We were on the whole very lucky and beyond the ordinary discomfort inseparable from trenches in the winter suffered but little. I think in my last letter I described this [section] as very quiet, well it is too, compared to [yours] but its not without its little excitements, one morning the Bosch treated us to a cloud gas attack which however was a failure from his point of view as more of us were caught napping, the men have been well drilled in the use of their gas helmets so they all had them on practically as soon as the gas gong and horns sounded. I know it didn't take me 5 seconds to whip mine on! Then we had for three consecutive days a light and medium trench mortar bombardment and lastly a scrap in no man's land with a Bosch patrol, which we scuppered and took 3 prisoners, a weedy lot, one had the Iron Cross