TCD MS 11290/19 folio 1 recto
[Copy] 14th February 1918
Dear Mother,
The Spring seems to have begun at last out here with a good sun and a warm West wind which keeps away the frost at night. Eggs are appearing once again at a reasonable price, and I hope to have some tomatoes in a fortnight if the warm weather holds. Wild flowers are still very hard to get, but they must be lovely when they do come in as this is a great honey country though they only have flowers for two or three months.
I got your wire congratulating me. I hadn’t seen anything about it and don’t suppose I ever would if you hadn’t let me know.
We have moved our Camp since I last wrote and are now a good bit closer to Jerusalem. I have been doing some shooting at the Shunnar and have managed to get 2½ brace and a pigeon, but my cartridges are now all finished for the time being. I am expecting 100 more up from Cairo any day now and I hope to get a few more before the season gets too late. I hear rumours of a lake not far off where there are lots of duck I must have a week for them as soon as my cartridges arrive because the duck do not breed here and and can be safely shot as long as they are here.