I am your affect son & brother
C.E.
To the south, as the snows thawed and the rain fell, the thought of the coming spring brought a touch of optimism for George, who freely admitted that he had now ‘had my share of it’ and hoped to be back in Australia for Christmas. As he wrote he queried the message he had received from Albert regarding the men from the neighbouring communities who were now casualties, asking his mother if there was any truth in what he had been told. Such was the state of communication on the front; family members and friends serving in different battalions often relied on letters from Australia or newspaper reports to discover that they had lost a brother or a mate.
France
March 29 1917
Dear Mother
… I think the cold weather will soon be over, this month is nearly out the time is flying, the clocks have been put back an hour it is supposed to be spring now. We are doing well on this front now, Fritz is being pushed back if the weather had been suitable he would have got a much rougher time. I am beginning to think we might be back in Australia for Xmas, well I hope so I have had my share of it. I had my photo taken in London while on leave and they have just arrived and am enclosing one in this letter it is a good one of me. I haven’t met the others yet they are a long way from here we are still on the same part of the line as I told you in my letter that I wrote from England. I sent a couple of brooches home from London I hope you got them, one you will notice was made over here by the name on it. I was fighting round there last year. Both Amos and Ewin are well, Albert was saying in his letter that Bob Campbell is killed, is that true, he also said that Frank Dee was wounded and Tracey killed, they are with Allan. I haven’t had a letter from Australia for about a fortnight the mails don’t seem to be coming so well now, well I will now close hoping all are in the best of health.
I remain
Your Loving Son
George
I am enclosing a photo of the gun I use. Put it away for me. I think I told you some time ago I was a Lance Corporal well now I am a corporal.
To the north, Allan, Percy and Charlie remained billeted in the safety of Moringhem. The bitter winter conditions continued to hinder their training and brought illness and discomfort to the troops, although Allan again reassured his mother that he had never felt better.
France
31-3-17
My Dear Mum & dad
… Well mum we are out of the trenches at present but are going back in a day or so, then there will be something doing. Well mum we have had a lot of rain this last few days and we have been out in it all. I can not tell you the exact stop where we are but we had 40 mile march here. Full packs up too and the country very hilly too but we got through it all right. It took us 3 days to do it. I had a letter from Geordie the other day. He is getting on well too. He is a Corporal now. I also had a letter from Albert. He is doing well and having a good time. I am in charge of a Lewis Gun team now and am a Lance Corporal. Charlie and Percy are in my team. So everything is good oh. Well dear mum everything is looking better now. The war and France. Things are beginning to look green now and I really think that the war will end soon. We are all well. I myself never felt better in my life. I have never had a cold or a day’s sickness of any sort. The winter will soon be over. Mum dear you have no idea what the winter was like. It was a fair terror. Charlie & Percy was lucky missing the worst of it.
I remain
Your Loving Son
Allan
We are getting a mail to night Hurrah.
ENGLAND, MARCH
As the new month began, Albert was enjoying his period in hospital recovering from mumps, although the English food shortages were causing him some concern. He was discharged from hospital on 7 April and promptly returned to the training fields of Salisbury Plain where he welcomed the letters from home and where news of his move to France was anxiously anticipated.
Salisbury Plain
Park House Hospital
Sunday, March 4th 17
My Dear Mother & Father,
… I have been out here for a fortnight now, and have still a weeks holiday. It is a great change out here, but the food is not quite as good as at the camp, still its good enough when your doing nothing. They have cut us down to a slice and ½ of bread a meal now for breakfast and tea, and for dinner 1 slice and a small one at that. Food seems to be very scarce over here, but I suppose you have read about it in the papers. Well Mum, it is a very pretty place out here, and must look lovely in summer, there are a lot of villages round about and we generally pass through one or two when we have route marches, and the kids run out yelling. Left, Right, Left, Right. We get a great welcome in the villages. We get Red + [Cross] stuff here every second day. Last day I got a pipe, tobacco, cigarettes, tooth powder and brush. We get a pair of socks before we leave, also a toilet bag. The weather is much warmer here now, so different to when we first came here. It is grand to have the sunshine.
