Date: June 21st 1917
Address: Not given
From: (in Tom Gray's handwriting)
To: Father & All
Received your letter this morning and pleased to know that the 15 quid has arrived. What you intend doing with it is quite right and I may say that the paymaster's statement of accounts is correct to the 1/2d. I still have my pay book and the previous communications from the paymaster and I am keeping them all, so that I know exactly how I stand; and I'll take good care (of) my credit.
My toe was a bit sore when I was walking and I found that my big toe nail had dropped off and was like a thorn in the flesh, toe is allright.
Yesterday there was an outing for 150 wounded soldiers from Brancepeth and Auckland. They were a few short so sent bus up here for reinforcements and I was sent with 17 men to help them out of the difficulty. That will be about the only time we ever reinforced with pleasure. Early on we lost a tyre off the back wheel and had to get another car to take some of the load. We went on with half a load, all of us on the good side of the bus. In turning a corner the bus tried to imitate a tank and climb up a retaining wall and only managed to get a yard from the ground. We were all on the side that was lifted so it fell back and righted in the nick of time; bent front axle and put steering gear out of action. We finished up with 14 of us on a 5-seater car, on the bonnet and footboards. The whole town of Middleton on Tees were entertaining us and we had two good feeds etc, a bit of a concert and set off back at 8pm, getting back to Hall 10.30. We got there after 2pm and the ride was fine, but in coming back it was raining and foggy and we couldn't make out the scenery. We were the first batch of wounded soldiers to visit the place, so you can guess what a reception we had, flags, etc, school holiday.
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