Letters from David Wallace Caldwell to his Mother, 1915-1917 - Part 3

Gallipoli Peninsula
Anzac Sept 12 1915 

Dear Mum, 
Still alive & kicking you see & I  
am just as well as ever & I hope this finds you 
all the same. We are having a fair time over 
here lately we do one day in the trenches in four 
but we are on pick & shovel work 2 days also. But 
I don't have to do much as I am in charge of the 
platoon & I do pretty well as I like. We no havent lost 
a man yet in the trenches but I have lost 5 of my 
platoon on the terrace with shrapnel. Cpl Kelleway 
was amongst them he got his left fore finger pretty well 
knocked off, he has been sent to Egypt. Sickness 
takes twice as many away from here as bullets 
dysentry & rhuematism is the two prevailing things 
here. I am free of both. We all live on terraces on above 
the other on the side of a hill and all we have over us 
is our own waterproof sheet then you have to ly on the  
damp ground but I have got a good cover & I ly 
on my sheet. It is very cold here just now. I suppose 
we will be having snow here shortly they say there 
is about a five feet fall here so things will be 
only middling but you don't need to worry

about me no harm will come to me there has been 
two or three times since I landed here that men have 
been wounded on either side of me, & I will look after 
myself as far as sickness is concerned. The Turks 
brought one of our aeroplanes down yesterday 
with rifle fire but he landed well in our lines & 
not much damage done. Some of our Sgts in the 
Batt have been made Lieutenant's lately, but I dont 
suppose I am likely to get one because I haven't 
the "Kick in the Behind" some have, but I may get 
a chance one of these days when we get a chance to 
show what we are made of. I think some of them 
will be dirtying their trousers when they get the 
order to charge. I am well satisfied with my 
platoon they are good workers & good fighters & 
very cheerful & no matter what conditions the 
wh weather is in they are allways up to some thing 
or other. It is some view from where we are we can 
see Anzac beach right down to Suvla Bay. & the ridge 
of hills on which our chaps are fighting on the left 
& we can see a couple of Islands right out to Sea & there 
is some Crimson Sunsets. We get plenty of bombs & Shrapnel 
over us, we had 76 shells burst over us in about ½ an hour 
& not a man wounded it is alright, well I must end up 
now with love to all & a kiss to you from 'Wall' X

Gallipoli Peninsula
Cheshire Ridge
Oct 28th 1915

Dear Mum 
A few more lines to let you know 
I am still alive & kicking & am in good 
health & I hope you are all the same at home 
I haven't heard from you for about a fortnight 
now but I expect to hear shortly as the mail 
comes in, in a couple of days. Things are 
fairly quiet here & I expect they will be till after 
the Winter & then I suppose we will be 
relieved & I think we will need to be if what 
the official news says is true that is we have 
it fairly warm, with occassional cold snap of 
a night time & I can tell you it is cold snap. I 
think I spent the coldest night I ever spent 
the time before last that we were in the trenches 
we were tramping up & down with overcoats on &  
warm clothing & we were shivering like leafs, but 
still that is not the worst the Winter starts about 
the middle of January & there is to be cold snow 
blizzards for 7 days without stopping & the snow 
is on the ground for over 6 weeks. I have had 
a go at the Patrols & I like it just the thing it is

a bit livelier than in the Trenches. I wanted to get 
it permanent but I don't think our O.C. I will 
allow me to, he won't give me any chance to 
get a commission & he won't let me get out of the  
Coy, so don't be surprised if I through up/stripe 
for a while to get out of it. I have been in charge 
of the platoon ever since I came to Gallipoli 
& pretty well since I came from Australia I 
can tell you it doesn't put much heart in you 
if you see other Sgts a lot junior to you, put 
over you & I can tell you it does make you want 
to get out of the rotten Coy. But I suppose 
everything comes to those that wait & I think 
I will show them a point or two. Otherwise I am 
having a fair time. The Turks gave us a bit 
of a bombardment the other day. But we were 
in the Trenches & didn't get hit but out the back of them in the  
Tren Gully there was a good few got hit there was 
six killed & a good few wounded. I hope you are 
taking as much money as you want because you  
I have told you enough times to & buy yourself 
& Blanche something for yourself for Christmas 
I must close now in with love to all from 
Wally

On Active  Service
8 NO. 5
FIELD P.O.
PASSED BY
3062
CENSOR*
[[HurC?]]
Mrs D Caldwell.
Dudley St
Semaphore
Sth Aust

5/11/15
Dear Mum, 
Still alive & kicking & I 
hope you are all the same at home. 
we are still at the same place and 
we are still marking time. I think 
we will be shifting very shortly 
away from this spot but you 
never know. I did not have any 
writing paper to write a letter to 
you so I had to manage with this P.C. I have still got a few  
P.C.s left so you must not expect 
two many letters from me unless 
I can manage to borrow some 
from one of my chums but I 
think that they are the same as 
myself. I received your letter yesterday 
& was sorry to hear Jack was out of 
work but he was always too cheeky 
to his bosses. I think it will be as 
well if you can get him in the Railway 
like Bob. love to all from Wally.

