I remain
Your loving Son
Allan
Corporal Robert Paterson enlisted on 29 January 1916 leaving the farm at Buckrabanyule near Charlton, Victoria, to sail with Allan and Percy on the Runic. He was killed in the shell blast on 27 February.25 Frank Dee had also sailed with Allan and Percy. He had enlisted at the age of 23 at Pyramid Hill where he worked as a butcher. He sustained serious wounds to his abdomen, back and face and was lucky to survive as wounds to the abdomen often proved fatal. He returned to Pyramid Hill and was discharged on 5 November 1917. In 1941, he enlisted again to serve his country in World War II. 26
Charlie Mills was a 30-year-old engineer whose family came from Lake Boga, Victoria. He survived the raid only to be hit by shrapnel on 8 June 1917 at Messines. In January 1918 he returned to the front and was wounded again on 28 March 1918 but remained on duty. He returned to Australia in July 1919. 27
Edward ‘Spuddy’ Kerr was a labourer from Janiember East (Bears Lagoon) who enlisted with Allan and Percy on 1 March 1916. He survived the shell blast but was shot at Passchendaele on 13 October 1917. His leg was amputated when infection set in and he was repatriated in January 1918. 28
On the Somme front to the south, George had returned from English leave to discover that the situation had changed dramatically. On 24 February raiding parties from the 2nd Brigade had discovered abandoned German trenches near Bapaume. The systematic withdrawal of German soldiers to the Hindenburg Line had been revealed. Patrols along the front line reported that pockets of enemy troops remained, their task to delay pursuing Allied forces. George’s brigade encountered one such group in its raid of 25 February when a number of casualties were sustained. He wrote to his aunt the following day.
France
Feb 26/17
Dear Florrie
… I have just been on my leave to England and have been back two days I had the time of my life … While I was over there I met Gordon McKay he was on leave also. To walk about London you wouldn’t think there was a war on, of course I struck it about the worst time of the year, it would be lovely over there in June or July. The worst part was coming back we were fooling about for days, the Channel wasn’t too safe as there was a heavy fog every night we were held up at Southampton for 3 nights and 2 days and then again when we did cross. It is a bit sloppy again when I left here the ground was frozen hard this winter has been the coldest for over 20 years. Charlie is with Allan & Percy now, I had some letters from them they had just been in the trenches they are a long way from here. I never got the parcel you sent me, there are 3 altogether that I haven’t got. The enemy have fallen back here on our front this last few days I think it will be lively. I left the trenches to go on leave and are still in, a few of my mates have been knocked out here. I will now close with best wishes to all,
From George
At the age of 26, George Gordon McKay had enlisted in July 1915 as a driver in the artillery. On 21 October 1917 at Chateau Wood, east of Ypres, he was guiding his laden horse team through the Ypres battlefields when the team was struck by a shell. One horse was killed and another two were wounded. Under heavy fire, Gordon freed the remaining horses and led them to safety. He was awarded the Military Medal for his coolness and courage under fire. On 19 September 1918 he was severely wounded in the arm and leg. Gordon came from a distinguished family within the farming communities of Australia and had worked in his father’s business, McKay’s Store in Pyramid Hill, with Allan prior to his enlistment. His uncle, former local farmer Hugh V. McKay, became a leading industrialist. Hugh McKay was most famous for the invention and production of the Sunshine harvester. Throughout the war years the Sunshine Harvester Works was contracted to supply war materiel ranging from ammunition shells to horse stirrups. Gordon’s leg was amputated in England and he returned to Australia in June 1919.29
TEN
… SORRY TO SAY THAT AL
HAS BEEN INJURED.
FRANCE, MARCH
While planning for the Spring Offensive continued throughout March, Allied troops began their advance to the Hindenburg Line and villages which had remained under enemy control for months, if not years, were systematically captured. Early in March, the 1st Division was withdrawn to the region around the town of Albert where George began training in the techniques of open warfare which now characterised the division’s front-line experience.
To the north, where Charlie remained in hospital, the 3rd Division was relieved from the front line and marched to Moringhem, west of St Omer, where training was hampered by heavy snow and rain. On 19 March Charlie rejoined his unit. Opportunities for the brothers to spend time together in the days leading up to his return were instead devoted to sourcing food from the French villagers. On 27 March Allan was promoted lance corporal and was given charge of his Lewis gun team.
