Letters from William Rawson Leach to his family, 1917 - Part 5

On Active Service
Mrs S Leach

Victoria St

Parkes

New South Wales

Australia

Somewhere in France
Nov 12^th 17
Dear Mother
I have had no letters
from you since I last wrote back
have been expecting one anyday 
as I had one from Ruth dated 26^th 
of August & one from Edo dated sept 3^rd.
& he mentioned getting my letter which
I posted on arrival at Lark Hill
I got a newspaper from   Uncle Fred
which he sent on to me. I also got
a parcel from Olive which has
been chasing me about since I
left Lark Hill. Well we are back
in action again after a bit by
a spell & I am writing this in
my Dug Out which is just behind
our gun How would you like to
be living in quarters when you
have to get up every couple
hours & pump the water out
of your bed room otherwise you
would get flooded out. We
havent had much wet weather
yet but are having plenty of
rain & there is water everywhere
It is sunday night but one never
knows the difference of one day
from another over here & you
get completely lost as to whether
 

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it is sunday or wednesday

I sent you a couple of little

souvenir brooches last week

& you can give one to Al so

please yourself which one you

keep. There is not much fresh to

report except that I am keeping

O K & hope you are all the same.

We make things as comfortable as

circumstances will allow & we have
a fire in a petrol tin in our dug
out which helps to make things a
little more comfortable. its not
burning too good just at present still
the wood is wet & we are hoping to get
better results when it gets a bit
drier. I hope Eds got on alright at
his exam which he said was to take
place on the 7^th of this month.
Whenever you are sending me a parcel
again put in a bottle of eucalyptus
I would give a pound note for a bottle
at time as this is a great place
for colds & sore throats now Mother
I don't think I have anymore now
but will close with best love
to all at home I am your aff son
Rawson
 

1

On Active Service
Mrs S Leach

Victoria St

Parkes

New South Wales

Australia

 

Somewhere in France
Nov 20^th 1917
Dear Father & Mother
I have much pleasure in writing
& letting you know that I have received your
Xmas parcel & it was very acceptable I tell
you The cake was alright I tell you & the

rest of the boys sampled it The rest of the
articles were very acceptable. I also got
the parcel which of papers which you
sent to me it had been chasing me round
from Lark Hill still got if  got a parcel
from Olive which had been chasing me round
likewise. Got your Xmas parcel the night
before last & received one from Elsie 
last night so am doing very well,
Al said in a letter that there was another
parcel on the way for me from Red
cross workers of Parkes & I am expecting one
from Sth Aus. as every S^th Aus soldier is to
receive on Rd from that state so I wont
fare too badly. After waiting about five
weeks I have got your letters one dated
16^th Sept from Al & one from mother dated Sept 23^th
I also got one from Ruth dated sept 8^th but
I think one or two of yours must have
 

2
gone astray as Ruth ^just mentions you getting
my first mail I posted in England also
the magazine "Ascanian" & one or two other
little Pamphlets but you make no mention
of them so I presume that I have missed
a letter or two of yours still they may
turn up later on as you get them at
all time & dates here. I have been very
fortunate with my mail so far have
got all my parcels which you have sent
on. You mention geting my letter
marked No 1 from Lark Hill so you will
have got my first impressions of England.
I see that the strike is just about off
expect by this time they are all back at
work again & jolly glad to get there too
suppose they do well to strike these times
It would do some of them good to come over
here & see the condition the boys have
to work under & then they would have
reason to strike perhaps. I suppose Edo
would burst himself at Sargents while Father
was down in Sydney at the Conference. I hope
father enjoyed himself while there. I

haven't heard from Sallie since I left
Australia but suppose they are all right
 

3
at Cronulla. I hear regularly from
Uncle Fred who is a very good correspondent
& they are all well over there. They get plenty
of Air raids &bombs & so do we but we
don't take any notice of them now
& take them as part of the business. I had
a pair of socks sent to me from Aunt Annie 

& a pair of gloves from Ruth Smith last
week. Haven't struck Eric Howard yet still
expect to run against him some day or other
still its marvellous the number of Australians
you will see here & perhaps not know one of
them. Ruth mentioned you having your
anniversary & the unveiling of the roll of Honour
in the Church & the Crowd they had
at the church. The Bullock family would
be glad to have Ben back in Australia
again. I might mention that I got
nine letters last night so got comfortably
into bed & read them & I am just
waiting now for the cooks cart to come
from Headquarters with the mail.
We have not had any snow here
yet but I dont suppose it will
be long before the ground will
be snowy white & we will be dancing
to keep ourselves warm. I am just
 

4

having a pipeful of the tobacco you
sent & as the French would say it
is "Tray Bon" otherwise very good. I want
Father to write to Mr Sam McRay & get
a reference from him for me. You've have my
reference which I got from them but they
are in three pieces xxxxx  or least two one while
I was in Melbourne & the other in Adelaide. I
 want it got if I get a chance to get into

the Flying Corps I'm going to have a go at

it. They call for applications here occasionally

& I may be fortunate enough to get in but

I want a reference which will help me on.
so if you will write to Mr Sam McRay &
explain what I want it for also ask him to
emphasise the fact that I was the expert
on Oil & Petrol engines in Sth Aus & that I was
with them ten years altogether. Anyway if
you just write tell him why I want it

he will no dounbt understand. You can send
it on to me a soon as you receive it from
him. Now mother & father I will have to
close so good bye with love to all
at home.
Your affSon

Rawson
PS  am keeping O K except for a bit of a cold
love Rawson

Both accept many happy

returns of the day 4^th & 14^th
 

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On Active Service

Mr & Mrs S Leach

Victoria St

Parkes

New South Wales

Australia
 

Somewhere in France
Dec 1^st 1917
Dear Mother & Father.
Since writing you last I
am in receipt of two lots of letters

from you one lot dated as follows
August 19^th, 26^th, Sept 10^th & 16^th also
a batch tonight dated Oct 1^st,7^th, 14^th

so I am getting my mail fairly well

I got nine letters today & sixteen

in my last weeks batch so one

has a few [[?]] to read It

takes me any hour or two to get

through them all still one doesnt

go off pop at that for it is one

of the greatest things a soldier

looks forward to. I note that you

have got my pay fixed up & got

my bank book safely from Mitcholm

It is just like the authorities to have

all that bungling going on. I have

just been disturbed as it was feed up time

& I had to go & give a hand  to put the

nose bags on the horses. My word you

seem to be having plenty of fantastic

days for funds in Parkes I have

received the pcl from the Parkes War Chest

of which had a note in from Mr Carey
Hill street They sent some very useful
things the Handerchiefs I gave to one of my
pals as he was one right out & I have a fairly

good stock just at present. Still we always
hand on things to one another if one

happens to be short So everything goes to

good use. I will look forward to the