Letters from Ronald Lennox Henderson to his mother, 1916 - Part 3

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He wasn't very seriously wounded, apparently, & I told two
orderlies of mine to move him & hand him over to the Stretcher
Bearers. They were just picking the stretcher up when a shell
landed bang on it - the poor patient & stretcher simply ceased to
exist, there was practically nothing of him  these two orderlies
were both knocked kicking, but neither had a scratch on him
& inside two minutes they were both at work again. Another
fellow (one of our officers) was sitting on the ground when a big
shell struck about 8 feet behind him (he was facing away
from the enemy). It flung him into the air & he came down
flop into the bit of a hole it made & nothing happened - it 
was a faulty shell & didn't explode. Beyond a little shaking
he was unhurt. One could go on for hours only your
patience & my pencil would both wear out.
The attack as of course you know, was a complete success & the
Deitcher was driven clean out of his lair, but it was a hard
fight.  Our General, who is an Englishman (old Regular
Army) is simply delighted. Says this Division is the best
& finest attacking Division in the British army - & do you
know I believe he's right. Anyhow they are a lot to be
proud of, & it would be hard to better them. The 
Division that Bill Cullen & Bartin are in took our place
when we came out - they had to hold the position. Haven't
heard anything of either of them.  Suppose that when we
reorganise & re-equip we will go back again. Good - bye, dear
old Mother, this is rather a gruesome letter I fear. Much love
to Pater & dear old Nell & your old self  Yr loving son
R.L.H.

30^th Septr 1916
My Dear old Mother.
Here we are
back in the Trenches again, after spending
a week or so in Reserve. We are in
a part of the line that we have not been
in before, though it is not far away
from our last position. Fortunately it
is about the most comfortable place that
we have been in - our front line is in 
the top of a ridge & the Deitcher is a 
little way down on the far side, so that
he is unable to see our side of the ridge
at all. Consequently we are able to
walk about, quite close to our line, in 
the open, which is a regular God-send.
One gets sick to death of sitting about
in rat holes & slinking down drains,
& it is quite nice to be able to walk
about in the top of the trenches like
one can here. We are in the middle

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of what was in pre-war days evidently
a jolly little wood - now it consists of a 
number of straight bare poles, like
telegraph poles broken off at irregular
heights with a bit of green undergrowth
in places & some quite pretty ferns
in some of the old shell holes. According
to the map there is a village just
beside us on the edge of the wood.
I have looked for it carefully, but all
one can find now is a couple of cellars
full of water & a big heap of bricks
& rubble - not a trace of a building anywhere
to be seen. I hope that it will
not be very long before the German sees 
some of his own villages & towns in the 
same condition. I would die happy
I think (not that I have the slightest
desire to die) if I could see the whole
of the Deitcher country in a smoking
ruin from end to end. When
their country is reached, as it certainly
will be some day, it will be made
such a mess of that Belgium will

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look as if it had just stepped out of
a Barrel box in comparison. Thank 
heavens the prattling idiots who blather
about humanity & who will tell one that
two wrongs don't make a right, will not
be anywhere on the spot then to
see what is being done. I don't mean
to say that our fellows will go murdering
round the country, but certainly if there
is any fighting going on in the neighbourhood
of a German village or town
I think that our Artillery could manage
to accidentally drop sufficient high explosive
to fairly satisfactorily demolish the same.
Everybody is getting more & more bitter, I
think, the longer the business goes on.
News has been very good lately from our side
of the line - the Deitcher has had some
really good solid kicks in the ribs lately.
He is having a perfect Hades of a time
everywhere in this front, & it will steadily
get worse & worse till he will wish most 
devoutly that he had never started this
business. From now on till the war
ends he will be steadily & systematically

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smashed - without any flurry or hurry,
but without any respite - at least I think
that this will be the case.
From where we are on the top of this ridge
we look back down the slope & across a little
plain to the ruins of ............... I can't write
the name or the censor may come down
on me. This place lies to the west & 
north of us & in the evening at sunset
it is a most striking sight. The broken 
walls of the battered town with the
Tower of the ruined Cathedral standing
out white & clear against the red sky
& the remains of the wonderful old
Cloth Hall close beside it make a picture
which one is never likely to forget. This
battered, broken, place has quite got hold
of my imagination. It might to be kept
just exactly as it is, after this war is 
over, to remain as a permanent monument
- the sight of it might help to prevent
any other lot of asses starting another
war some day. A new town could be
built a few miles away. Even as a 
financial proposition it would pay, as
all the non-fighting people in the world

