"Our regiment was to lose many more on that same hill before the month was over, and those of us that remain are glad to be far away from it now; but I always feel that anyone who has died on Hooge Hill has at all events died in very fine company.--Yours sincerely, "(Signed) WILLIAM ROSCOE, _Lieut. 2nd S. Lancs. Regt., attached 7th Brigade, M.G. Company_" LETTER FROM LIEUTENANT FLETCHER, GREAT CROSBY, LIVERPOOL "_21 September 1915_ "Raymond was the best pal I've ever had, and we've always been together; in the old days at Brook Road, then in Edinburgh, and lastly in France, and nobody could ever have a better friend than he was to me. "I'll never forget the first day he came to us at Dickebusch, and how pleased we all were to see him again; and through it all he was always the same, ever ready to help anyone in any way he could, whilst his men were awfully fond of him and would have done anything for him." "_24 September 1915_ "I hear that we were digging trenches in advance of our present ones at St. Eloi last week, so it must have been then that he was hit, as he was awfully keen on digging new trenches, and heaps of times I've had to tell him to keep down when he was watching the men working.... "I always thought he would come through all right, and I know he thought so himself, as, the last time I saw him, we made great plans for spending some time together when we got back, and it seems so difficult to realise that he has gone. (Signed) ERIC S. FLETCHER." LETTER FROM LIEUTENANT CASE TO BRODIE "_Thursday, 23 September 1915_ "Yes, I knew Raymond Lodge very well, and he was indeed a friend of mine, being one of the nicest fellows it has ever been my privilege to meet. I was with him when he died. This was how it happened to the best of my knowledge.