Letters from David Wallace Caldwell to his Mother, 1915-1917 - Part 6

In The Trenches 
Somewhere in Frances 
12/6/16 

Dear Mum 
Well old lady I am well & I hope that 
you are the same at home. I received your 
parcel & letter dated April 16th Today & my word 
you must of known just what I wanted. 
especially about the handkerchiefs as I have got 
a bit of a cold & we cant buy any over here  
The socks were alright & also the laces & buttons  
& net. We are fairly well looked after here 
we get a good hot bath & a change of clothing 
at least once a week. We strip & get into  
a great big hot bath about 20 at a time  
& my word you do feel alright afterwards 
especially if you have just done about  
12 days in the trenches. We have not 
made our raid get there was two parties  
of us training & I think they tossed up  
who won & the others did. They went over 
to the German trenches & raided them  
& killed a lot of Germans & took some   
prisoners. We are having our turn this week

for sure & you may be sure that I will  
bring some sovenirs back & we got English  
leave immediately afterward so I will be able 
to send you some home whatever I get. I have  
had several letters from Blanche & she is getting  
on alright. I got that photo of Blanche &  
yourself & it was just it. I can tell you  
& you can thank Glady for me what for the  
way that she did it up. I am writing to  
Everill with the same mail as this, you say  
that you have not been getting any letters  
lately well I assure you that I write regularly 
& I always write to Ev at the same time so  
I dont know why you are not receiving them 
I expect that we were shifting to France when 
you missed getting them. I know that they  
would not let any letters go away from here  
for some time. Well I must close now with  
love to you & all at home from 
your loving son 
Wally

A.I.F 
ON ACTIVE SERVICE 
FIELD POST OFFICE 
+  
JU 24 
2629 
CENSOR PASSED FIELD 
Mr D Caldwell 
Dudley Street 
Semaphore 
Sth Australia

In the trenches 
somewhere in France 
June 22nd 1916 
  
Dear Mother 
Well I hope this finds you all well at home as  
I am well & kicking. We had our raid  
the other night on the German lines & I came  
out of it alright in fact  I all of our [chaps]  
came out of it without a casualty. It [was] 
very successful as the Artillery was [...] 
good. Mum I have struck it lucky 
My O.C told me yesterday that I had [...] 
picked to attend a 6 weeks course of [...]  
at an Officers Training Camp in  [...] 
It will perhaps end up in me getting [...] 
I am the only one to go from our Battalion 
see how lucky I am. You may be [sure...] 
I will do my best to get on. We are going [...] 
another raid in about 5 days time. We [...] 
going to send some gas into them & then [...] 
them to hell with artillery fire & then we 
are going to raid their trenches so we ought  
to see some fun, dont you think. I will try 
to get some souvenirs for you. I must close  
with love & best wishes to you all from 
your Loving Son 
Wall xxxx

59 Palace St. 
London. S.W 
The AUSTRALIAN COMFORTS FUNDS 
c/o 2nd Australian 
Divisional Train 
A.I.F 
QUEENSLAND PATRIOTIC FUNDS BRISBANE 
CITIZENS WAR-CHEST FUND SYDNEY 
LADY MAJORESS PATRIOTIC LEAGUE MEL 
THE VICTORIAN STATE SCHOOL PATRIOTIC LEAGUE MELBOURNE 
LEAGUE OF LOYAL WOMEN ADELAIDE 
VICTORIA LEAGUE OF W.A. PERTH 
TASMANIAN O.A.S FUND HOBART 