Park House Hospital
Sunday March 4th
Dear Jim,
… My mate and 7 others out of my hut are out here with the mumps. The mumps only stopped on us about 5 days. Missed a pay-day by being out here, and might miss another yet, but it doesn’t trouble me, as I’ve got enough to keep me going. I told you in my other letter that I gave Geordie £4. he needed it more than I did. Well Jim, I suppose now the harvest is over you are busy with the garden. Think of all the tomatoes I am missing, not to mention water melons and other things. I often fancy tomatoes here. You could get them some time back at 7d a lb. I believe some of our chaps are going soon in the next draft, but don’t know how we will get on, I think we will be put back 3 weeks in the drill. Well Jim I suppose you have read all about the tucker scheme here. They have cut down on our rations a lot. We get a slice and ½ of bread a meal now, and not a big slice at that. People in Australia don’t realise how scarce food is over here. It is on account of the huns sinking all the boats …
Lark Hill Camp
Sat March 10th 17
My Dear Mother & Father,
… I had a good holiday at the hospital, and didn’t like leaving except to get the letters. We had a heavy fall of snow yesterday, but I’m glad to say, its melting fast. They gave us an extra blanket, we have six now, so have a decent bed at night. It is not so cold here now, but when the snow melts it is as muddy as _____. I got a lot of red Cross stuff at the hospital, and before I came away was given a pair of socks, which happened to come from the Dingee Red cross, but did not have the name of the sender in it. When I got back here there was a parcel from Auntie. It was a box of mince pies, cakes and chocolate and was just the thing. I thought Ida would have written to say they sent it, but there was no letter. I had a great feed, I can tell you. When I came back, I had to go to the doctor, so I told him, I was terrible crook at the hospital, so he gave me two days no duty. I start drill on Monday. I never felt better in my life, but I had the chance of a few days off, so I took it. A fellow wants plenty of cheek at this game. One of the chaps in my hut got a Bendigonian yesterday, and I saw where Bob Campbell was killed, also young Hannasky from Pinegrove. I met him at Rankin’s Barn … None of our coy have gone to France yet and I don’t think any will be going till April. We are issued with waterproof capes now. They are very warm and look very flash. That Lt. Collins I told you about is supposed to go to France soon. He always gets sick when a draft goes, he should have gone 3 weeks ago …
I am, your loving son
Albert
A typical soldier’s postcard sent home by Albert.
Albert made his feelings very clear about his neighbours who had not enlisted. The name has been censored.
The soldiers always derived great pleasure from the parcels they received from friends and family. Albert mentioned that he was surprised to discover he had been provided with socks by the Red Cross, knitted in the town of Dingee not far from Mologa. The coincidence was worth mentioning in his letter home.
Al
bert also mentions Mologa Central schoolteacher Bob Campbell, from the 5th Battalion, who was killed on 23 November. Only two weeks before, he had returned to action after four months recuperating from a head wound.2 Fred Hannasky, also from the 57th Battalion, was a 21-year-old farmer from Pine Grove who had enlisted in January 1916. He was killed on 1 December 1916.3 Ted Tracey was a member of the 38th Battalion.4 He had enlisted from Janiember East (Bears Lagoon) and sailed on the Runic with Percy and Allan. He was listed as killed in action on 27 February 1917, the date of the Houplines raid after which Allan had written to his mother, ‘… how on earth we came out of it alive I don’t know.’
The following day Albert replied to his father to explain why he had yet to rejoin his brothers. Sarah and Charles were anxious to ensure that their youngest son would soon be in the care of his older siblings. Albert was just keen to see the sights of England, many of which he had read about at school.
