ANZAC Sons
Page 9
All the news so goodbye
I remain your loving bro
Allan
Bendigo
27-3-16
Dear Mum
… We went into Bendigo on Friday night but things were very quiet and we came back to camp early. We also went into Bendigo on Saturday afternoon – it was very quiet too. We were looking for Albert but he went to the Ballarat Picnic and came back the same night. We saw him on Sunday but he went out to tea somewhere both he and Percy. Sunday was a bad day here it was terribly dusty and windy. We were inoculated on Friday we had a double dose but never affected us a slight bit. Albert is coming out to camp tomorrow and is coming home on Wednesday I will give him a parcel of clothes to fetch home. Percy and I are putting in for leave next Saturday and if we get it I will go straight to Pyramid. Mother we do not get much time to write now as we have to go out on night parade every night now it is to keep the lads out of town when they have not [got] leave. I received a letter from Georgie yesterday but he did not have much news. Well mum Percy, Les and I volunteered for the reinforcements that H Johnson was in but they would not give us a transfer from the machine guns we were terribly wild about it I can tell you. We tried very hard to get away. Tom and Charlie did not like the idea of going away so soon. They were very down on it. Well Mum ever since we came down here it has been nothing else but shifting, we had another shift today it is no good to us and we told the lieut that today. I believe they are giving the lads a send off tonight. Write and tell me all about it. I think we are sure to get away next Saturday. Percy has just told me that Auntie Florrie is coming down next Friday I suppose if she comes he wont go down but put in for leave the following Saturday. Well Mum this is all the news today but will write again to morrow. I am writing to Geordie to morrow. I also got a letter from Charlie. Well mum goodnight
I remain your loving son
Allan
Same address
Please excuse writing and mistakes
As Allan wrote to his family describing the plight of his friend Tom Alford, he could not have predicted that, just a few days later, he would also find himself hospitalised along with another neighbour, Les Townsend. The meningitis epidemic was now out of control and the restless soldiers were soon quarantined in camp.
Bendigo
Thursday
Dear Jim
Just a few lines to let you know, all is well Allan is not as good as last time, I wrote, I was going to write last night but he seemed pretty crook his tem was 102 and I thought I would wait till this morning and if he was worse I would phone up, but he is a bit better. Les [Townsend] was brought to the Bendigo hospital last night he was very bad, and after he went to the doctor, they kept him in the tent for about ¾ of an hour, before they took him away, it is rotten the way they treat crook men. We have not heard what is the matter with him. We were out to the range yesterday and Les should have fell out before.
We tried to get on the phone last night so as Townsends would hear at the dance but it was to late. Well I am trying to write this in the tent and I have no time so will close
From your loving brother
Percy
Once recovered, Allan wrote home:
Dear Mum
Just a few lines to let you know that I am pretty well. I came out of the hospital today and I was [not] sorry either as the treatment was something awful. We got boiled rice for breakfast stew for dinner bread & jam for tea. They were nearly taking me into the Bendigo hospital with Les only my temperature fell. Poor old Les looked bad but I rung the hospital up today and they said he was getting better. Well Mum there was another case of meningitis yesterday and the sickness is getting worse. Percy wrote 2 or 3 letters up to you while I was in hospital. It is a terror the camp been closed on Saturday and Sunday. Tell Charlie I will write to him on Sunday. We have no idea when we are sailing of course we hear a lot of rumours. If you see any of the Townsends on Sunday tell them I am writing to them. I have no drill to do this week. I always go over and make toast for myself every mealtime while I am off duty now and it is just the thing too. We were issued with our seakit today. Well Mum news is scarce so I think I had better close I write again on Sunday all the rest of the lads are as well so goodbye for the present. Have you got the photos yet
I remain
Your loving son
Allan
Bendigo, Sunday 1916
Dear Mum
