Letters from David Wallace Caldwell to his Mother, 1915-1917 - Part 9

On Active Service 
  
Recd Post Office 
DX 
JAN 17 
  
Mrs D. Caldwell 
Dudley Street 
Semaphore 
South Australia 
  
PASSED FIELD CENSOR 
1893

O.H.S. 
Mrs D. Caldwell 
Dudley Street 
Semaphore 
South Australia 
  
DW Caldwell 
  
PASSED FIELD CENSOR 
1893 
  
FIELD 
FE 25 
17

In France 
31/1/17 

Dear Mum 
Well old lady & how are you
dodging along at present very well I hope
we are having a very fair time & I am very
well but by jove it is cold over here. it has 
been as low as 15^o below zero & all the roads & 
fields & every thing is frozen in fact I can tell 
you our Australian moon is a long way warmer
than the French Sun. I can tell you there is snow 
on the ground now that fell over a fortnight
ago. But we get a bit of skating & hockey
on the ice & we don't half get some tumbles.
We are going into the line for a few days & I can 
only hope that the cold snap keeps in & everything
gets keeps frozen because ithe mud is 10 times better 
frozen than muddy. You said in your last 
letter that Jack was going to Myponga
for his holidays well I hope that he
had a good time but I fancy it would be
a bit quiet for him. I havn't seen Bob
here in France yet but hope to soon so love
& best wishes to all from Wall. XX 

In France
1/1/17 

Dear Mum 
Well old lady it is New Years Day 
today & I can assure you I wish I were home
to be at the Regatta. But I am having a 
good time for all that, pretty slushy & muddy
but we are as happy as larry for all that. 
I had a letter from Bob yesterday & he
seemed alright & expected to be sent to 
France about Christmas time so I will
apply for his transfer to my Batt But I 
don't know if I can manage it or not yet
but I will have a hard try. Well I
got back to my Batt alright & also to 
the same Company. But by jove there is 
a lot of differences in it. The Batt has been
through 4 hard fights & lost very heavily. I 
can tell you I hardly knew a one of them
well you can judge for yourself there are only
20 men in the Batt who have been through 
all the stunts & came out scot free & to hear
some of the tales well some are simply 
awful. My platoon Sgt has been through it 

all & I will tell you just one little instance. 
Our Batt made an attack & after they took the
place there were no officers left in the piece
of trench in which this Sgt was & he only 
had 10 men with two machine Guns when 
the germans made a counter attack right along
the line & this Sgt had roughly 600 Germans attack
his line & he started to mow them down & just
after he started & got about a 100 down the rest 
put their hands up but as he couldn't 
look after 500 germans with at only 10 men he
went on cutting them down like wheat & when 
there was only about 70 left he took them
prisoner & I could you dozens of instances
so you can see they don't have it all their
own way. We are at present putting down 
a cable on the Somme Front & we are working 
in some of the places where the hottest of 
the fighting took place. Guinchy High Wood 
& Delville Wood & lots of other places & you
can see dead Germans lying everywhere. 
& a good few of ours. But our artillery
is splendid. They gave them a good bombardment
last night at 12 oclock & I can tell you it is 

great to see the sky lit up like the day with 
the flash from the muzzles of the guns & the
bursting of the gu shells. I wouldn't be away 
from it again for worlds if I can help
it. I havnt had a letter from Blanche 
since I joined up the Batt & I havnt got 
my photos yet but I am expecting them at 
any time now if I don't get them soon I will  
get Blanche to go up & shake them up 
because they have been ordered over a month 
now & I think that is long enough especially 
as I have paid him for them & to cap it all 
I lost my pocket Book with his address on 
it but I can direct Blanche to within a few 
doors of it. How is Dad getting on & yourself
& Jack, all well I hope. Has Ev been over to 
see you lately. I may be sending a parcel of 
souvenirs soon & there may be a couple of 
bombs amongst them but they will be quite
harmless because I shall take all the explosives
out of them. Well I must push off now with
love & best wishes for a bright & Merry X
New Year. I am 
Your Loving Son Wally 
XXXX 

OAS 
Mrs D Caldwell 
Dudley Street 
Semaphore 
South Australia 
  
DW Caldwell 
  
POST OFFICE 
JA 24 
17 
  
PASSED FIELD CENSOR 
1893 

France 
10.1.17 

Dear Mum 
Well old lady I do hope this finds you 
very well & having a good time. Also I hope that 
Dad is quite better again. I have just received a 
couple of letters & 3 bundles of papers from you. We
are in the trenches at present & we are very lucky
to be able to get anything at all just here but a 
chap I know was coming in from away back & he
brog brought them in. I don't know when this will 
get away because it is very awkward job just
here where we are on the Somme. But we are 
having a very good time & we are well satisfied
as long as they don't land one of their shells right on 
out shelter it is just a sheet of iron over us & not
very good trenches, but we always trust to providence 
here. I get letters from Blanche fairly regular & also 
a couple from Bob & I always get one or two from Ev. 
Well Mum I havn't much news this time as we 
are not alowed to say much even if we censor our 
own letters so good night with love & kisses & best 
wishes from  Wall