"It is awfully funny out here," writes Pte. T. S. Markham, Suffolk Territorials, as son of Mr. W. Markham, of Godmanchester, to a friend.  "You go to a cafe and attempt to order something and the only thing you can think of is the French word for potatoes, or beer, and, of course, if a charming girl speaks to you, all you can say is 2potatoes", which makes it awkward, as you cannot 'mash.'  You ask me as to our residence; it's charming. you walk up a delightful drive  (a cart drive) in about six inches of mud, and eventually come within sight of the beautiful oak doors.  Of course, you know it is oak by its ancient appearance, as there is only little more than half left.  Then you enter and find the walls tastefully decorated with rifles and mess tins, etc.  Really the design is great, except when, during the night, there is a fall and the butt end of a rifle strokes you nose.  Then you say unparliamentarily things about the decorations.  In the manger lies our equipment, and the way it is thrown in suggests that on a sudden rush it is difficult to get your own.  But really, 'Frascatis' and the 'Cafe de l' Europe' is nothing compared to it.  Of course, our straw is hardly like the carpet in the dining rooms there, but do their diners enjoy roast cheese and toast as we do?  Why, last night I thought I was at the Troc. as someone thoughtfully gave me a piece of bacon which I fried to a nicety, but somehow it seemed to shrink; it need not have done that for it was small enough without.  Oliver (his brother) thankfully refused to taste, and that was rather decent of him for there was only one bite, and I had that.  We never have dinner to the strains of an orchestra, but we do have three good mouth organs, and three most ordinary players. 'Nough said'.  Last Saturday we went to the top of a coal mine for a bath.  We trudged there, a distance of four miles, in the rain and had the bath.  It was a luxury, the first since leaving England. Afterwards we were brought back according to our officer's French map.  Well you ought to have seen us, and more especially heard us.  Ploughed fields and small rivers are nothing on a French map.  We were smothered.  I don't know what our Commanding Officer thinks of them.  We had a good idea, but I can't write down what Oliver and I think. You would be surprised to see what a happy crowd we are, even when someone has been sleeping on your day's rations; you only have to whistle.  We are doing well under the circumstances."