Another few lines again today to let you know that we are well. Ted Bennits went into the hospital yesterday. Bill and Les are still in the hospital. I received your welcome letters. I also got the hamper yesterday by the amount of goods they sent one would really think that we are staying here for 12 months. Talk about a hamper it was bonzer. It took 2 of us to carry. There were all sorts of things in – cakes fowls pastrie sauce sausages milk apples pears and goodness knows what and we being under isolation nothing could have been more acceptable. I bring Billy Street and Ted Bennits some every day. I don’t know who it is all from so I am sending a letter of thanks on behalf my tent mates and myself to the Pyramid advertiser. Mrs Gamble packed [a] Box of cakes and things for us so I will also send her a letter thanking her. Well Mum things have got to a bad state down here with the sickness, there is a terrible lot [of] it. Our colonel is in the Bendigo hospital sick. Major Henderson is also isolated in Melbourne as a meningitis carrier. They say they never seen a worse case than his and he will never get with us. Our O.C. [officer commanding] told us today that we are going to shift camp. The rest of the camps that the battalions are in are also isolated so goodness knows when we will get away. I wish they would send us away at once. The lads are playing up at the main gate today they reckon that they are going out and the guard are using ball Ammunition so if they get out things will be a bit mixed. They are hooting the guard and calling them everything and the poor devils can not help it. If I was on guard I am dam sure I would not stand it. I don’t know what they want to go out for as everything is very comfortable here especially when you have a hamper in front of you. I have about 12 letters to write so I have my work cut out. We were out on church parade this morning and it was very good. Have you found the sheep yet. Percy had the earache very bad the other night but he got his ear syringed out and he is better now. My cold is absolutely better now and I don’t think I ever felt better. Well mum we got another uniform yesterday we have everything ready for sailing I am buying a new pair of military boots here as the other ones hurt my feet terribly I will send them up to Albert he [may] want to get them mended at the toes but they are a bonzer pair of boots. I will send them up at once if we are allowed send parcels away. I will also put a testament in the boots as I don’t want it because I had one given to me …
Tuesday 1916
Dear Mum
Well Mum it is a long time since I got a letter from you. I am better than ever now but Will Street went into the hospital to day and I think they are taking him in Bendigo as he is pretty bad. Well Mum we shifted camp yesterday we shifted on to the parade ground and I think it will check the sickness a lot. I rung up about Les to night and they told me he is getting on splendid. I wrote to Townsends on Sunday. Well Mum how are things up Mologa way. How are the crops. They say we are not sailing for another 3 weeks. We are bound to be up again before we go anyhow I hope so. This camp being closed is a terror and the tucker seems to be very much off too. I can tell you when it opens again I am going to have a big feed. We get bread and jam for dinner now …We have to gargle twice a day now. We go to bed about 7 oclock every night. Ted Bennitts is fighting in the heavy weight boxing to morrow night. Tell me if any of the Townsends are in Bendigo. How are the Johnsons getting on. Well Mum we heard to night that the camp will be open next Sunday I hope so anyhow. Well Mum this is all the news to night so goodbye for the present and I hope you are all well.
I remain your loving Son
Allan
THREE
THE GUNS DO ROAR AT TIMES …
FRANCE
With the Russian army driven back on the Eastern Front, German forces concentrated their effort on the French fortress of Verdun, launching their attack on 21 February 1916. The battle raged until December of that year and cost over 300,000 casualties on each side, French and German.2
The embattled Allied forces were soon to be reinforced by the 40,000 Australian and 18,500 New Zealand troops of I Anzac, now en route to the Western Front. But the voyage across the Mediterranean to Marseilles on the southern coast of France was not without its hazards as enemy submarines actively searched for targets. The hapless transport Minneapolis was lost on its return voyage from Marseilles. All Australian transports were now on full alert and, in the event of a submarine sighting, were prepared for action.
Map 2: The Western Front 1916–1918
George disembarked at Marseilles on 31 March and immediately began the cramped 58-hour rail journey north, following the valley of the River Rhone. Despite their confined and often uncomfortable conditions, the troops marvelled at the beautiful spring countryside of southern France. After the hot, featureless sands of Egypt, the sight of blossoming orchards, rows of vineyards and fattened sheep grazing in the lush pastures of France was met with delight; this was a landscape at which to marvel, particularly for those troops who, like George, were farmers by occupation. During their occasional stops for tea and coffee, the troops were met by local women and their daughters whose husbands, fathers, sons and brothers were in the northern reaches of France repelling the invading army. As the trains passed through the picturesque villages and verdant fields, workers stopped to wave, clearly displaying their appreciation for the Australian contingent which had arrived to help them in their hour of need. The new arrivals bolstered French hope that the slaughter of their men would cease and the tide turned against the German invader.