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would flock to see it. I don't think that
any of those who have had to live in
the rat holes about here will ever want
to come back.
You mentioned in one of your letters
that Gerald Neania was over here somewhere,
He was killed recently - I happened to
see his name in one of the lists & guessed
it must be the same family. He is 
the little curly-headed boy, I suppose,
that I can remember at Macknade.
Had a letter from Nell by last mails
written from Rockhamptin, also one from
Aunt Lucy. Nell seemed to be in 
good spirits & Aunt Lucy said that she
looked well.
Gussie in her last letter speaks
of Gertie having gone away & mentions 
that she & the two little folk are alone.
I don't like the idea of her living alone
with just the children. If no other
arrangement can be made for
someone to be with her at Crows

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Nest, it would be better to close up
the place & move to some place where
some other arrangement could be
made. Everyone will be hopelessly
insolvent by the end of the war - I
know I will be, so the matter of the
practice will have to be considered as a 
secondary matter. I would like the
connection with Crows Nest kept up
if possible per medium of the family,
but I would rather lose that than have 
them there on their own. I have written 
to Gussie about it too.
Must say good-night now, dear 
old Mother. Love to Pater & much 
for your good old self from your
loving son
R.L.H.

219.10.'16
My Dear old Mother,
We are out of 
the Trenches at the present time - in
fact we are a long way from the fighting
line in a part of the country that the
war has not touched. It is quite jolly
to get away from the sight of ruined
farm-houses & villages & the sound of
guns. We have been making a grand
tour of the country on foot for the
past week -  a very healthy occupation, but
not altogether the pleasantist at this 
time of the year. March from one 
village to another & one lot of billets to
another - did 18 miles one day, which
for men carrying all their worldly possessions
on their backs, as well as rifles,
ammunition, equipment etc, is pretty
good going. I have a horse, of course, but
I do a good deal of walking when we are on
the march. We have been in this 
village for a couple of days, but move on
tomorrow. It is raining like the very
dickens just now, so the outlook is not

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too pleasant for tomorrow's move, & is
very cold too. I am living at the Priests 
house in this village & have a miniature
room to myself - fairly comfortable.
These marching tours are always the 
prelude to some extra special stunt
in the way of fighting, so I suppose we
can look forward to that in the very 
near future.  Long before you get this it
will be all over in one way or the other. I
have a pretty good idea where we are 
going to, though no official word on
the subject has yet come along.
The country that we have been passing
through is very pretty, but it has been
too wet for it to be an enjoyable trip.
The days are getting pretty short now
too, & a bit chilly.  It is going to be
pretty rotten in the trenches very soon.
Voting is taking place throughout
the Battalion to-day on the question of
conscription.  Strangely enough there
is a big body of men who are against
it here & the anti-conscription vote will be 
fairly heavy, I think, in the army. There
are so many cases in which one brother
has been left behind to look after the

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family, for instance, & they are afraid
that he may be brought away too, although 
a definite promise has been given that in
such cases the supporting member of 
the family will not be called up, many 
of the men are a bit sceptical as to the 
value of the promise.  It's a pity, because
from every point of view conscription is
the only rational measure to adopt.
28.10.16.
Have been unable to send this letter
away & been carrying it in my pocket. Have a
chance now & will take it. We are right in
the thick of things again & a choice spot this
is. It's been raining for days & days & this 
place is absolutely indescribable. It is quite 
common to see men hopelessly bogged, & have
to be pulled out by their mates - you can
imagine (to a slight degree) what it is like
hauling & carrying the supplies & ammunition
for an immense army through this stuff.
Not one of us has been dry for at least a 
week, & there is no prospect of getting dry
until we are relieved & get back to rest.
All my luggage is carried in a small haversack
(about the size of the ordinary school
boy's bag) & one's overcoat pockets, so it doesnt
allow of a very extensive wardrobe - as a 
matter of fact two pairs of socks, a h'chief,
razor, brush, toothbrush, & piece of soap, with