

16522 A. E. Balneaves

I have been watching a dirigible escorting some boats across. It is like a big fat cigar reddish brown in the sunlight. I cannot hear its engines as it seems to be coming with the breeze. AEB