Under date of September 30, Gunner Jackson writes:

I have just received your letter of September 11th. I send a letter every week. I am quite well and hope you are the same. We have had very nice weather with a day's rain now and again, and getting a little cool at night. Well I suppose you have read about the big push we are giving the Germans. Around the Somme it is some push. I don't know how they stand it for it is something awful. We have just had our tea consisting of bread, jam and tea, but we bought a can of salmon on the side and so had a very good meal. I had quite a surprise the other day. I was going along the street when an ambulance passed, but what caught my eye was the word OLDHAM and this is what it said: 'presented by the Oldham and District Trade and Labour Council for Service at the front.' Well, my eye followed that until it was out of sight.

We see lots of prisoners these days. I saw eighty five go down the other day and there was one of them no bigger than our Reuben and they all looked worn out. They had not had a shave or a wash for perhaps a week and they looked half starved. No doubt foodstuffs are getting dearer. My mate and myself generally buy a loaf about every four days and it costs thirty cents a four pound loaf. I have not heard from Charlie yet, nor from Allan or John for a long time. I hope that they are getting along all right. Do not get downhearted. There are better men than I am, gone. You would think so if you were around here. Good bye and God Bless You.

Your loving husband and dad.
REUBEN JACKSON.