Letters from Robert James Henderson, January - June 1917 - Part 14

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
AWM2016.30.4
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

Sare 27.5.17 dea Lon My Wik to Have first written do for all and intinted that it should your through the family but on reading might be letter dated 31. 3.17 think line a a sport and drp you the about Tell Blum not to vorry it is as good as gild again by the slghtiest have not felt a and bit in fact have forgotten it was bad they male a real up ever it across the other side pb o top course. 3 fair siziet sears where of stay incisions were make will the good but will only been seen for specially prevelidged persons. Glad by hear Mu saw the phots taken to in Scotland by Mr Tervic- Mlonlgmmer sorry have not seen it yet and
Den Lyl howee 1 hene not one at shall ham it along if one comes fexing things at geoff Fancy Luce last am very pleased to hear it shall write to Luey and f try to paill her beg a treat received a letter from her dated 14th March but eschect things were not fixced at that date. Pack sums toun around little to be having a nice hope the kidl there is nothing like soon gets all right again and that you are able to get Robbos cottage Am sorry to hear that the pony ? trap have been sold still it was no me when ns one usend it I think £33.00 a splended price for turnont. although I the also think his moneys worth. the buyer got Shall have to get a car when we came hime be shall we bring one Supreredt to side acrors from this a being scared people hear of you Occan that Indiar in the single Enecler besides a few ships detail is a were is nothing to the toonage being sunk is one wrn of the whe yous sar
ship old I Su the here came across from Alexandria to France has Just been suck and every to say many life lost. have also of the enemy air just heard that 23 12 ship suided Folkestone last Thursday but have no details to to some effert date tell fame Capt. Howden who is now a Mapr is a bosca block he eent to Gallipole a coporal in the 4th efts 13th Batth now a Mafor M.C. and a bor splendidly he is to same so has done a dentert in me of the country towns 1N.S.W. Saw Jack Edgely yesterday but could not speak to him we were marching Godley being inspected by him part Yen. I dill, the next best thing winkest at Gast itste Will my dear will have to shut him up time very precious gave Uick most the news lone to the kil sack & yourself Boy
Bely ium 2t. June 1912 My dear Mum Am very bury we will be in again very shortly again now Mafo it ✓ so that Muray is across in Engliand of the ly in this shall be in change the live next stant. Had trep into awund yesterday to have a givd lok very wively was most enteresting but ✓ I am unable to tell you of course to say anything about it suffice be lots doing here very chirtley there will you never know your luck now however quite close to line now and We are move closer still in a couple expect to There are many interesting things of days. here day by doy only wish happening you all about them but till I could be must careful what one writes one must there times so you will understand the this snot and when wnter remn fr
And Feepd helth the bet 2 An ine troublic of my month quite am much nothing occassinally but little it about always too brny to think etc the Cy stullying maps, meetings, running oncs self. gits very little time to one back to an these Mana does not get stent they baltalim until after this I think be up against it and will get come hot wirke have will you hend from him litely ispred to all love she is all right. lts Bob 1345
France 61 13 My Mum dear lying here just a while live clearing know in you station let causalty to given me tun hus the old that it say is cack to him happy another thing and the very tune this unless slight right all 4 again should quite septie 900s the in Amn het in about time ten days little above the again right thigh t High by previous this time a one tury it a is just Expolos we shell left should not and have frayment get could Doc the it line the ne probect out for an about it not could it locate but the in piece be to buried in some muscle seems of dirty probably b some where and in leaving boot. to Am under pants teken hospital house time by an about will make they 8 Boulogne for Expect
get the by and the incesion tn a suale should it if out S0 of shell there piece of couple day 5 a To not in up beal. ingland again is soon to to go want. shall send me want li they if to at up fixced get to best do my sesilles acance and in Boulogul stay the Balln to back to wolnt get with them back only een have again We in the been month have a about doubt you N Messenes at which fush by time about the will all have read a it excate was note you git this suffered course we of but successful shore officers 2 lost usual heavely as pir leaving only hit I got then r Coy from A night last to up Coy one with the but Fitz patrick Player Intyrs Mr L get will more doubt simne no and little a stennt have done we to were n last night in was line the funt from to see to B44 there from way 4 show 3 the when Colonel te was the and took coring shell the caught Henrd
but hole shell a flying dive ints a had for two me quick it was before is capes harrow other several most excciting was a there it 9r sore and leg getting passage the with me let to Colonel wantell the stiff 1oc but the the show fr stay frightene was not he it hear would so I had to going septie thing of the or a not a wash hadt Have off 90 beautiful week a have a for Than hope feeling grubby very and beard. Boulogne at bath a wice 94 ho to from here and friency 12 hour a shall suppose nce clean well le 20 to spent usual the of have goodners know etc clothes 50 on only have valise my shall when get I clother mudely which dirty the must However one With me wear bcky than to be not born growl better most been certainly have rich make went cannot St ar fortunate
been 60temes not I killed have evry as were but possible it of over die Whom the gods love say Faa be will there expect young however properly to get time it of yet lots might look as war the yet although years another five for up property wind Frlbz the to getting would only artillery rcko 4 I the walk we would through out cut a are There and levely quick ben in a Germans buried lot whole and at We he Messines cillar sl dig startel to tapping and them shilling startell they until for them dropped then divil we like the line tteer over by missege a lrying se were him acropbane telling Missines his men at t release to he however shell it dill ew he Brilling were mus thought we Khat shell to continued his for he for will beggars those thet poor have de to furt strawation de
it death still horrible ling ering been own having there fuult i of one ln for once thenr caught of course the cillar stunts dup the changed shilling es country tremend ous. being Dol the upon Prevailed June 14 t not station clearing at last the here base sendl Am to so the ine at La house at officer resd an from Wotte about out miles 3 most l 55 beautiful a Haz cbrouck gorgious house large acres + place. a river it a around young grounds them tenms courts, through sunning swimming billeards, excelled boating most comfortabl every thing and food most the one certainly it is been I have ever beautiful places owns Baroness some seen in or for given has the place and Dor here home The an res officers 5he my and say seen l has anything think is there not does