Percy wrote to his parents:
Somewhere In France
1/3/17
Dear Mum & Dad
… Just a few lines to let you know we are as well as it leaves us at present. We are out of the trenches now I do not know for how long, there was not many killed last time we were in … I had a letter from Albert yesterday he was still in England he saw Geordie when he was on leave …
He added a note for Jim:
Smewhere in France
March 5
Dear Jim,
… You would not be sorry when the harvest is over, it would be a lot of work for you but you are expecting a good time with the new girl, my word Jim you are always changing, of course they say there is nothing like a change. Frank Dee got wounded the other night, I don’t know whether it was serious or not. Well Charlie is in the hospital with a cold, he will soon be out. Allan and I on [are] together. I am in the trenches while writing this, we are having a quiet time this time …
Your loving
Brother
Percy
Charlie was progressing well, as he told his mother in his latest letter:
France
6th March 1917
Dear Mother,
… I got wet in the trenches and had a bit of a cold, the dugout that I had was very wet, so of course that did not improve matters, and I paraded sick and the doctor said that I had better go to the hospital, which is not a bad place either. Percy was with me when I left the trenches and I believe Allan joined him a few days after I left … Albert will be able to get with us as soon as he comes over. I suppose you will be done harvesting by now but the freight is so high which makes the price low in Australia. It is getting a lot warmer here now and will soon be springtime. I think the war will end this spring, or very soon, as our side seems to be giving them a ‘go’ now. Well dear mother I hope you are all well at home and not worrying over us, for we are alright, so I will say goodbye for this time with best wishes to all
I am your affectionate son
Charlie E
I do not know whether I told you that I saw Jack Price about 5 weeks ago, he was going to the mumps isolation camp.
George had much to tell Jim concerning his leave and visits to his relatives:
Somewhere in France
March 10 – 1917
Dear Jim
… I had a good look round London it was “Good o” I wish I could get back again, it was a bit stiff coming back but once I got back with the boys it was alright but am sorry to say one of my mates was killed while I was away he came from Australia the same time as me, he came from Gippsland, he had just come back from England on leave the night I left my unit. I met Gordon McKay in England he was on leave also, I was rather lucky getting leave as it has been stopped ever since I left to go and doubt whether it will start again. I left the trenches to go on leave and went in again when I arrived back, we advanced here and took 3 villages, Archie Bailey was wounded this is the second time, I don’t know yet how Ewan got on, Amos was alright a few days before we came out because I met him while in there, I have been dash lucky, we are out having a spell now but don’t know how long it
lasts.1 I haven’t met the others yet, they aint anywhere near us, they are in a much quieter part of the line. I received a parcel from Florrie a few days, tell her when you see her next, as I had wrote the day before receiving it, that I hadn’t got it, it was in perfect order, I also received one from home just before I left to go on leave. Well the winter is not over yet some days it isn’t too [bad] we had some snow yesterday but I don’t think there will be much more. I think I told you about 3 months ago that I was a Lce / Corporal, now I am a Corporal and receive a Corporal’s pay so you need not cable me any more money as I can draw 5/- a day if I like. Well Jim I will now close hoping all are well.
I remain
Your Affectionate Bro
George
As George wrote to Jim, Charlie was also writing home from hospital. It is clear that the eldest brother at the front was anxious to have all five brothers reunited in the 38th Battalion. Charlie told his family that, once released from hospital, he would soon be back with Allan and Percy.
France
March 10th 1917
Dear Jim,
Just a few lines to say that I am getting on fine and will soon be leaving the hospital, my cold is just about alright … I have written a good few letters this last few days as we do not have much time in the trenches nor when we come out for a spell, I wrote to Geordie asking him if he would like to get with us as I think he would stand a good chance but I have not heard from him, but I told him not to come till he got his leave to England as he would miss it if he came to our Battalion … I saw an “Australian” here and see by it that the Government are giving 2/6 a bushel for the wheat on Jan 15 but last year’s wheat seems to be out of the question now, I think we have got all we are going to get for that lot. I will answer your letters when I get back from the battalion which I am not very far away…
Two days later Charlie took the opportunity to write once more to his family, aware that his time in hospital was coming to an end.
