COU-09

16^th Royal Irish Rifles,
Brownlow House
Lurgan
7^th February 1915

Dear Mr Elliott,

As there is so little likelihood of my seeing you again before we leave for France I had better begin my correspondences to you again. There is every probability that we shall be well in the thick of things by this time next month so we are not allowed to leave Lurgan in case word comes for our embarkation in our absence.

The battalion is doing very little real soldiering but they are working at road-making, bridge building, railway construction & wire entanglements. I take a company, each day for musketry & so fill up my day without a break from 9.0 till 6.0. From then until 7.0 I am in the orderly room & after dinner which finishes about 8.15. I do end the hour there. My new work relieves me from quite a number of more or less unpleasant tasks but it is hard uphill work with many of our men. However that makes things all the more worth doing well.

I am enclosing two little snapshots which may interest you. One is the entrance to Brownlow House where we are quartered, showing on the right the officers' mess rooms. The other is one of my two machine gun sections with their guns.

My health continues excellent & I am now trying to keep it so by exercising my horse early each morning. A few spills adds to the fun of the day. On Sat. afternoon quite a dozen of us were out trying new horses & the tosses were very frequent, & the spectators enjoyed them immensely.

There really is nothing much to tell you only I wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten you all. I hope you are all well in Belfast & in Holywood. Please remember me to Mrs. Elliott & to the staff.

With kind regards to you.

Yours sincerely,

T. Coulson