France
27.5.17
My dear Lorna
Have just written to Mick
and intended that it should do for all
the family but on reading through your
letter dated 31. 3.17 think I might be
a sport and drop you a line
Tell Mum not to worry about the
leg it is as good as gold again
and have not felt it the slightest
bit in fact have forgotten it was
even bad they made a real tip
top job of it across the other side
of course 3 fair sized scars  where
the incisions were made will stay
for good but will only been seen
by specially priviledged persons. Glad
to hear Mum saw the photo taken
in Scotland by Mrs Purvis-Montgomery
I have not seen it yet and sorry I 

 

have not one to send home however
if one comes along she shall have it.
Fancy Luce & Geoff fixing things at
last am very pleased to hear it shall
write to Lucy and pu try to pull her
leg a treat. received a letter from her
dated 14th March but expect things were
not fixed at that date. Jack seems
to be having a nice little turn around
there is nothing like it hope the kid
soon gets all right again and that
you are able to get Robbos cottage
Am sorry to hear that the pony &
trap have been sold still it was
no use when no one used it I
think £33.10 a splendid price for
turnout. although I thin also think
the buyer got his money's worth.
Shall have to get a car when we
come home or shall we bring one
across from this side? Surprised to
hear of you people being scared of a
single raider in the Indian Ocean that
is a mere detail besides a few ships
being sunk is nothing to the tonnage
daily going to the bottom of the sea over

 

here. I see the old llkl ship I
came across from Alexandria to
France in has just been suck and sorry
to say many lives lost. have also
just heard that 23 of the enemy air
ship raided Folkestone (England) last Thursday
to some effect but have no details to
date Tell Jane Capt Howden who is now
a Major is a bosca block he went
to Gallipoli a corporal in the 4th rgts
13th Battn now a Major M.C. and a bar
to same so has done splendidly he is
a dentist in one of the country towns of
N.S.W. Saw Jack Edgely yesterday but
could not speak to him we were marching
past Gen. Godley being inspected by him
I did the next best thing winked at
him (Jack Edgely) Well my dear will have to
shut
up time very precious gave Mick most
of the news love be the to the kid
Jack & yourself Bob

 

Belgium
3rd June 1917. 

