Belgium 13/8/1916

Dear Mother,

We are out again having a spell after a month in and around the trenches where it was much quieter than on the home front. In fact on some days and during some nights during the period we were in this time one would hardly know there was a war on it was that quiet. The Germans don’t seem to have much artillery there but are plentifully supplied with bombs, oil drums and minenwerfer with which they make a great row but don’t do much damage. Machine guns are everywhere and they squirt bullets everywhere like rain on all vantage points such as roads blocks and trenches where the parapets are low etc. They also make a big row but don’t do much damage except to advancing troops enmasse and they really do make a mess of things.

The way we worked this period in the firing line was seven days in the front line, seven in reserve doing fatigue at night 7 days in support trenches and another dug outs while in reserve which were particularly lousy and they squashed 30 off of us into a place where about 10 would be a crowd. Still was necessary or they would not do it and it was better in dug outs than in the rain don’t think I am growling because I can stand all they put up to us but I haven’t even been on a sick parade yet and have never fallen out on a march so that I can’t be weak can I.

Aunt Clara & Edie and Uncle George and Vivian will send along parcels of which I will get 1 in 6. I think is a great shame if it continues any longer I will write and ask them to desist from sending any more to me. I don’t see why they should be feeding unscrupulous dog of whom they don’t know. Everyone has the some complaint they don’t get the parcels sent to them. I have received quite a lot of letter from those at home lately, in fact I don’t think there is anything wrong with the Australian part of the mail cause I seem to receive letters very regularly. So far there are periods when it is hard for the authorities to get the mail to us such as when we are on the march and in the firing line. In our last billets we were on a farm outside a fairly large village which could sport a big church with a clock in the tower (which is the custom here) and several pubs and grocery shops. The French sell some funny mixtures. Some of them sell jewellery and beer, others sell groceries and fruit. We struck a real good place to get a feed that is an Australian feed of steak & eggs, or pork chop & eggs & coffee of which we paid the equivalent of 1/6.

Most of the people could and can speak Flemish as well as French. Several women I met have brothers and sisters in Lille and other French towns occupied by the Germans. Some of them seem to think Germans are as good as anyone else and wouldn’t care much if they ran the show for them. I have met a lot of French people who don’t like the Belgians and they say they betrayed them and from our own experiences from what I have heard I am certain I am told I could not enlist in another war to help Belgium. Of course there are good and bad everywhere.

If you get a little brooch send to Edie you will know where I am writing from. It is about 6 miles away the place I am in. If you read a letter to Edie you will know where I am going again. We will be going back there and ought to have a pretty rough time which is all in the same and I might only get a blighty after all I get it in the neck as the Tommies say. For goodness sake don’t give me the blues as the Tommies are getting melancholy as I believe you are. I can stand this 10 times better if I know you are cheerful as you ought to be having a son who is doing his bit to biff the Germans. Mr Hookham wrote to me and said he did not mind losing his son as it was a just cause and what I now want you to be so cheer up also please.

Will close now as I am mess orderly and the hungry beggars can’t wait.

Best love from your affectionate son

Walter.

Note the letter from Uncle George whom I think never corresponded with any of our family till this time to me.

3/8/1916 Belgium.