March 12th 1917
Dear Mother, Father & Brother,
Just a few lines to say that I am getting on alright and will be leaving hospital in a day or so, Al and Percy are camped about a mile from here but I have not seen them, I met young Ken from Bear’s Lagoon he said they were well I will be with them again in a few days, they are out for a rest, he thought for about 18 days. I hope to get a pile of letters when I go back as I told Percy to get my mail, we get a lot of Australian papers here in the hospital, also get the English papers nearly every day, so we can see how things are going. The French farmers are starting to work up their ground, they fallow their ground the same as we do and manure it very heavily with farmyard manure, they have their manure heaps right in front of their doors it is a common thing to see the manure pits in front of the houses, nearly every house sells beer and wine or coffee eggs and chips, I don’t think they use much tea at all, I was in at one place back a bit from the firing line and had a plate of fried potatoes chips and 3 eggs and a cup of coffee they charged me 1/7. Fruit seems to be very scarce and what is here is very dear also vegetables are scarce. I don’t think they go in for fruit and vegetables like we do in Australia. They say that it is grand here in the spring the grass grows a great height, the trees have no leaves on them now and look as they were dead. I saw a thrasher at work about a month ago thrashing a stack of wheat the whole concern was similar to what they have in Australia, it was worked by boys, old men, and women, and it was not very far away from the firing line. I have written a lot of letters this last few days I wrote to Geordie, it takes a good while to get an answer back from him. I can get word back from England quicker, I have written to all the relations in England this last few days …
Charlie reminded his family not to be concerned over the various rumours and tales from friends and family, particularly from their Aunt Etta who had earned herself quite a reputation within the family for exaggerating the truth:
… I am now out of the hospital and in a reinforcements camp for 3 days, and will then be with Allan and Percy, I saw them last night, they are camped about ½ mile from here Percy had my letters I got 24 altogether… I got the money alright from the bank they gave the letter to Percy, Geordie got his leave he got 10 days he went to Lark Hill and stopped a night with Albert and the next day with him also he then went to London and then to Leicester and saw some of the relations, I suppose he will tell you all about it when he writes. I would have liked to have seen him Albert says he looks real well, he is now a corporal, he met Gordon McKay while in London, he said he saw Amos a few days before he wrote also Tom Alford. Albert is still in Lark Hill, I will keep some of that money for him when he comes over I will divide the rest between Allan Percy and Geordie I do not want any myself as I have plenty and a lot to draw on my pay book. I was down with Allan and Percy tonight we went into a shop and had steak and eggs and coffee for tea, so that is not doing too bad, they are both well, I saw Les Townsend he is camped with them, Jim said he heard that the ship I came over on was chased by a submarine, well it was not, we saw nothing in the shape of enemy boats or subs, you do not want to take any notice of the tales you hear especially Auntie Etties, why I heard that when I was in the trenches last time that I was wounded then I heard Percy was; Allan heard that he was on his way to Australia. They are only yarns, you do not want to believe any of those sort of things … Auntie Lee seemed a bit hurt because we did not go down to Devon, but I had no chance at all as I only got the one leave 4 days and two days of that went in travelling their place is a long way away from where I was, I could not possibly do the Leicester trip and there too, I thought Geordie would be able to go but he only got 10 days and I suppose half of that went in travelling, if I ever get back to England any time I will go and see them …
Charlie later wrote:
France
March 28th 1917
Dear Mother, Father & Jim,
… we are out of the trenches now and have been out for a good while and have shifted to another part of France but we will be going back again to somewhere we [censored]. We all sent a field card to you the other day, we were notified that there was a mail going to Australia and we had about five minutes to write in. I wrote to Pearl and sent you a card I got two letters from Geordie not long ago he is a corporal now Allan is a lance-corporal he was promoted today, I don’t think Albert will be over here for a good while yet by what he says, Allan was away with Les Townsend and a lot more training but they are back with us again. I said before that I got the money alright from the bank, we can buy a decent feed here this last two nights we went to a place, and had coffee, three eggs and some bread and butter, they charged us one franc (10d) for it, that is cheap to most places in France, and in this same place there was a child about 3 years old smoking a pipe and another boy about 5 years old smoking a cigarette I thought it was the limit it is nothing to see children smoking over here and drinking beer, nearly every house over here sells beer eggs and coffee, we are camped in farm places sheds etc they are nice and warm the days are getting warmer but still we get snow at times this is a much nicer part than where we were I think there must be about six months of winter over here, the farmers are ploughing now there are a lot of women working in the fields about here, the war news seems to be very good lately I think there will be a big smash this spring. I suppose you will be busy with the crop now men will be scarce over there now, is there any more about Mologa “declared war” I see Hughie Martin and Bill Street Peter Owens and all those from up about Pyramid every day. Well I will ring off for this time, I think Al and Percy will be writing also, I hope you are all well as we are so I will say goodbye
ANZAC Sons Page 33
