No one was killed in our
company all the time we were in, and only three wounded, so
you will see there is not much to worry about; and with some
pay and parcels which I have received, and about twelve
letters, I feel much better."
Sydney Baxter often mentions his chum in this record and I think the
following extract from George's letter about this time may well be
inserted here. The two boys were inseparable until the last and
absolute bodily separation between the living and the dead.
"Everything is going on all right with us. We have finished
our first taste of trench life, and on the whole it was
rather enjoyable. We went in last Monday and came out late
on Saturday. The first two or three days were wet, so our
opportunities for sleep were few, especially as at our part
of the trench there were no dug-outs and our sleep had to be
obtained in the open air. In fact, until the fourth day I
only had one hour's sleep, and on the last day I managed
about five hours. The chief trouble was trying to boil
water, but we managed by cutting a candle into small pieces
and putting this, with a piece of rag, into a tin, using the
rag as a wick.
"Our five days and nights were on the whole fairly quiet; in
fact, during the day hardly any shots were exchanged, most
of the firing being done at night.
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