Friday 17th September 1915

I was fascinated by the comment posted yesterday and would love to know more, but am unable to respond directly to the comment. Could I ask the contributor if they would be prepared to contact me via b.smith@theskiptonacademy.co.uk in order that we might exchange more information? Thanks.

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

Overnight (16^th – 17^th), an alarm was raised that the Germans were about to attack, but in the event, other than for a continuation of sniping, the situation remained quiet. The weather remained good and work continued on the repair and renewal of the trenches, parapets and dugouts.

Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 14^th September) wrote to his mother, again reassuring her about the relative safety of the sector. Interestingly, he made no mention of the deaths of two men from his Company (see 16^th September):

17th Sept. 1915

In trenches

My darling

Thank you so much for your last 2 letters which have come up here. We have been in since last Tuesday night and on our own since Wednesday night last. A famous Highland Regt gave us 24 hours instruction. They had been out since December last and know everything there was to know about trench warfare. From the date you know their Division.

This is a very quiet part of the line, in fact the kindergarten of the Western Front. The trenches are almost luxurious. Each officer has a dug-out to himself, or rather a dug down only two or three feet but built up with sandbags.

The Highlanders have been around here for 3 months and their ‘A’ Coy. have only had 4 men hit altogether in the whole time, so you can imagine how quiet this part is, as Tom knows. The only drawback to this life under such ideal conditions of weather and trenches is that sleep is rather scarce and very broken up, but we shall be back in billets in 3 days more, and then for a few days absolute rest, before beginning Company and Swedish drill and the other things normal in billets.

It is good of everybody to write so much. Since we have been out in France I haven’t had a blank mark yet with a record day of 4 letters and a parcel on Wednesday night.

I’ll write again as soon as we get back to billets. Sorry not to have written since Tuesday last, but have not had much time.

The normal afternoon strafe is now beginning. Just here we seem to have a battery for each gun the Hun possesses and he seems to know it.

Much love to the whole family

Your ever loving son

Robert