Belgium  
6.7.16 

Dear Mum 
Well I hope your are well & getting  
on alright , because I am still in the land  
of the living Our raid came off alright about  
4 nights ago. It was fairly successful we  
killed about 20 Germans & we bought back  
about 7 of them. I brought back one myself  
I got a couple of photos from him & a pocket  
book & several other items but I gave most  
of the things in to Brigade H.Qs but I kept  
the photos & I am sending them on with this  
letter, I have marked the one I brought back  
with a cross.  see that you don't lose these as  
I would like to keep them but I think that  
we will be getting plenty more soon as I  
fancy that our big move is no more than  
a week off. In fact two nights ago we were  
all packed up ready for a change. I don't  
know how we missed it. But they were  
evidently not ready for it quite yet. but just  
here where we are they are putting down 

railway lines & roads & just behind us they  
have got over 100,000 cavalry ready to take up  
the advance after we have taken the lines of  
trenches. I can tell you it is no small  
advance that we a going into. I can tell you  
most likely before you receive this letter all  
France will be ablaze & I think that there  
will be no stopping this time in fact I  
think that this advance that the British  
are making is only a flash in the pan. I  
think myself that all the fighting will be  
from about #### to #### we  
are now a #### I hope I am not on  
that school at England when this advance  
comes as I wouldn't be out of it for pounds.  
Well mum I must close now with love  
to all at home from your 
Loving Son 
Wall xxxxx

Perham Downs 
July 18th 1916 

Dear Mum 
Well old Lady In hope this  
finds you quite well & I can assure  
you that I am. I am in England &  
I will most likely have wired you 
for some money as one does run  
through a bit here. We have not  
started our school here yet & I don't  
just know when we will be doing so.  
I have seen Blanche & Frank & my  
word Blanche looks real well & they  
both seem as happy as Larry. They are  
living at quite a nice place. I think they  
are shifting shortly as they are not satisfied  
with their place.  They say that their  
old landlady is very troublesome. Do not  
alter the address on your letters as  I suppose 
I will be back there again by the time you  
could have received this & wrote back again.  
Mum if I am lucky I may get my commission  
this time in fact if we pass our exams we  
will get it before we leave England. My  
word won't I swank them with my star.

up & I expect Grandfather & Grandma will  
be pleased also because I know Grandfather  
likes to know how one is getting on. I am  
going to write to Everill with this mail.  
By jove London is a big place. But I don't  
think it is so great a thing as some rave  
about. I have seen a good few places. I went  
to a service in St Paul's with Blanche &  
Frank. I saw the church they were  
married in & I have seen the Tower &  
Big Ben. But you here them talk about  
the traffic in England London I haven't seen  
anything to write home about yet.  
There are some jolly fine girls in  
London though, but don't tell Ev about  
them or I will be getting told about it. 
Well I hope Bob & Jack are doing well &  
I also hope that Dad & yourself are well  
as I must close with love to all  
especially yourself from. 
your Loving Son 
Wall xxxxx

D Coy 9th Scottish Cadet 
Battalion 
Gailes Ayrshire Scotland 
  
3/8/16 
Dear Mum  
Well you see by this that  
I have got to the O.T.C. at last. I don't  
know yet whether I will pass the  
doctor though on account of my arm. 
I will know before I finish this  
letter & I will add it on to the end.  
I hope I pass through now that we  
have got this far.Our chaps have been  
fighting pretty hard in France since I  
left there. & they have been losing pretty  
heavily. I sent home to you to send  
Blanche 10 pounds. You see we had a  
fortnight in London & that ran away  
with some money & I wanted some to carry  
on down here with. so I got some from  
Blanche & sent if you can send some on  
to her. I will make it up as soon as I  
get back & get a chance to. We are  
stationed about 10 miles from where dads '  
people live so you may be sure that  
I will look them up shortly. I am  
going to try & get leave tomorrow night. 

It is a very nice place up here we are  
quite close to the sea & we are well fed.  
I can tell you that I will be getting  
as fit as a fiddle quite shortly. I weigh  
over 11 stone now, so you see I am getting  
quite a size. They are very strict here &  
I can tell you it hurts cleaning up  
buttons & equipment all the time. We  
have to wear Tommy uniforms & I can  
tell you they are all brass buttons.  
I hope the two boys are keeping well  
& not giving you too much trouble.  
Blanche is as happy as Larry over here.  
I can tell you she is having quite a  
time of it. Give Ev my love when  
you see her again. I will also give  
her some when I write today (not arf).  
Well mum I must close today with love to all 
xxxx 
from your Loving Son 
Wall