15 March 1916
My Dearest Father
On enquiry at the Credit Lyonnais I discover that I am “cleared out” so if you would put some “leach” in (as the French call it in slang), otherwise renew my funds I should be very grateful. On Monday night, a Tommy came up behind me and said “Miss Higgins isn’t it?” and
I turned round and found the most respectable of the “mucky” Brown boys, one who was groom to someone down in the marsh and who wasn’t really “mucky”: he is a smart looking lad in the RFA Grimsby Battery: he was with 1/5th Lincs. but exchanged into the RFA. I had a chat with him and he told me that Ford was likely to return to Rouen any day as he had gone up to the Front with a draft of some other regiment. Sure enough Ford rolled up yesterday afternoon and we had tea and a chat: I was to have taken him out to dinner this evening but he hasn’t turned up and so I expect he has gone up again for good. He looked very [plois??] and full of life: I was sorry not to have seen more of him.
I was astonished to see Mrs Jake’s demise: I suppose she was so full of drugs that she couldn’t hold any more and blew up. Like the frog in Aesop’s Fables!!
There is no other news: I’m glad the Zepps didn’t worry you the other night.
It is no use worrying about your farm or your office: you must get women to work for you: if Frenchwomen can do it and do office and farm work extremely well as they are doing, I’m sure Englishwomen can do it even better.
. I know it seems very extraordinary and topsy-turvy especially to you and Lowe who are such hardened Conservatives but these are topsy-turvy days and one must try to do one’s best to fit in and use the materials at hand. Now do cheer up and make up your mind to get anyone you can, to do your work, even if you hire a batch of Hun prisoners and have to shepherd them with a 12 bore.
You must try to do your bit to make things go easily and win the war.
I must dry up now
Best love to you all
From your loving Dorothy.
About Alford 
What a delightfully un “pc” letter!