No. 13. General Hospital
Bologne, France
June 5, ‘16
Dear Edna:

Perhaps you have heard something about the time we have been having. I hope I never have to go through it again. It was simply Hell! I cannot tell you much about it now but I shall later. Our regiment was almost obliterated. About 40 of us came back out of the two companies that held the front line. No. 1 Company on our right were all either killed or taken prisoner, not a single man came back. No. 2 which is the company I was in were able to hold them off all day and all night until their artillery levelled all our trenches and left us with only 40 men, many of them wounded. They got through the trenches on our right and got behind us opening up machine guns from both sides so that we were forced to retire on our left over 400 yards of open country, with the whole of it a mass of flame from bursting shells and swept by machine guns. I had to crawl most of the way as a piece of shrapnel early in the day had put me out of commission opening up my right side to the depth of my ribs and about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide. That is why I am now holding down one of the comfortable beds here in Bologne having been brought down by train last night. Next time I write I shall be in England, I expect, for my ticket reads that way.

It is such a relief to get away from bursting shells that even as helpless as I am , this is like heaven.

I shall write again soon and hope to hear from you, little girl.

As ever, Sincerely
Dick