Bypassing Paris and with the weather turning bleak, the Australians travelled on to Calais on the northern coast and then inland where the troops from the 1st Division disembarked and, following an exhausting 30-kilometre march, reached their billets in the villages surrounding Hazebrouck, a small railway centre in French Flanders some 27 kilometres from the front line. The division was allotted to the British Second Army under the command of General Sir Hubert Plumer. Plumer’s army was holding the front with French and Belgian troops on either side. Billeted on farms in barns and huts surrounding the village of La Créche, the soldiers enjoyed helping the country people, particularly ‘Madame’ whose husband and sons were at the front. The locals sold beer, coffee, chocolate and eggs to the appreciative Australians. The estaminets, or local cafes, maintained a lively trade in beer and wine.
George wrote letters home describing his arrival in France and also jotted in his notebook:
Left Serapeum on March 25th for Alexandria & left there on Monday 27th & arrived at Marseilles on Friday 31st and left there at 9 o’clock P.M. & arrived at La Creche on April 3rd
His letter reveals more of his journey and his transition to a chilly northern France now in the midst of the winter thaw. While relatively safe in billets well behind the front line, George could hear the roar of the guns as he prepared for his first experience of the trenches. His letter reassures his family that they need not be concerned if he writes less frequently as he doubts he will have many opportunities to write once he reaches the line. He was soon on his way forward, his ears already ringing from the roar of the guns and his body tensed in anticipation of the battles to come. Before long he would be an experienced soldier who could determine the direction of an enemy bullet simply by its sound, would understand intuitively when to take cover from artillery fire and recognise the sounds of the shells that signalled when it was time to rush for a gas mask.
France
April 4th 1916
Dear Mother, Father & Brothers
Just a few lines to let you know that I am now in France but the name of the place I don’t know but they call it French Flanders, in fact we are just about in Belgium. We left Serapeum down on the Canal on Saturday 25th of march at 8 oclock in the morning at [and] arrived at Alexandra at 5 oclock on Sunday morning and went on board the Megantic a big white star liner she was a bonzer boat, she carried 2000 of us, the 7 and 8 Batts. We remained on the boat all day Sunday and left there on Monday morning and after sailing for 5 days we arrived at Marseilles, for the first 3 days the sea was very calm and as smooth as a board, but after that it got rough and at night it blew like the devil, I was on submarine guard and there were men sick all over the boat, I was right up on top and had to hold on to the railing to keep up as the boat was rocking and the wind was blowing that much but I never felt a bit sick. Well after we got off the boat at Marseilles we got on the train there and travelled for 3 days and 3 nights. Nearly all the fields here are worked by the old men, boys and the women and most of the people are in mourning. It is much different here to Egypt. I found it fairly cold at first but am getting used to it now. They tell us that there was a foot of snow here about 3 weeks before we landed here. We are not in the trenches yet but not far from them, can hear the guns going off quite easily, I don’t know what time we are going in but have to be fixed up with every thing, we are not allowed to say much about the place or what we are doing. Don’t expect many letters as I wont be able to write very often. A few days before we left the canal we got a big bag of mail the first I had got for months, I got 20 letters altogether and they had been all over Egypt most of them had been written in Dec and Jan. but there are still a lot somewhere. I got 4 from home, 4 from Charlie, 2 from Allan, 1 from Percy and the rest from Gibson, Cheyne, Clees and Sharps. I never got the Australasian. I suppose Al and Percy are in camp by now as you say they are enlisting, I might chance to meet them some time if they get in the same brigade as me. I will give you my address again D Coy 7 Batt 2 Brigade [crossed out but legible] I have just been told we are not allowed to put our addresses in, but if you have got my other letters you will have my address. Well I don’t think there is any else I can say so will close hoping all are well as I am at present with best wishes to all
From
Geordie
The embroidered card George sent home to his father.
