Letters from David Wallace Caldwell to his Mother, 1915-1917 - Part 5

T.S.S. NORTHLand.
March 17^th 1916.

Dear Mum
Well we are on our way
to France now, I fancy we will land
at Marseilles & go on by train. We
have had a good trip so far nothing
startling has occurred we haven't been
submarined yet but we seemed pretty
shakey a couple of times. I hope
Blanche & Bob & Jack is keeping
well and got plenty of work &
money. I have have a first class passage
we dine with the Officers & all. we
dine separate from the Sgts. because
I rank as a warrant officer now. & can
wear a Sam Browne belt if I choose
but I am not fussy you know. I
suppose Blanche will be on her way
by now & if I have any luck I will
go to England to see her. You had
better write that address of dad's
relations in England & I will
look them up well so long
for now love to all from
Your loving Son 
Wally.

In The Trenches
Somewhere in France
April 20^th 1916

Dear Mum.
Well I hope y this finds you well as it
leaves me in the best of health & having a jolly good
time. It is fairly quiet here & we get plenty to eat
& plenty of work. That usualy consist of our good
time up to dates. but at anyrate that is what we
came for. By all accounts we will be shifting to
some trenches where they are bombarding all day long
& most of the night too as we can hear them quite plain
from where we are. I hope they start this offensive
move that they talk so much about. I hope Ev comes
& sees you regular now that Blanche has gone.
Ill tell you what you ought to do mum & that is
look after one of Ev's young girls. That would 
be just what you want to keep you company. Well I
have not got much y news today & also not much 
time so I must close with love to all from
Your loving Son  X X X X
^~Wally^~

In The Trenches
Somewhere in France
May 11^th 1916

Dear Mum
Well I hope this finds you well
& not too lonely now that Blanche has
left you & by the way I received  y  a letter
from you about a fortnight ago & This is the
second one I have wrote since so I hope you
received it. I got a letter from Blanche
(which she wrote from the Bay of Biscay)
yesterday & she seemed to have had a very
good time on her trip over. which I was
pleased to see. Have you got a little girl
to keep you company yet & if you have
don't forget to let me know what she
is like. I suppose Blanche didn't think
much of me not sending her a wedding present
but I fully intend to give her something worth
having when I go to England on Leave
which will most likely be on June the 2^nd
We are at Armentiers near Yrpres but be sure
& not address my letters there. We are just
over the Belgium Border & I think we will
be doing something very shortly as we I
have had to detail 2 men to look after our
packs & stores when we advance. But mum
I don't think the German Trenches will

be very hard to take as the Artillery does all
the work long before the Infantry starts to go
forward. Well old girl I hope you are
keeping well & not worrying too much
about your. Blanche. I hope Jack is keeping
alright & not being too cheeky to his bosses.
as he used to.  And I also hope that Bob
is not giving you too much worry &
cheek. Mum you must want more money
than that which you are getting from
Bob & Jack. you must take it from
me that you must use my money
when you want it & you see that
you don't spend any that Dad sends
you because you know that I
want you to save up enough to
get another house when I get home.
because you know you don't want
to have to worry about money when you
get a little older. But you needn't wory
you will allways have a little spot
on (my farm) as Blanche would say
Well old lady I hope that this finds
you well as it does me. I must close
with heaps of Love & kisses from your
Loving Son
Wally xxxx.

In The Trenches
Somewhere in France.
May 17^th 1916.

