10/8/1916

Dear Mother

Since writing to you I have undergone about a fortnight of pretty tough work in and about the trenches and have emerged there from quite safe for the present and am now out with the rest for a short spell. They did not take long to initiate me into the orders of shell fire etc. but I had to take part in a raid within 2 hours of joining up the battalion and I can tell you I felt a bit jumpy for a while. The shells were falling thick and fast. I used to expect every shell I had coming to blow my head off but after a time I learnt to time the Jack Johnsons and when bangs and consequently I felt much more at ease and lost most of my funk until at last I got that way I began to treat the whole lot with contempt.

So far as I can make out it is only the German artillery where we are that are fighting as the German infantry never waits for close quarters but clears out as soon as possible and surrenders and to each which is just as well for them. Our artillery is wonderful and terribly accurate to absolutely pulverize the German trenches when it starts so the poor devils can’t be blamed for clearing out as they really would have no cover after the artillery has finished with them. The little circle of friends has suffered quite badly since going into action. Tom Thomas got wounded the second night rather badly, Harry Carberry and Cozens were killed. Bert Allen got hit with a piece of shell while looking for Billy Hookham who was wounded and a minute or so before he died about l0 minutes in my arms. Poor Bert was a fine fellow and a good friend to me, if only he had thought more of his own skin he would have been here now. Whenever men always get unselfish under the circumstances and Billy Hookham was one of our party and I suppose Bert though it was up to him to bring him out of danger if he could. Harold got out of it alright and is with me now at present. He is resting in billets that is where we live in barns at the back of the farm houses in the village and we sleep on straw and the people of this village where we are at present.

The French people are a mean crawing lot. The worse take the Egyptians for points of course but that is only how they are here. They are alright in other parts where I have been. I got two letters one from you written about June 10 and the other from Grace. The parcel has not turned up yet but may do so in a week or so. You could not have known that when we came out of the trenches I had whiskers over an inch long and was covered in blood and mud and was foot sore and weary too. I never took my boots off or clothes off for 14 days and only washed once in that time. I saw several chaps who had shell-shock of them too. They shiver and tremble alright and are like children and then get down in the dumps and are no good for anything poor devils. I hope I don’t get it.

Pa seems to be kept moving doesn’t he. It is quite a relief to know things are right at home. If you see Noel Sagar tell him I was Al at the middle of August. Well so long to others at the present and I will write to you before we go into the line again if I have as much luck as I had last time you may hear of me in England for a couple of months are out.

Yours affectionately

Walter

P.S. Give my best respects to those at Homebush if I don’t forget divide that 30/- among the girls at home with my compliments.

l0/8/16 in France 1st Battle