Correspondence between Herbert Vincent Reynolds and his family, 1916 - Part 11

(2)
in France still hoping, but where there
is life there is hope, there is always
a bright time coming though it may
not be in sight.
I received an extremely unpleasant surprise
in one of your letters, by the news of
Loy Brimacombe being reported missing,
it is only a couple of days since I was
enquiring about him from some of his

batt mates, they did not know him, not
being in 'his coy', I did not find out
about him. I trust he turns up safely
one way or another. I met Frank Stephens
today he is the first chap I have met
for a long time that comes from our
part of the globe, & he was saying that
he had not seen anyone for a long
while, that he knew, his brother Will
is away from the Batt & J Allen is
at present on leave in England.
I have not been able to find Harry Elliot
lately he has been in hospital again. sick

(3)
I doubt wether it is worth while writing
anymore but perhaps I will be able to
get these lines posted, I have just had
orders to report back to the unit by
10 am tomorrow, it is now about 8 pm,
that means a second trip up to the
line & in action, probably I will have
to carry these few lines about for some
time with me before getting a chance to
post them, but it cannot be helped.
I trust my luck will be as good as
last time but one must always be
ready, he knows what to expect.
We had a number of Canadian snow boots
sent along to us bearers yesterday, there
were not enough to go round so they
were drawn for  I was lucky & have
a pair, rather small but wearable,
they are just the thing for plodding
about in the mud up at the line we badly
needed them, they are solid-water tight
boots coming up to g just below the knees

they lace up the front & are made of
ordinary boot leather some little time
ago we had sheepskin issued they are
needed too, we have frost all day long
on the ground & ^the water is iced over all
day, the ground is quite solid & hard
even where you were up to the ankles
in mud a few days ago it is now quite
firm & solid.
The weather is extremely cold & will test
our endurance, I have stood it so far
pretty well, but we have not encountered
the worst yet by any means, so don't be
surprised if I happen to be mentioned
in the papers lists, I will stick it
as long as possible & do my best to keep
well.  I can't do more than that. Can I?
I am afraid I shall have to close now
trusting you are quite well remember
me to all the friends & give  Loys people
my sympathys  I trust they have had good
news ere this reaches you
yourssincerely
Bert

Address- [*Dec 8^th 1916*]
Mrs Reynolds

Albert St
Sebastopol Ballarat
Victoria Australia
[*H V Reynolds*]

Somewhere in France

Dec 19th 1916
Dear Mother
Well I managed to get my last letter posted
before we came up here, so I hope you got it without any delay.
I have received no more letters from you since I wrote last 
but have received a Xmas card from Lena Stones, & also a
few lines & a real fine parcell from Mrs Hunt at Bournemouth
It was rather early for Xmas but we enjoyed the contents, (a large
cake & also a pudding) thoroughly, we were up at the advance
aid post when they arrived, a mate received a pudding also &
we had a good time, there being a doz of us there. In the

letter they said they would have liked me to spend this
Xmas with them but of course that is out of the question.
You remember I had a mate with me last Xmas while at
Parkstone, well he is over in England wounded not
seriously though & is in a Bristol hospital, so his luck
is in. I wish that I had his luck. I never seem
to get in the way of a stray piece of iron, although

pieces come very close at times.
Well the day after writing my last letter I reported back

(2)
to the bearer-section of my unit, after having been attached
for a little over a week to the anzac labour corp, it was not
a bad job there, I was working in the carpentering part of the
place, helping to construct ambulance trucks for a light
railway, & would not mind being there for the duration, the
job is better than our present one (streatcher bearing)
The boots I mentioned about having issued to us, just
about crippled me & most of the others who wore them, so we
turned them in & at present I am wearing rubber thigh
boots but they are not absolutely waterproof, our socks are
wet as  muck, & last only a couple of days, they rot in the
boots, you have not the slightest idea of what it is like
over here in the mud & slush, it is impossible to keep ones
feet dry for five minutes a day, while walking about.
So far I have been able to keep my feet pretty right,
they get very sore at times & all the feeling goes out of them
we get a great number of trench feet through from the
infty some are that bad that they cannot walk &
have to have their boots cut off their feet.
I met W Mitchel the first day we were up here he was
in bed with the flue, they were being releived a few days

