Letters from William Rawson Leach to his family, 1918 - Part 15

France

Nov.11^th 18
Dear Mother & Father

Since I wrote you

my last letter I have not had

an opportunity of posting it, so

no doubt you will get the two

together. I must write again today

seeing that Hostilities ceased

this morning at 11 a.m. it 

seems almost too good to

be true. Since I wrote you, we have

had a couple of days in

action but pulled out last

Tuesday night. For the last

ten days we had been expecting

things to come to a head as Austria

& Turkey throwing in the towel

we who knew then that it was only

(2)

a matter of days & the thing would 

be over. No one seems realize that

it is over nevertheless you cannot

imagine the feeling of all us boys

to think that we have pulled

through safe & sound. We got

the official notification this

morning about 10 AM to the

effect that Hostilities would

cease an hour later. One

thing we are returning with

victory as a crown & now we are

all looking forward to getting back

home again. I can imagine

the joyful feelings in Australia

& how you are looking forward

to our return. I commenced this

letter early in the week but had

to knock off & we are finishing it.

(3)Nov 15th  18

 

a few days later

I got the other letter away just

as I commenced this on Monday

a chap was going off as quick

as he could on Blighty leave

I wrote to Amie Walinsley & asked

her to send you a cable for

me saying that I was safe

& sound. We are still anchored

in this little french village 

& are getting all our equipment

harness guns & waggons all

cleaned & polished up. We dont

know what our next move

will be but it looks a good

deal as though we will be

going to Germany as occupation

troops so perhaps the [?] will

come right now. / Good bye dear the

4

next time you hear will be

somewhere in Germany. We have

had Hun prisoners giving us

a hand to clean up & one meets

some decent fellows amongst

them, the majority of them are

good workers & as much as a

mans blood has boiled within

one at times I can say this of

the Australians that they have

not been guilty of "kicking them

while they are down" We have

given them cigarettes & any food

we have had over & I gave a couple

of chaps who were working for me a

pair of sox each, the poor beggars

were footsore & all they had was a 

piece of blanket in the sole of their

boots. They couldnt express their

(5)

thanks enough & it did one good

to see the smile on their face at

a little act I was going to say of

kindness but perhaps it was only

duty on our part or the Australian

fight's clean & plays the game & his 

outstanding feature in the war has

been that he has never known the

time when he has been beaten. When

one calls to mind the times that

we have seen battalions go into the

line 150 strong & even our own batteries

50 pounder strength & as confident of the

final issue as confident of the

final issue as we were of the sun rising.

Anyway we have got Kaiserdan &

Prussianism under the hell now & that

is the task on which we launched

all our efforts & after four & half years of

loss & misery we have accomplished

(6)

that for what we sought after

I think peace will be signed by

xmas & that you can rest on seeing

us back in Australia by May or

June next. Everyone here seems to

think that the Colonial troops

will be the first to get away

from France. I dont know how

or what route we will take & would

like to have another look at England

& see them all before I come home

but we all want to get back home

again & I hope to find you all in

as good health as when I left. I

am enclosing a photo I had taken

while on leave in Blighty & dont

think that I look any the worse

after fourteen months in France.

(7)

I received a couple of letters from

you dated Sept 5th & 14th. I missed

the letter dated   all the show news

in but it may turn up later a other

parcel turned up with the xxxx 

tobacco & cigarettes in but the oranges

had all gone bad so wouldnt advise

sending any more. Was glad to hear

that Father was so successful with

his fruit at Peakhill & Trundle.

Now I think I will have to close

so good bye with love to all

at home

Your aff son

Rawson

 

Australian

War Memorial

PR00441

 

 

Miss R Leach

Public School

15 Commonwealth Parade

Manly Alletown

NSWales

Australia

France

Dec 4th 18
My Dear Marjorie

I have just

received your welcome

Pcl which you sent on

July 26th for my Birthday

which so it has

taken a good while to

reach me. Anyway it was

none the less appreciated

& accept my best thanks

for same as the contents

came in very handy.

& we soon scoffed the

biscuits off. The sugar

is serving us for our

porridge tonight we

generally make a dixie

of porridge before we go to

(2)

bed of a night. Generally

we have to do without sugar

& often without milk. So

I dont think you would

appreciate the porridge under

such conditions, still we

do. By the way accept

many happy returns

of the day (Dec 2nd) I thought

of you on Monday.

We are just getting a taste

of wet & sloppy weather

now although we havent

had any real cold weather

up to date. We are having

drizzly misty days &

I would call it real typical

weather for this part of

the world. We are billetted

still in the same little

French village from  which