2110-2-13-24

G.H.Q. May: 19: 15

My dearest little Susie

This is like yesterday a day of ever-down rain. Yesterday I meant to go to Ypres but I had to see so many people that there was no time. I saw Plumer & Allenby & Bulfin & their brigadiers & got very good accounts of the Ypres fighting. It is a most complicated piece of work & wants a great deal of working out. I saw Stanhope, who is Allenby's A.D.C., & a lot of people I knew in S. Africa. Then I went away up towards Dunkirk - an uninteresting flat region, where I found Johnny Baird in a luxurious car smoking & reflecting. He is a good little man.

Today I may try for Ypres, but it is so wet that one can

see very little. The N. of France is a good many degrees colder than England.

The casualties have been pretty bad, especially at Ypres. We have not had nearly so much in our successful push to the South. I am quite clear from all I have seen that the Germans are done, so far as man-power goes. They are holding their line solely by artillery & machine-guns. If we were on an equality with them in these things we would chase them back to the Rhine.

I hope to goodness they don't have a Coalition at home. Winston looks as if he might lose his job.

Much love to all

Your ever affectionate

John