My dear Mum
Am very busy we will be in
it again very shortly again now Major
Murray is across in England so that I
shall be in charge of the Coy in this
next stunt. Had help into the line
yesterday to have a good look around
it was most interesting but very rowdy
of course I am unable to tell you
anything about it suffice it to say
there will be lots doing here very shortly
now however you never know your luck
We are quite close to the  line now and
expect to move closer still in. a couple
of days. There are many interesting things
happening here day by day only wish
I could tell you all about them but
one must be most careful what one writes
these times so you will understand the
reason for this short and rotten letter

 

Am in the best of health and feeling
quite OK. my mouth troubles me a
little occasionally but nothing much am
always too busy to think about it
studying maps, meetings, running the Coy etc
one gets very little time to ones self.
Hope Nana does not get back to his
battalion until after this stunt they
will be up against it I think
and will get some hot work. have
you heard from him lately? expect
he is all right. lots of love to all
Boby

 

France
13.6.17 

My dear Mum
Just a line while lying here
in a clearing causalty station to let you know
that the old Hun has given me
another crack am happy to say it is
very slight this time and unless the thing
goes septic again should be quite all right
in about ten days time. Am hit in the
right thigh again a little above the
previous one this time by a High
Explosive shell it is just a tiny
fragment and should not have left
the line if the Doc could he get
it out he probed for about an 1"
in but could not locate it the piece
seems to be buried in some muscle
some where and probably a bit of dirty
underpants to boot. Am leaving in
about an hours time by hospital train
for Boulogne Expect they will make a

 

a small incision in the leg and get the
piece of shell out there if so it should
heal up in a couple of days. Do not
want to go to England again so soon
so if they want to send me shall
do my best to get fixed up at
Boulogne and stay in France besides
I want to get. back to the Battn
again have only been back with them
about a month. We have been in the
push at Messine's which no doubt you
will have read all about by the time
you get this note it was quite a
successful show but of course we suffered
heavily as per usual. I lost 2 officers
 in from A Coy then I got hit leaving only
one with the Coy up to last night.
Lt McIntyre, Player, Fitzpatrick hit
and no doubt some more of us will get
it We were to have done a little stunt
from the front line last night was on
ny my way from there to BHQ to see
the Colonel re the show when I was
caught Heard the shell coming and took

 

a flying dive into a shell hole but
it was too quick for me had
several other narrow escapes before
I got there it was a most exciting
passage with the leg getting sore and
stiff wanted the Colonel to let me
stay for the show but the Doc
would not hear of it he was frightened
of the thing going septic. so I had to
go off. Have not had a wash or a
shower for a week have a beautiful
beard and feeling very grubby hope
to get a nice hot bath at Boulogne
a 12 hour journey from here and
a nice clean bed suppose I shall
have to spend the usual £20 or
so on clothes etc goodness know
when I shall get my valise have only
the dirty muddy clothes which I
wear with me. However one must
not growl better to be born lucky than
rich I certainly have been most
fortunate so far cannot make out

 

why I have not been killed 60 times
over if it were possible but as
Dad says "Whom the Gods love die
young" however expect there will be
lots of time yet to get it properly
yet the war looks as if it might
go for another five years yet although
Fritz is getting the wind up properly
I reckon if the artillery would only
cut out we would walk through
him quick and lively. There are a
whole lot of Germans buried in a
old cellar at Messines we heard
them tapping and started to dig
for them until they started shelling
like the devil we then dropped
a message over their line by
aeroplane telling him we were trying
to release his men at Messines if
he did not shell it however he
must have thought we were pulling
his foot for he continued to shell
so that those poor beggars will
just have to die of starvation etc

 

a horrible lingering death still it
is there own fault having been
caught for once in one of their
deep cellar stunts of course the
country is changed the shelling
being tremendous.
14th June Prevailed upon the Doc
at the last clearing station not to
send me to the base so am here
at an officers rest house at La
Motte about 3 miles out from
Hazebrouck It is a most beautiful
place.  a large house acres of gorgeous
grounds around it a young river
running through them tennis courts,
swimming, boating, billiards, excellent
food and everything most comfortable.
it is certainly one of the most
beautiful places I have ever been
in or seen. Some Baroness owns
the place and has given it for
an officers rest home The Doc here
has seen my leg and says he
does not think there is anything

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