France
Dear Father
Just a line to let you know I am well hoping all are the same. It is fairly cold and has been raining. We are camped in the farm houses and small huts here, there are a lot of houses and small villages here and the people are mostly farmers but seem to be on a small scale. Well we are not allowed to say anything about our doings so will close
From your loving son
George
Training began immediately the men arrived in Flanders and the Australians were surprised to find the farming community going about their daily business so close to the front line. In some cases, schools remained open only two or three kilometres behind the line. With the early crops just emerging, the Australians carefully avoided walking through the fields so as not to trample the young shoots. Much of their training consisted of long marches, lectures and practical experience with gas warfare, while selected men wer
e sent to trench mortar, sniping and bombing schools. The troops were issued with new clothing and the claustrophobic flannel gas helmets and goggles impregnated with chemicals designed to protect soldiers from this new and insidious form of warfare. Steel helmets were used in the front-line trenches and passed to incoming units as they arrived to take over the line.
Writing to Charlie, George warns his older brother not to enlist. He is closer to the bitter reality of warfare and can feel the earth tremble from the guns; he has seen the wounded and maimed — the results of massed shellfire. While acknowledging that conscription in Australia was all but certain, he is adamant that offering three brothers was enough sacrifice for one family.
France
Dear Charlie
… I suppose by the time this letter reaches you, you will know that we are in frogland where the pigs root for sunshine. We are not allowed to say what time we arrived here or where we are so I cant tell you much. It is very cold here and is raining nearly every day so makes things a bit miserable … on our train ride we saw a lot of the country and towns, of course it is all small villages here, houses all along the line and all are made of brick and stone with tiled roofs also thatched ones. All the fields are worked by the old men, women and boys, it seems fairly good ground but so very hilly. They are big cockies here one and two horse teams but the machinery they use is very light and like what they used in the olden times the only up to date machine that I have seen yet is a McCormick binder. Back a bit from here they grow a lot of hops there must be a lot of work with them as they have a devil of a lot of poles up about 20 feet long and very close together, and on the first part of our journey they seem to go in for fruit and vegetables, on our way through we passed fairly close to Paris. Well we are not in the firing line yet, well not in the trenches but could be easily shelled the airplanes were having a great go a couple of days ago and a piece of shell dropped along side one of our huts. We are 4 miles further on than what we were at first. Some of our officers and N.C.O.’s have been out to the trenches to see how things are fixed up so I suppose it wont be long before we go in, some of the Australians are already in them. I met Sam Crossman the other night he is in the ammunition column, he looks real well. We are billeted in huts and houses and when we reached here I was surprised to see all people going about their work just behind the firing line as if there was no war on. Just before we left the canal we got a big bag of mail … as you say Percy & Allan are going to enlist I suppose they will be in camp by now. You were asking in one of your letters about you enlisting I think with Percy and Allan there will be enough of us in it, let some of those other cold footed fellows come … Archie Bailey is still hanging to it, he went into the Non Cons school while in Egypt and qualified for a corporal but hasn’t got any stripes yet but will have a chance when some of the other corporals get put out of action. There are about 6 chaps from Cohuna way in my company. My address 2748 D Coy., 7 Batt, 2nd Brigade A.I.F. Abroad. We are only allowed to put our address in the body of the letter, they have funny ideas in the military. Well it is raining again, they say it is spring here now I don’t know what it must be like in the winter, just before we arrived here there was a foot of snow on the ground, one day when we were moving out further it started to snow. The first mail that our battalion has got here has been delivered today but there were none for us that transferred from the 21, 22 and 24 Batts, and they say according to their letters that it is almost certain to be compulsory in Australia soon. That mail that we got at the Canal is the only one that we have got since Xmas, those that always belonged or came as reinforcements to the 7th Batt, get their letters regular. Well Charlie don’t expect many letters as I wont be able to write, I wrote a letter to them at home about a fortnight ago from here. The guns roar like the devil and mostly in the evening and morning some of them shake the houses right back past here. Well I think I will now close hoping all are well