Lark Hill Camp
Sunday March 11th 1917
Dear Dad,
… I was glad to hear the harvest turned out so well and that you are getting a decent price for it. I think the farmers are lucky to get 2/6 as they are not importing much wheat from Australia on account of the U boats … I was glad to hear you got my cable. You told me to be sure and get in with Charlie, well, I told you when I wrote before that he had gone to France a week before I got here, so there was no chance of getting with him as we have to do 12 weeks training here, but I suppose I am better off here, and Mum says in every letter not to be in a hurry to go to France, so I think you will be pleased to hear that I am not with him. Anyway I will have no trouble in getting with them when I go to France, Charlie is in the same Coy. as Al and Percy. 8 chaps out of my hut got the mumps and we are in 6th week of training, while the rest are in the 9th week, so according to that we should do another 6 weeks at least. Well Dad it is not so cold here now, it is a bit on the rainy side, but I think it will be fine again soon. Anyway I don’t notice the cold at all now, but about 6 weeks ago it was a fair devil I never want to see anything like it again. Tell Streets that Harry is still here and looking tip top on it. I went into Amesbury this afternoon, and went to have a look at the Church of England church. It is a terrible age, but I forget when it was built. I will tell you next time I write. The key of the door is over 9 inches long and weighs ¾ lb and you could put a hen’s egg through the key hole. All the tombstones are crumbling away with age, and the church has started to crumble in places. I will send you a photo of it when I get the chance to get some. The Sunday that I was going to see the Village Blacksmith’s shop, we were isolated. It is in a village called Fighldean, and is about 4 miles from here. I never thought that when I was going to school, that I would ever see Stonehenge or the Village Blacksmith’s shop. We have a bonza lot of fellows in my hut, 4 of them are from Bendigo. One of my special mates is from Bendigo. His name is Tom Dickinson, and he has an Uncle living between Mincha and Macorna. Another one is Gordon Swainston, he comes from Kyneton, and is a slight relation to Gamble’s. I see the Bendigonian nearly every week. Well Dad, I have no more news so I will close hoping you are all well, as it leaves me at present,
I am
Your loving son
Albert
They won’t tell us now when the mail leaves, I wonder what next.
March 14th
Dear Jim,
… Well Jim, General Sir Newton Moore inspected us yesterday.5 We marched 3 miles in mud up to our boot tops to a big review ground. It was a great sight to see the crowd of soldiers. The parade ground was a big paddock with two clumps of pine trees at the back, and as the ground was sloped, it looked very good. There was a hell of a crowd of soldiers, all from Lark Hill Camp. The Duke of Connaught is supposed to come over to see us on Friday, but as the duchess is very ill, I don’t think he will come. Rumour has it that the King is coming next week. They say that the Duke will go back and tell the King that we’re worth seeing. Anyway, I hope he does … The Allies seem to be doing well now. Things are getting a bit serious in the tucker line here. We cant get potatoes now, as there is a scarcity in England, but we don’t do too bad all the same. You remember me telling you about one of our corporals who tried to desert and got caught. He got two years clink in the Isle of Wight …
Lark Hill Camp
Sunday March 25th 1917
My dear Mother, Father & Jim,
… The weather is much warmer here now, still we get plenty of snow. 50 of our coy are picked for the next draft. They are going tomorrow night I think. Harry Street is going, and all the other chaps that were in my hut, but the rest of us that had the mumps are left behind. We will have to do 3 weeks more training before we can leave here. Those that are going have only done 11 weeks drill. There is another draft going next week, but I don’t think I will be in it. I forgot to tell you in my last letter that I got the £4 you sent me. Thanks very much for sending it. I sent a cable to you last night saying I had received the money and was well. It only cost 4/6 so I thought it as well to send one. I am sending a paper, it has a lot in it about the Russian Revolution. Things are getting pretty serious here in the food line. We get good tucker, but some days it is very scarce, anyway we get eggs and bacon every Sunday morning, besides the porridge. Potatoes are very scarce here and some days we have ½ one each. Every night at 8.30 we get a dixie of soup for each hut, and it is just the thing. Lt. Collins came round at 2.30 this morning, and roused all the coy out they had to get dressed and go out on parade, for 10 minutes. I didn’t go out as I came off guard yesterday, and didn’t have any sleep the night before. He came in the hut and poked each fellow in the ribs with his walking stick, and one fellow said, “Whats the bluddy time anyway”. Collins is supposed to go to France soon, he has calmed down a lot lately …
