Letter from Edward Thomas to his wife, Helen Thomas. Formerly in envelope postmarked 21 Jan 1917, Codford, Wiltshire. Describes unit preparing guns for shipment overseas / supplies / potential date of embarkation / fate of some unnamed verses. Archival reference: 424/1/1/1/1/219
Dearest, I have been here still today. For the guns have come and I had to superintend the unloading from the railway and the placing them in our gun park here. It was mostly standing up in the mud and drizzle

The men looked over the guns as if they were Christmas presents and worked willingly, so that was finished soon after dark. Smith went to Bath for the weekend and Capt Ferrer stayed indoors, so I had everything to see to. We shall not be long now. Moreover there will be 2 advance parties, one to go over with the guns, one to go to our first camp and prepare the way and I may very likely be in charge of one part. This would probably mean starting on Thursday. I hope that things will arrive soon.. So long as they include the the khaki trousers , mufflers waistcoat, slippers (illegible). Most other things I expect I shall return.

Now we 4 subalterns have a gun and a detachment each - Thorburn looks after the telephone. I have No 4 gun and shall be in Horton's section - a section is 2 guns or half a battery.

I heard an officer at ( illegible) station once asking for Ella Wilcox’s poems and praising them. Capt Ferrers likes Rider Haggard and Katharine Tynan. He has a painful disease of the gums and may quite possibly leave us for a time at least. Thorburn returns on Monday or Tuesday.

I have taken our mess in hand and have shown the cook how to make for nothing a far better soup than by adding water to a tablet. I get him to put all the bacon bones and rind and green vegetable water in his stockpot He now fries (illegible) with my bacon. Also he will no longer throw away half a boiled plum and suet pudding but
fry it in slices.

That cheque for the linoleum has not come yet, you must not forget how much to make it up for.
Haven't you some news due about now.
I have been been testing the battery compass today too, so you see I am also not idle.
The enclosed bill I want to put with other receipts. The verses are some I wrote a month ago and didn't think much of. Perhaps you would type them and put them with the rest. you know that the keys are in the chest of drawers in the bedroom.

Perhaps I should be able to add to this as I start early to walk to Newbolts - if I am able to go in this busy time Goodbye Edwy
PS There were only two to dinner tonight the Captain and myself and we had a fairly good talk about wild animals and birds - he is a sportsman and knows the mountains of Ireland and the coast. But he is always a bit shy (and makes me so) of going very far in showing his tastes.

I have to take church parade tomorrow, so that I shall be late for lunch if I don't get a lift from a lorry on the way