Pte Hugh Norwood, of the Machine Gun Company, 3rd Guards Brigade, writing to his parents (Mr and Mrs A. A. Norwood, of 'West Hill,' Ashburnham Road, Luton) stated that he has seen a few of the Tribunal cases and read the arguments of the "conscientious objectors," and expresses the opinion that they are "absolutely disgusting".

Anyway, he guesses the Army can do without them, though he adds: "It would do them good to have an active month or so out at the Front."

Pte Norwood goes on to say: "I suppose it's what could truthfully be called a fairly warm auction we've landed into now. There's always something doing, besides the artillery, which plays the tattoo of the nethermost regions most of the day and night and destroys what one has erected with honest sweat. The enemy try to vary matters with a spare gas or bombing attack, or else retire from a trench and retake in again later.

"There's not a 20 yards square lump of earth without a 15ft diameter shell hole in it, generally filled with water. What the dickens they want to scrap for land like this I don't know - it's not worth owning. It's an awful sight round here, though, and one can quite believe there is a war on somewhere.

"I am writing this as well as possible in our rat-run - that is, about a 40ft tunnel with a gun emplacement at the end. It's rather comfy, being about three feet from roof to water line, which we keep as low as possible by working a pump. Cave dwellers.

"We sally out at night to work hard, and in the daytime get what rest we can between grubbing, sentry, cleaning up etc, as we are not allowed outside in daylight, it not being safe. I could have done with a wash and shave a few days back, but it's a trenching tool I need now."

Pte Norwood's whole letter is written in a like cheery vein and, while such splendid spirits buoy the brave lads up in the trenches, one can afford to regard rather lightly the fretting and fuming of a few pessimistic mugwumps whose chief aim appears to try and make themselves miserable and other people uncomfortable.

There is an indication of coming events in another portion of the letter, wherein the writer intimates that "letters may be difficult to get written and sent off this spring, so don't think I'm a candidate for the 'Black Watch' if you have to wait a few extra days, though I'll try and speed a field card as often as possible, especially when the dirty work is knocking about. I shall run through all right, so don't worry about me."

[Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: April 1st, 1916]