Friday, 5th February 1915

Tunstill's Company remained in training at Eversley.


2Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram, (see 26^th January) wrote home to his parents with news of forthcoming plans for the Battalion, although in actual fact the arrangements would subsequently be revised, with the various moves deferred for a further week beyond the dates which Ingram expected.

5^th Feb. 1915

c/o J.W. Martin Esq.

“Bannisters”

Finchampstead

My Darling Mother and Father


We have just heard our plans for the near future. Next Tuesday, 9/2/15, we return to Oudenarde Barracks. The whole 23^rd Division is to concentrate in Aldershot and on the 14^th and 15^th the whole 18-20,000 moves into huts, billets and barracks in the Hythe-Shorncliffe-Sandgate district. The 10^th Dook’s (sic.) may, therefore, be in any of these places. It is some way up to Town (ie London) but the boat expresses from Folkestone are very good. Motor buses run from Hythe to Folkestone. We shall do our shooting on the Hythe ranges. That will take about 3-4 weeks. After that anything may happen. It hardly seems worthwhile coming home next Sunday for 3-4 hours. The trains here are very bad. But I’ll try to get home next Saturday week, ie. the day before we go to Hythe.

I wonder if I might have some plain chocolate sent to Oudenarde? Sometimes one has a great longing for plain choc, probably because one doesn’t smoke.

We are working extremely hard at present down here. For the last fortnight we have been on the move with one thing or another from 8am to 5pm then an hour’s lecture from the OC for officers, and then a Diary of the day’s work for subalterns. For higher officers an appreciation of the situation of next day’s Special Idea as outlined by the OC.

Would some kind person be good enough to have my private compass sent on to me at Oudenarde, together with its case? Tom brought it back as he has no more use for it.

Love to the family. Tom, I suppose, is now in the trenches. Has Lilian returned to Welford yet? She must have been rather worried at Tom’s departure once more.

Your ever loving son.

Robert

The references to ‘Tom’ are to Ingram’s elder brother, Capt. Thomas Lewis Ingram (see 30^th October 1915); ‘Lilian’ was Tom’s wife.