Tell Streets that Harry is leaving here soon about the 20th March
… I had just finished this letter this morning, when 50 of us were called out and ordered to get our full marching order on (as if we were going to France) and were told to be ready in half an hour. So we went like the devil, and got all our things ready to go. After dinner, we were given field dressing, rifle & bayonet, iodine and had to fill our water bottles, and we thought we were off. Anyway they gave us a bit of a lecture, and marched us in and found they had about 25 over strength, so all of us under the 9th week were told to stop behind. The rest are now waiting to be called out again at any time. We don’t know what the game is, but I’m sure they are not going out of England. I think, myself that they are forming a battalion to guard the south coast of England, and so relieve an Aust. Batt that is there now. I may be called out again, but I don’t think so. We don’t know when theyre leaving, and things were very excited this morning, as the men were called out so sudden, and all the officers had their revolvers in their belts. Harry Street was taken out of the draft and put in with this lot that was called out today. It was the biggest hurry up that I ever saw. It generally takes a week to fix a draft up and we took about ¾ of an hour. We were inspected this morning by a Brigadier-general. Well Mum I will say goodbye, I may be leaving here any day now
I am Your Loving Son
Albert
The anticipation of leaving for the front was building as the weeks of training in the English winter were drawing to a close. Albert’s tension was palpable in the letters he wrote, as was the disappointment he felt when his mates departed before him. Albert sent home this photo postcard of his pals dated 26 March 1917. Seven months later, three of these men had been killed and another two wounded.
Lark Hill Camp
March 28th 1917
Dear Jim
… I have been on fatigue today and finished at 3 oclock, so thought I would write a few letters to pass the time. I told you in my last letter about us all being lined up. Well all those that were called up are not going anywhere. It was a mobilization order to see how quick they could get a mob of troops ready if they wanted them. But the other draft of our coy that were picked out las
t week, left here last night for France. Harry Street did not go as he was called out at the last moment. I hear they are picking out a draft again this week, so I may be in that. I got a letter from Al last night, he had been in a scrap but was well when he wrote. There has not been any mail from Australia since I last wrote. The last I got was dated Jan 16th. Well Jim, how would you like to be limited to 6oz of potatoes a day, that’s all we are allowed now, and I can tell you it’s a fat lot too, we get plenty of haricot beans here but the meat is hard to find when there is beans on the plates. Some days we get plenty to eat, and other days get damn little. One slice of bread a meal. One thing the tucker is well cooked. There was great excitement here last night when the draft was leaving. Nearly all my old hut mates have gone, they are bonza chaps, and I would liked to have gone with them again in a few weeks … How is Mologa and all the girls getting on. Remember me to Eva and any other of your favourites. Well Jim I am about beat for news, so will close hoping all are well as I am at present. I weigh 12 stone now, so am doing alright aint I, so goodbye, from your aff. brother
Albert
Have just heard that two boats with Australian mail on have been sunk.
Albert wrote: ‘The one next to me [Albert is standing second from right] with the moustache is Pte Harnell on the right is Pte Dickinson and Pte Burt. The one in the front of me is Pte Swainston and the other Pte Duncan.’
THEATRES OF WAR, APRIL
News of the growing discontent in Russia had reached the far corners of the globe. Food shortages and the lack of basic supplies had led to desertion and mutiny within the Russian forces. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated and a provisional government was installed. In an atmosphere of unrest and discontent, support for Lenin’s Revolutionary Bolshevik Party was increasing while the military forces had virtually disintegrated. The failure of Russian forces in the east would release German battalions for deployment to the Western Front.
ANZAC Sons Page 34
