COU-46

COPY

Dear Coulson,

Your letter of the 14^th July was sent on to me at Portrush - where I was doing my best to forget Libraries, the War, and all the other "ills the flesh is heir to" - but you must overlook my neglect in answering the former letter which just came while I was preparing for the Annual Stocktaking.

I hope your good wife is well, is she still with your friends in Blackpool?

We were sorry to hear that your health had been so bad, but hope you are now quite recovered and ready to join another Carey's Brigade (if necessary), but the pushes are all going the right way now and it is to be hoped they will continue to do so.

It is rather amusing to read the "catch-recruit" advertisements in the Irish papers at present. Beecham's Pills and Pear's Soap are not in it with the pars that are served up each day. Enclosed are one or two specimens.

I received word on Monday that young Wm. Brown had been killed¹³⁷ . He is the first of our lot to fall and O'Rourke, who joined up last November, was taken prisoner in March - rather quick work.

Hubert¹³⁸ was also taken prisoner last March and is now working on a farm in Germany after coming safely through the Somme in 1916 and the Messines in 1917.

Captain Simpson¹³⁹ is now in Scotland with a Labour Coy and does not think he will ever be able to go to the front again.

Mr Gourley¹⁴⁰ is at present on holidays at the Giant's Causeway and seems to be having a very good time, the rest of the staff are all well, and no change of late except to substitute girls for boys at every vacancy. We have not printed the report this year but the issues were 147,000 vols. above the previous year so you can see that we have not been idle.

I am glad to say we are all keeping well at Fitzwilliam Street¹⁴¹ . Geoffrey¹⁴² is now almost as tall as I am, and is finishing up his holidays pulling flax at Eglinton with the Royal Academical Cadet Corps.

Gibson and Milligan¹⁴³ read your last letter with great pleasure and send their best wishes for your welfare. Mrs. Elliott¹⁴⁴ is back in Holywood. Terence¹⁴⁵ is a prisoner in Germany and Gilbert¹⁴⁶ is in a bank in town here.

However I must close now, but hope to hear from you soon or better still see you.

With best wishes,

I remain,

Yours sincerely,