Letters from William Rawson Leach to his family, 1919 - Part 1

Lobbes
Belgium
8. 4. 19
Dear Mother
You will excuse me
for not writing you for about a
fortnight I think it is now but
my pal & I have just come back
from a tour through Belgium
& we had a great time. We
were away about eight days
& went to the following places. Brussels
Malines, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges. Zeebruge
& Ostende. It was a real interesting
trip & we went to all the places of
interest I sent you home numerous
Books & Rcds of all the places we went
too & you will see some of the damage
that Fritz did before he cleared
out of the place. We saw the
vessels which the British Navy
sank & sealed up the canals at
Zeebruge & Ostende. The Daffodil Iris
at the former place & the Vindictive
at the latter. Fritz had the coast
 

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lined with guns of all calibres
& he had blown most of them
up. Brussels is a very nice place
& there are some fine buildings in
the place. We went & saw where Nurse
Cavell was shot & buried. Went out
to Waterloo where the great battle of
100 years ago was fought also visited
the house which Wellington had
for his head-quarters & where he
wrote all his despatches. Bruges is
a very quaint old place & its about
the oldest place I've ever been in
& there are some fine paintings in
the various art galleries. Antwerp
is a very busy place & full of shipping
there are miles & miles of docks.
We were just about knocked up
after a weeks roaming around & we
intended going on to Cologne but
were too tired but we may give
that place a call later on if
we are still in Belgium. The weather
was great for our trip & everything
is looking on the green side now
 

3

I sent you a card from Waterloo
which will be a souvenier of the
place as it will bear the post
mark of that place. We heard today
that all the Australian troops had
to be out of France & Belgium by
the end of this month so we
are wondering if it is correct or not
if it is true it wont be long after
that before we are on our way
back to Australia. I have just
come in from Anderlues where we
go to have a bath it is about
8 kilometre from here & the train
lands us right at the door. The
baths are the property of the Coal
mines there & we have a good
bath & give the old caretaker half
a Franc for a souvenier for himself.
Tomorrow I am going to Charleroi in
the morning to get some paint to fix
up a couple of crosses for two of our
boys graves I will get back about
mid day & in the afternoon I am
playing cricket our battery is playing
 

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the 15^th Battery. I have been expecting
some more Australian mail the
last few days but I think that
it must have gone astray or
else they think we dont want
any mail now that the La -
Guerre has finished. I will have
to close now so good bye with
love to all your aff son
Rawson
 

Charleroi
10. 4. 19
Dear Mother
Since writing you
a couple of days ago my
movement order has come
through & I am now on
my way to England.
I left the Battery this morning
& am going to Calais tonight
by the 8.30 train. I am
trying to get across from
Calais if I can without going
down to Havre as it will
involve a lot of red tape
business if I go through the
latter place. I have to
report at Park House Camp
on Salisbury Plains so I am
working my noddle so that
PT.O
 

2

I can have a few days
London before reporting
there. I have to report to
the ASC. depot. I will be glad
to get away from France
& Belgium & blighty will
be a bit of a change.
Now I will have to close
so good bye with love

from yr aff Son

Rawson
 

No 4 Camp
A ASC Dept
Park House
Salisbury Plains
21. 4. 19
Dear Mother & Father
You will see from
the above address that I am in
England at last & it took me
ten days to get here from my
Unit. I went down to Calais to
get away from that port but
came a "thud" & had to come
on to Le Havre which is the
Australian demobilisation base It
look me three days to get
from Charleroi to Le Havre & then
after a lot of fooling around there
etc some of my papers got astray
& I was held up anyway we left
Le Havre in a Yankee Boat on
Thursday & landed at Sth hampton
on Good Friday we had half
 

2

a day there & had a look through
the city & in the afternoon came
on to the above camp. I dont
know what my next move is
but I have been offered a job
by an engineering firm at Aberdeen
& I think I will accept it as it
will only be for a couple of months
& it will give me the opportunity
of spending my time out of
camp while waiting for my
boat to go home I can also
give you a little Idea as to
when I will leave for Australia
& from appearances it should say
about the end of July. There are
Australian troops by the hundreds in
the various camps round here &
Sutton Veny. Codford. Weymouth. Convent
 

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& several other camps are all full of
men waiting their turn. So I think
it wise to improve myself while
I am waiting & at the same time
have a look at the Highlands
of Scotland. Today is Easter Monday
& the easter weather has been very
bright & sunny although the air
has got a nip in it. We have
got very little to do in camp
& are well fed so cannot
complain. I am sending you
so views of France & Belgium under
a separate cover. I have been carrying
them round for some time so
thought I would put them all up
in a bundle & send them off home.
I have some other stuff I am sending
you later on but I want to wait
 

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till I get to London where I can pack
them up properly. The chief articles are
my Gas mask & ^ electric Torch which I have
both been good friends to me
& I am keeping them as souveniers.
There are one of two other little
souveniers I will enclose. I hope
to be in London sometime this
week so will see Uncle Fred
Aunt Alice. On my way up to
Aberdeen I expect I will call & have
a few days at Scarborough. I wish
some of you could only be over
here now everything is looking
beautiful & green nevertheless I will
be glad to get out of this Camp
& have a bit of a loose leg. Give
my love to all at home I am keeping

OK     Yr Aff Son
Rawson