Gallipoli
Russells Top.
Nov 22^nd 1915 
Dear Mum 
Not dead yet you see I suppose you think because 
I h you had not received any letter lately that I was either 
hurt or had not written but I had. They only send the mail 
away from here about once a fortnight now as the sea is very 
rough & they can't get the stuff off or on the boats & the last 
boat load of Christmas mail from here was sunk at least the 
greater part of it was. But I wr wrote a week before that also 
so you may have received one of the two lots. I think I wrote 
to just about everybody I knew in that mail that was 
sunk. By jove mum it is rough & cold here just now & we  
have not been issued with our Winter Clothes here yet but we 
expect to be within the next few week & I can tell you we 
need to be as the cold wind blows right through you & it is not  
half as bad as it is supposed to be yet. I received a parcel of sock 
from Dad yesterday there was two pair in it & 2 hankerchiefs 
& some papers. The socks were good ones & nice & warm & the 
handkerchiefs were just the thing & I received your parcel today 
& I can tell you that it was just what I wanted. The spyscope 
was very handy or will be when we go into the trenches shortly 
as we have shifted away from Cheshire Ridge & where we are now 
we are only 10 yds apart in places & you can't put a finger up without 
getting it shot off & the spyscope will be handier than the big 
Periscope we use as we have to move them two & fro or else 
we will get a bullet through them & I will be able to put the spyscope 
up & it will not be seen. Also the chocolate & Buiscuits 
were just the thing, you haven't any knowledge how much we appreciate 
something tasty like that after being used to Bacon & Biscuits & 
Bully Beef. They were just the thing I can tell you. I don't know 
whether you received my letter saying that I had received the pair 
of socks you sent me, bu well I received them alright & I think 
they were just the thing for a first try & by the time I come 
home again you will be quite an expert at them. I also received 
a cake from Ev for my Birthday it was about a week late butt 
was very acceptable all the same. I have not heard from Aunty  
lately but I expect I will shortly. I try to write every week 
whilst I have been here but I forget sometimes & it may be a 
couple of days late but I always write fairly regular

(2) 
I received your parcel today but did not receive any letter from 
you. I am going to write to Ev tomorrow & also Dad & I may 
drop a line to Blanche if I get time. I don't get much time 
just now as I am acting Company Sgt Major & will 
most likely get the job if I suit & up to date I think 
I do. of course I haven't got much chance of any commission 
yet but I will perhaps get that if I last out long 
enough & all their Freemasons run out. Mum half a dozen 
Sgts that I beat easily in the Zeitoun School have got their 
Commissions & I have been acting as an officer pretty well 
ever since I left Australia & that is the truth. I have not 
had an officer in the Trenches with me yet & I think  
that I am pretty well the only Sgt that can say that. & I think 
that if I am capable to act for that long I am good 
enough to hold it. but of course it is not for us to say 
I was glad to here that Jack had got a job at Elder-Smith 
& Co's Office & be sure & tell him to watch his job 
better there as it is no credit to be sacked for giving cheek 
& Elder Smith's is a good place to work at. I hope Bob is treating 
you better than he used to. If I get the CSM is will be a couple 
of bob more to me. But I would sooner have the other chap 
back as he was one of my best chums & I was sorry to see 
him go away. He had dilated asthma on the Right of his Heart if you  
know what that is. I don't. I hope it is a bit livelier & I know it 
will be in these trenches than it was in Cheshire Ridge, I used to 
go out on the permanent Patrol & we used to go right up to the 
Turkish Trenches & if we saw a good chance we would bomb 
them it was too slow in the trenches for me, but you needn't 
worry about me going out on any more as the job got too slow 
for me & I used to go too sleep on the job & got a cold one 
night so I left it well alone. Well I suppose it will be a bit late 
for Christmas by the time you get this but as the others went down 
I will wish you all a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. I am 
going to send you a couple of Turkish Shells home they are Shells 
that have been fired and will be alright for Vases if Brassed or 
Nickelled over & will be worth a bit we can get a pound a piece off the 
Sailors on the boats here if we like to take them out to them
[*over*]

but I will have to wait until I can get somebody going to 
hospital in Egypt & get them to send them home from there 
as we can't send them from here & I will also send you home 
something from Egypt if I get back there I didn't get much 
chance while we were there as I never got a chance to have  
too much money but I have got plenty to draw now & I will 
be able to send home a good present, I suppose it dissappointed 
you or Blanche at not receiving anything from me while I was 
in Egypt But as I said before everything comes to those that wait. 
I must close now with love to all & I hope all of you are as 
well as I am. 
from "Wally".

Rest Gully
Gallipoli 7^th Dec 

Dear Mum 
Just a few lines to let you know that I am 
still alive & kicking we are on beach fatigue 
again now & I think we are likely to be down 
here for a while. We had snow here about 8 days 
ago & after it finished snowing we had it very 
cold & the snow froze & it caused a fair number 
of our men to get frost bitten feet & a couple of 
them are bound to lose their feet through it. I 
can tell you when the snow thawed & the Sun 
started to shine again they started to take the 
frost bitten ones aboard the Hospital boats their 
was a boat load of Gurka's with their feet 
frost bitten. In dozens of places men were 
found in trenches sleeping their last frozen 
stiff with cold. I can tell you it is pretty rotten 
to see some of them. The Turks got on to one 
of our Hospitals & pretty well wiped it out 
of existance with one of our their heavy guns 
Tent full's of wounded & sick were killed & 
maimed, but I suppose they were justified  
in doing so as it was a bit close to a lot