Letter to Mother - TN Wilmott
Tuesday 25 August 2015
TuesdayC/o Worcestershire Rgt, FranceMy dear motherWe came into these trenches on Sunday are going to spend an extra long spell in them. They are not the trenches we expected to go to but some old breastworkds we took from them in May. We are now living in the old Hun front line.Continual thunderstorms keep on coming and we are living in an absolute sea of foul mud. The rats are huge like dogs.I am hoping to get 8 days leave sometime next week. I ought to know for certain the end of this week and will write. I am pretty certain of getting it and ought to go when we leave these trenches.No news.Your loving son TomPS When addressing my letters put on the above address as Bdes are apt to change.[KW date 25 August 1915]TuesdayC/o Worcestershire Rgt, FranceMy dear motherI am starting on leave on Thursday, so shall get home about midday on Friday. I reach Victoria at 5 am on Friday morning. Aunt Esther offers me a bath if I get stranded early in the morning.I had the nearest escape anyone could possibly wish to have the night before last. I took a patrol of 3 men out in front to look & try to find working parties. By mistake one of our sap heads had not been warned about our going out, and on seeing us chucked a bomb at us. The bomb landed 5 yards from us but did not explode. They then gave us ten rounds at 25 yards range pitting the ground all round us but not touching any body. We had great difficulty in telling them we were not Huns. If the bomb had exploded none of us would be here to tell the tale. I never felt so pleased as afterwards to think that none of us were hit -- it seems a good omen.No news otherwise.Your loving son Tom