(3)
later. We were in the line for 9 days this time. I was
up in an advance aid post with 11 other chaps we had
an extremely easy time I am pleased to say, only
8 wounded came in the whole time we were there, it was
just as well too, as the the track we had to carry over was torn
up with shells & as slippery as glass, the day we took over
was a very cold one, & snow fell once or twice during
the day, so everything was wet & cold after it.
The dug out we were in was one of fritzies old ones & was
deep & fairly comfortable, we had to do our own cooking.
& we fared pretty well, only we had to be extremely careful
with our fire, when the days were dull & misty we were pretty
right as the enemy could not see the smoke but on one
occasion it was clear & we could not go out without getting
a bullet or two at us beside any shells that were
sent over in the vicinity & they were pretty numerous.
We had our fire in an oil drum half way down the stairs, &
each squad took it in turns to do the cooking, our one
difficulty was the water, very little good water could be got & we
had to use at times water out of shell holes which is fairly
risky as there is so much chemical matter from the shells, in them.

(4)
This last time we had a rather hair raising experience I was
returning with my 3 mates with rations, after carrying a wounded
chap down to the next station xxxx, when after getting about
halfway back 3 huge shells came roaring over us, bursting with a
terrific crash only about 50 yds behind us, they caused us to
get a move on. although we did not mind if they kept at that
distance, but to our disgust the next 3 came with the same
roar, overhead as usual, but ^{they fell} much shorter than the last.
that made us wonder how much shorter the next were going
to fall, so we got away towards a ridge on out left, but
before we got far, a roar pulled us up, & then we all
made one dive for a ^ near shell hole we just got there when the
crash, crash, crash, of the three almost deafened us, we up with our

loads & got for our naturals, xxx we did  not look to see how
close they came, they were extremely close though, within a doz
yds at the most, I remember jumping with a petrol tin of
water on my back, & falling on my side in wet sand, with the
water tin coming down on my shoulder with a bang, then the
crash of the shells followed, it ws a great relief to find
oneself still on earth as our thoughts were that we were
going to get a rise, we could tell they wee coming very close

(5)

Well Xmas is not far off now, I will spend

this one in an old wood, not very far from

the line, or at present we expect to be there.
I enquired about Pete about a fortnight ago

he was allright then but I did not get a chance

of seeing him, owing to him being  on the

right line & we went to the left.

I have not seen any one else lately, in fact
all my news I get from you, I very seldom

see any one who I know.

Have not heard from Herb yet.

Well I don't think I can write much more
this time, so trusting you are quite well.

I will close with the best wishes for you all.

yours ever very truly

Bert

P S. I will be pleased to receive any number of
warm socks, they would be very welcome at present,
the trouble is when you get them made, & sent

over here they will not be needed so much

We have had a fairly heavy fall of snow today, the
ground is white & frozen hard.

(6)

Well I expect this news will be as great a

disappointment to you as it has been to me,

Our dope of a postman has sent both your

parcel & Ade's along with my letters down

to the base, where he got his information

about me being evacuated from the unit

I don't know, he will get a bit of my mind

when I meet him, the trouble is he never gets

within coo-ee of us bearers' while we are near 
the line, so I will  have to wait some time

I suppose.  I reckon its about time some 
of these guys in these jobs, are put to another

job where they would suffer by the lax methods
of such themselves. I don't ever expect
to see the parcels now, but I am writing to 
the Base P O, its the only thing to do.
All the other chaps got their parcels tonight.

all I received out of the lot were 4 papers no

letters.

yours truly

Bert

[*On Active Service.*]
[*Dec 19 1916*]

Mrs Reynolds

Albert St

Sebastopol

Ballarat

Victoria

[*Australia*]