COU-36

29^th June, 1916

Dear Captain Coulson,

I enjoyed reading your interesting letter. I am rather long in answering it, but we have had a few changes in the Libraries here. Miss Corr¹⁰⁴ has left us, and so has Mr John Wilson¹⁰⁵ who has been transferred to the Electric Light Department, and there has been some re-arranging of the staff.

I had a Book list passed the other day which gave us £400 divided amongst the five Libraries.

I suppose you heard that Warren had been wounded, but is recovered. He saw me the other day and told me that he had still a piece of shell inside of him which the Doctor did not consider serious.

I had a round of golf with Captain Simpson¹⁰⁶ who is almost quite recovered from his shell shock. I have not seen him for the past 2 or 3 days, and expect he has been called back to the Front again.

I congratulate you on getting a staff appointment. What an exciting and varied life you have had since you left the Library.

I think the Libraries have sent a fairly good contingent - there are 9 of our number either at the Front or on home service.

I suppose you know that Butler of the Falls joined the Northumberland Fusiliers in March last. He got married a few weeks before that.

My boy, Terence¹⁰⁷ , was at Deal the last time we heard from him. He generally writes once a week, so there is something out of the usual as we have not heard from him for nearly 3 weeks. He has been wanting me to get him into some local Cadet Corp in this county. I have not favoured it much, but I think that the regiment where he has been so long trained will not easily let him go into another Corp. Of course his youthful age has been something of a barrier to his going to the Front, consequently he has been feeling the monotony of guarding Railway Stations and the like in Scotland.

Mrs Elliott has quite a little gallery of photographs (yours amongst the number in our drawing room, and I sometimes hear her telling some of the visitors who Captain this and Captain that is, and that this Captain has been promoted to a staff appointment, etc. etc.

With kindest regards and best wishes,

I am

Yours sincerely,

CHIEF LIBRARIAN

Captain Thos. Coulson,
16^th Battalion R.I.R.
British Expeditionary Force
FRANCE