Correspondence between Herbert Vincent Reynolds and his family, 1918-1919 - Part 10

In the Field
France
Aug 30^th 1918
Dear Flo
Your very welcome letter of
June 16^th came along this morning, &
believe me I did get a surprise with
the photos, there is no doubt about
it, I shall hardly know you when
I see you again.
The photos are splendid it's
very hard to say which is the
better of the two, though I like
the one with the dark background
very much.
No doubt you have known by
what you have seen in the papers,
that we have been dept buisy
over here for some time past, so you
would understand, why, so few lines
have been coming from me, you see

(2)
we have had very few opportunities
of writing any thing like a decent
letter lately, that when we have
attempted to write at all, it has
merely been a few lines at the
best, how ever, this time I'll
try at any rate to send you
a few lines worth calling a
letter.
I cannot understand those
photos of mine going astray like
that, it's a big disappointment to
me just as it is to you, them not
reaching you, how ever, let's hope
that they will turn up yet.
You will find one, that
I have had sent across since
coming back to France enclosed,
so you will have one at least,
if the others fail to turn up.
I received a letter from Ada
Kennedy about a week ago, & must
answer it very soon in fact, I've a

(3)
big bundle of
letters to answer,
I always seem to be
scribbling a few
lines to someone
& still there seem to be just as
many to write after an afternoons
writing. They all seemed to be
well at Macclesfield, & had received
a german gass helmet alright, which
I sent across by post for them to
look after for me, you see both previous parcels
of souvenirs which I sent to Aussie have
gone astray, so I did not chance another
but will get it home later on, in the
mean time it is safe. Yesterday I
sent a german spiked helmet & a
few buttons & badges over, so I hope
they arrive there alright, it is very
seldom that we see a spiked hat
about these days, I was very lucky
in getting this one as the village
that I found it in had been in our

(4)
hands a couple of days when I found
it, & things like that are just the
things the infty lads get down on
quickly, however this one had been
missed by them, & I came across it.
Things are going very well
over here at present, I would not have
missed seeing our last kick off for
any thing, our guns opened up with
one roar & before we knew what was
going on there were huns all around
us ready to do any thing we asked
of them, they saved us a lot of work
for we made them carry out the wounded
as they went back, at one time early
in the attack we began to think the
whole german army was coming over
with their hands up, there were mobs
of hundreds streaming in at a time.
At present we are having a bit
of a spell in one of the villages just
left by the huns, it is rather more

(5)
fortunate than
a great number of
villages that we have
forced him out of,
although it has
not a single house that is fit to
live in without having to under go
considerable repairs.
Three mates & myself are
living well up on a bit of a hill
over looking the village (just a mass
of broken & in a number of cases
skeleton buildings) on the far side of
which is the river where we enjoy an
occasional swim providing it is not
too cold, we have had some really beautiful
weather lately. We are practicing the
open air life here, & have just a
waterproof arangement over us made
out of our rubber ground sheets, it
may be rather wet & damp at time
but its a healthy life believe me.
There is a dinner coming off this

(6)
evening which is being provided
for from the canteen fund, it is
a long time since we had a special
dinner, but there is not a very
good chance of this affair being of
much account, there are absolutely
no tables forms or any thing else in
the place to make use of, the huns
stripped the villages of every stick
of furniture & carted it off, leaving
behind them nothing but b are, smashed
up buildings they even went as far as
removing spouting etc, in fact every ounce
of metal of any description has been
carted away.
Well Flo there is no more
news to send, I think I mentioned
having met Stan Busch & Jack Allen,
in my last letter, they wished to be
remembered to you all at home.
Au-revoir for the present & best
of wishes to all at Home yours ever sincerely
Bert

On Active Service
Miss F Reynolds
Albert St
Sebastopol
Victoria
Australia
[*AUG 30 1918*]
[*[[OR Murray?]]*]

(114)
Albert St
Sebastopol
Sept 11/18
Dear Bert
I hope you will excuse
this letter as I dont feel up to much, I
have been gardening today, am trying to
get things a bit tidy before my old
friend (Hay fever) comes along which I feel
is not far off. All the hard work falls
on me now as it knocks Stan up & he
needs all his strength & energy to get
thro with his exams which are pretty
stiff, so I ease him of as much as I can
but I can tell you I'm not as young
as I was.
Flo & Stan have gone to a social
this evening at the Sunday school, some
seem to think Mr Bawden deserves a present
so they are giving him one tonight.
Stan has not been to well had to
stay home from school 2 days last week
went back on Friday morning & had to
come home again, It being a very cold
morning I think he hot a chill & took
Influenza, which is raging everywhere

2
at present, but he is better now, started
school Monday morning also his Exams.
don't know how he going to shape this
time, He seems afraid that he will not
do too well & I think it has been worried
him lately.
Well Bert since last I wrote more sad
news has arrived & that is that Lt. Chas.
Findlay was killed in action on 23^rd Aug
He was one of the first Ballarat men to
volunteer & enlisted 22^nd Aug 1914 so that
he has served exactly 4 years. He leaves a
widow & four children.
I am expecting Eva Stones & her mate
up next month for the Competions her
mother wrote & ask if I could accommodate
them, so I wrote & told them to come
I have not had any more word from
them since.
Our garden is a picture with Red,
white & Blue, the Red Japonica, White Narcissus
& Blue Hyacinths, Trumpet Daffodils & a ^Purple border
on each side of path from the ^front door to gate
makes it look real gay, I only wish that
you could see it. but it takes it out of me to
dig it & get the weeds out. last Sat I caught
the youngsters next door kicking the palings

off the dividing fence in the front
and come in after the flowers
would have stripped it if I had
not seen them like they do their
own, they are little demons.
I am anxiously awaiting the
mail which is to be delivered
tomorrow morning.
Now my lad I must close
with love & best wishes
from all at home
Your loving Mother