Correspondence between Herbert Vincent Reynolds and his family, 1918-1919 - Part 2

a comfortable camp, up to the present the winter has
been very mild, so we cannot complain at a little bad
weather now.
My furlough  has been postponed for a week or so
I was very pleased, especially when the weather turned
cold & wet, I'm not at all anxious to get my furlough.
have only got to ask for it, but am leaving it to
the heads to send me, they can leave it as long as they
please, as far as Im concerned, but it will not hang out
too much longer, there are too many at the same game
& they are taking a tumble to the game, any how
I can't complain as Ive had a fair spell four mths
isn't bad at all, especially during the winder.
If a decent job comes my way I’m
grabing it lively, but am not going out of my way
to chase one; by kow - towing to the heads I could
get one, but if I have to do that; will sooner go
back to France. If the defence dept notify you that
I have returned to France, address my letters to the old 
unit again, otherwise I will have to wait much longer
for them.
Well please excuse these few lines for the present
will write again in a day or two we have no idea when the
mails go out so just have to chance catching one.
Best wishes to all Bert
 

Jan 16^th 1918
 Mrs Reynolds
Albert St
Sebastopol
Ballarat.
Victoria
Australia

267 Peter St
Macclesfield
X
Jan 29^th 1918
Dear Mother
Perhaps you will
wonder what the above address is,
well it is some of Herb’s peoples
place. I have been here since last
Friday evening I have not had a better
time since being away from Ausie.
than Ive had this last few days.
I know you are rather
prejudiced about Herb, but what ever
is the trouble? any how these people
are quite the nicest folk that I have
had the pleasure of meeting over here
& that is saying a lot, because Ive
always found the people over here
extremely good to me, but not quite
in the same way as these people have
looked after me, the girls are like sisters
& can not do enough to make my holiday
 

(2)

an absolute pleasure trip, there are three
girls & their Mother + father at this house
I can not say too much about any
of Herbs other relations because I have
not met them, but finer people than
these I have never met you would
be delighted to know them, if you only
met them once, but unfortunately that
is quite out of the question.
Last Wed I went out to
Dartford to see Herb, he is quite well
& was very pleased to see me, we went
to the theatre  in the evening in London
& thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Herb was saying that he
would have brought Vi & the lad over
he had known that he could not get back
after he was wounded, he was looking
forward to getting back home, but like
a large number of us was disappointed
he thinks a mighty lot of the lad & Vi
& was looking forward to getting back to see
them.
 

(3)
I have had a great fuss made of
me here, The girls was worrying about
not getting a letter before I arrived, so
that they could have met me at the
station & shewed me the way home, but
I had no difficulty in finding the
house, only they got a great surprise
when I turnedup the letter arrived
next day. They have introduced me
to a number of their friends, all very
nice people, but are rather particular
who I come in contact with. I can
tell you Ausis are in the boom up
here, I expect you understand that.
Well. I’ve not much time to write
many lines, the girls say I’ve got to
make the best possible of my time
here, so I have plenty to keep me
interested, they say I've got to see this
that, & there are some wonderfull
places to see around here I will send
you some photos of the places. Im
 

(4)
sure you will like them, they
intend  to arrange for me to see one
of the salt factories before I go, one
of the girls work at the place as a packer
I went to St Georges Church with them
Sund evening & was pleased with the
service it is a very peculiar church
loking at it from the outside but
there is some beautiful work inside
I’ve been, all over the hill
with them, I seen some of the prettiest
scenery in England on the Pennine
range, There is lots more to tell
you but shall have to leave it
till some future time, yesterday
one of the girls took me to
Manchester its 18 miles from here
I will say Au Revoir for
the present yours sincerely Bert
PS. Hope you are quite will 
at home. have not heard from you lately & am
patiently waiting for some news.
 

Jan 29th 1918

Mrs Reynolds
Albert Sr
Sebastopol
Ballarat
Victoria
Australia
 

267 Peter St
Macclesfield
Feb 1^st 1918
Dear Mother
I will just try & 
give you a description of this place, & 
of some of the extremely pleasant little
trips Ive had around this town.
Of course the girls are working
during the day, two of them are at the
[[?]] trade & the other at a grocery business
& of course I'm on my own pretty well
during the day, but can find plenty to 
interest me about here, during the
evenings + when the girls are off I'm
kept going, there are no dull moments
then. Ive never felt so much at home
with girls as. Ive done here, they are
really nice, not the sort that give you
a good time for their own benefit, but
girls that make one feel all the better
for knowing them, & ones that any one
 

(2
would be proud to have as sisters,
I’ve thought more of home this last
week than for quite a long time past,
they have made me feel. that I want
to get back to you & to the old home
more than ever. In all the places
that I have been treated so well in
over here in England, I have never
felt that I really want to get back &
see you at home to much, as I’ve done
here this last week with these people.
I will never be able to thank
them sufficiently for the way they have
treated me? for the good time they
have given me here. I would be
awfully pleased if you would write
them a few lines even if its only
once, & thank them for giving me
such a fine time, They would be
extremely pleased to know that you
appreciate their effort to make my
holiday so pleasant
 

(5)
Last Sat morning I went for a walk
with one of the girls out on to the hills
which is portion of the Pennine Range
where a really beautiful view can
be seen of the town & away over what
is known as the Cheshire plain
The weather was fine but rather
misty, nevertheless we had a really
beautiful view of the place, of course
this is winter here, & I should think
what a finer &  more beautiful view
than this, could not be found anywhere
in the springtime, the country
around here really opened my eyes;
it is absolutely different to any at
home of course, but is just the real
old English scenery, such as we
wanted to believe it to be like at
sckool in the old books.
After we had been up on the hills
we came through the town & up the
108 steps which is one of the features