The day that Sherriff had been dreading had finally arrived, as he glumly reported to his father:

‘Just a line to tell you we are moving off this morning on a march of some miles…It is a beautiful day and the march should be pleasant, although the march back is never so pleasant as the one coming. There is always an element of surprise about these moves, and one can never tell to what part of the line we are next destined for. We can only hope for the best and that the whole affair will be over soon. Meanwhile, I have my Marcus Aurelius with me and can always get a certain amount of comfort from that, as with my Epictetus.’

“I must go now to get ready,’ he wrote, as he closed his letter, and prepared himself for the long march back to an unknown destination in the front line.

[Next letter: 12 May]