A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 February 1918, Page 4

A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Corporal W. A. Smith, writing to his mother, Mrs W. Smith, of Ha nip den street, from London Hospital, says:—

Just a few lines to let you. know that 1 am out of lied beside the fire now, jiisf waiting for our shift to our o vn hospitals which will be jail right then, although this place is not too bad. The only fault is we have nobody to see ns. I got a parcel last night from you. It was posted on the 10th J'uly. So jmu see that I am getting your parcels all right. The old Hun came over with his aeroplanes last night hut he was 15 miles awaj r from where I am aud they 7 say he did no damage at all, It was a lovely night, just- full meon. That is the second since 1 have been in England, the one with the Zepps and now aeroplanes. L will have Christmas in the Old Country, or might he ou my way back to New Zealand. We had a Major Chaplin round on Saturday and he says that I stood a very good chance of getting back for a trip. That will be all right if it comes true. It is not much of a joke } r et anyhow. It is l’aining to-day and all the patients hare to stop in. lam going out to a tea party perhaps, to-morrow night, that is if the doctor will give me permission. There is a picture palace right near to the hospital and all those that are in blue 3 always get in free, and free rides on the busses and tubes. ,

A few days later he wrote:— Just a few lines to let you know that I am feeling a, little better to-day than l have been this last four days L had some terrible bad attacks. The gas has worked round to my heart now, and it has been giving me what oh. I had the doctor and two nurses with me nearly all last Thursday night. They would not leave me. To-day I managed to get half a poached egg down for breakfast, the first since last Wednesday. It was all m3' fault that I took bad I wanted to get out of bed r too quick, and now have to suffer the consequences. I got another two letters from yon this morning, dated August 26th and September 2nd, so I have got all the August mail for a wonder, bar the parcels and papers. The Post Office do not' send the papers on. They send the parcels along I would advise von to tell the people who put money in for parcels to the Overseas Fund that they are just throwing [ valuable money away, for all the parcels that 1. have got from them there would not be 2/ worth of goods in one of them. Well, mother, lam fair sick of this war now and -the end is not in sight yet. My word, the people in this country are feeling it. You people out there are well off to what these poor things are. What with being raided so often with the Zepps and aeroplanes, and now there is no sugar even in the hospitals and the bread is something awful There is only one Hew Zealand 1103' in the ward with me. He is able to get out now and have a look round. We are just waiting for a shift to Walton-on-Thames, as soon as they get room for ns there. That will be better as they are all the boys from Hew Zealand there. ,1 had a letter from Horrie Bonar 3'esterday and lie told me that he is going back to Hew Zealand on the 10th, being a cot case