motor lorries, trucks, horses and mules is astonishing. The natives here use dogs to a great extent in pulling carts etc around. After a few days rest we moved off again suddenly one night about ten miles to an old chateau. The road up to it was pretty badly broken and the mud like custard. Being pitch dark it was hard to get along, so naturally I was one of a goodly number who slipped and foundered. Luckily I dropped on my knees and also filled my rifle barrel, but nothing worse. That night four of us slept in a vault of a wine cellar. The place had a few shell holes in it where the Germans had bombarded it. We only stopped one night and then moved on again a few miles and are now in huts. I have seen both the Di [?]ker? Boys and Barclay [Berkeley] Monteith. They are all well.

The country here is splendid and
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MS-1901, File 15: Shires to Russell 30/09/1915 p.2