A series of wartime letters by a temporary officer chronicles his arrival in France and his day-to-day experience in training, the trenches, and on the front. The correspondence mixes candid, understated humor with sober reflections on comradeship, leadership among newly commissioned officers, and the practical and moral strains of service. Introductory chapters frame the writer as representative of a wider body of New Army officers, discussing recruitment, social character, and effectiveness, while occasional critiques of enemy attitudes and descriptions of combat conditions provide firsthand perspectives on the realities and aims of frontline service.