A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 29 December 1917, Page 3

A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Writing from France after the strenuous fighting in wliic.li the New Zealaiitlers were engaged in during the early part of October, Private W. H. Bignall, in a letter to his mother (Mrs George Wood, of Weraroa), says: "I am back in the billets after having nearly a fortnight in the line and I can tell you it is lovely to be away back here enjoying the rest after our hard struggle; As I suppose you know Ave have had some very hard fighting lately, but we are now well away from it all for a while. We liave been having some very bad weather here which has been the whole trouble but in spite of it Ave have done very AA'ell. There is plenty of mud which makes it A T ery unpleasant for the boys, but they .just have to grin and bear it, for they know they are on the winning side. At present our troops are keeping Fritz on the move. We had a fairly hard time up_ in the line, but Ave did not mind it as we expected it, and we also kneAV we would be rewarded with a good spell which Ave are having now. Poor Billie Rose was killed the first night we went in to dig ourselves into safety. After getting settled. down in our dug-outs a j shell burst just. in front of his dug-out, and a piece managed to J catch him in the thigh and he died before Ave could shift him so I that Ave had to bury him there. I | was in the next dug-out to liim, so Avas lucky, but I have had several narrow escapes since, but managed to come out Avithout a i scratch. It must have been a ter-! rible sorrow for Billy's peopleHe Avas the only Levin boy with me as Ave are all separated iioav, uolthliga H aeAv b - apt. although I have some very good mates. I am posted to a company called the Rualiines,, ami :• good company too." The V!,.'; u H be glad to receive for publWihon extracts of gr-siorai In I m\«t from soldiers' ]etiers- Every care Avill be taken of tlie original documents uul they Avill be returned to, the recipients.