Dear Mum.
Your letter to hand dated
the 5^th April. I was glad to hear that
you were keeping well, well this leaves
me this is leaving me the same. I
have to tell you that this I have been
recommended for a Commission again
this is the second time now. I saw by
your letter that Bob had been very
foolish & got married slyly. Well mum
I don't want you to worry too much
about him, I know that you must
feel it badly. but never mingd old
girl. I don't know who told you that
the girl was no good. but I am almost
sure that they are wrong, because they
Weatherall family is fairly respectable
& the girl is alright. well at least as far
as I know about her & I have spoken
to her a couple of times & she always
seemed very decent. & I think that Bob
would be to blame perhaps more than
she is. But at anyrate if old lady be
sure & not worry too much about him &
be sure that if you want to put him out
do it by all means. But the thing that

hurts me is to think that he would go & do
such a thing behind your back. Mum you
be sure that if you want my money you
can have it even if you take the whole lot.
because you may need it more than I ever
will. I hope Jack is keeping good to you
& see that you go out a good bit. You
I won't say anything to Blanche about
it unless she says something first. I
had a letter from Blanche when she
landed in England, also a telegram a
day before she got married. & I couldn't
get over there to see her married & I
was in the Trenches & couldn't wire to
her wishing her the best of luck. Well
I hope here married life will make
her a bit fatter than she was than
when she left you. I just received
your letter tonight about Bob & it is
now about 11 o clock & I am must
go to bed. well good night mum & I
hope you don't worry too much. Lots of
Love and kisses from
Your Loving Son
Wally. xxxxxxx

In Billets
Somewhere in France
June 8^th 1916

Dear Mum.
Well I hope this finds you well as
I am fit & well. we are still in Billets training
for a special job I dont know when it will
be coming off but I think that it will be
within the week. I am writing this a couple
of days before the date as it generally takes me
about 2 or 3 days to write a letter when I am
busy. I have not been on my leave yet & I don't
suppose I will be going until I get this job
finished. How is Bob getting on now? has he
said anything to you yet. I had a letter from
Blanche & Frank the other day & they wrote like an
old married couple. They got married in the Cong.
Church. Blanche stopped at Frank's peoples place
before they got married. It seems strange to me
for Blanche to be married & one can hardly
realize the difference that 12 months make. Is Jack
keeping good & not worrying you too much
We have had a couple of casualties lately 2 of our
& one of our Cpls have been wounded pretty badly.
The Germans had a day in on our front they

one of our areoplanes & a captive balloon &
a battery of guns the other day besides killing
& wounding some, but I believe we worry them
a good bit. according to reports our areoplanes
dropped bombs on an ammunition store in Lille which
is just about 6 miles the other side of our trenches
opposite us & blew it up and caused an explosion
which blew up two streets & at another time
our big guns got range out to a big white farm
that the Germans used for sleeping in & in one
shot from each gun levelled the place fro to the
ground, so you see that they don't have it all
their own way by a long way. It is a pity
that we can't go ahead here a bit & relieve the
pressure on Verdun C which is being pressed pretty
hard just now. But I suppose the heads know
best or think that they do. I hope Ev is coming
over to see you occasionally, as I have wrote
to her an told her I would give her a black eye
if she didnt. Well I must close now with love to
all of you from
your Loving Son
Wally xxx

In The Trenches
Somewhere in France

Dear Mum
Well I hope this finds you well &
having a good time as this leaves me well
& having a very fair time. I was going
to England on my leave on June the second. But
I volunteered to go on a raiding party & I have been
picked & I wouldn't miss that for anything.
We are going to go into the German Trenches
and surprise them or else bomb them out. It
will be a fairly risky job but I think that
we can carry it out alright at anyrate we can
try. If I get in & get some souvenirs I will send
you home a German Helmet, eh what! We
are going to capture and bring back what we
can. The Germans made a raid on our Trenches
down at the 20^th Batt. & killed or wounded
a hundred men. so I may assure we wont
take no prisoners. How is Bob getting on?
& has he told you anything yet. Well mum
I think the best thing he can do is to enlist.

Perhaps it would have been much better
had he done it long ago & come away with
me. he would have been much better off
don't you think. We have been having great
weather lately quite like Australian weather
as the French call it. Tray Bon. which means
very good. The Germans bombarded the
town of Armentier this afternoon but I
don't think that there was much damage
done. By jove won't we give them one
for bobbing when we start to advance.
I'll bet that we go straight through. Well
mum I hope you are all well at home
& love to you all from
your Loving Son
^~Wally^~ xxxxxx