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- [start page]
4 [top middle]
We heard that a good deal of activity occured the
night after we left the part we last held. Our
billet is situated just by a canal - there are many
fine canals in this part of the World - We take a
lazy interest watching the lever bridge work & the
barges go by; there are also a number of hospital
barges (fine large ones) that go past. It is right
in the country where we are & there is a village
not far away, but it is "out-of-bounds" to
our battalion, tho' many of us (including ourselves,
of course) visit it pretty regularly of an evening.
It takes a good deal of scouting to find an estaminet
or cottage where the people are really nice & the
place fairly free from soldiers. Naturally, all this
war area is infested with British soldiers & in
spite of the quantities of estaminets they are full
"during hours"
We often manage to find something suitable &
this time have found one or two such places where
we are fairly well alone & where the people are
exceptionally clean & nice - quite refined. tho humble
folk.
- Jany 11th '16 - [right side of page]
In each of these places there happens to be a
pleasant & nice looking daughter (not a necessity of
course, but an attraction to "artistic" chaps like
Paul Guy & I!) & quite refreshing to look at,
after the dirty, slovenly looking people that make
up almost the majority in these poor parts.
To know French is a tremendous advantage & We
often get some very good [laughter?] out of it.
Our own section billet happens to be a very
dirty one & the water we have to drink and wash
in, is perfectly filthy - just a ditch where chaps
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