Correspondence from Keith McKeddie Doig to Lewis Maffra Grant, 1917, Part 3

France

10.2.17.

My dear Sweetheart,

Its' most

refreshing to get your letters and

I do wish they came every day.

The last ones I got were wr posted

on the 20^th Dec, but I hear chaps

saying there are some . 23^rd Dec

letters about so I'm expecting

some when we go back. At present

we are in the trenches again. Got

in safely last night & I relieved

Capt. Hughes who is very well and

getting dodging Fritz with the

same skill as yours truly. Hope

our luck continues.

Still very cold here. Snow still on

the ground and all ice water is 

frozen. But at the same time, the

mud is frozen solid so one com can

2

walk about without any fear of

being stuck in the mud, and the

days, altho' cold, are sunny & fine.

That again means that only too soon

will the real big fighting commence.

I was due for leave at the end of

this month but leave is stopped

so I've given up. hope. Have

not received any of those food parcels

or socks yet but still I live in

hopes. Am getting the papers you

send me. quite regularly now.

Harry is still my batman and

sees to my comfort as well as

as is possible under the circumstances

He's a good little fellow and

nothing is too much trouble to him

Had a letter from Ron Collier

(incidentally he won't mind you calling him

Ron) a couple of days ago. The lucky

beggar is still in Scotland and is

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likely to remain there some time.

Billy I also got a note from a

couple of days ago. He was saying

that he was leaving in the next

draft for France. He has been

having no-end of a good time in

England & Scotland and has seen

much more of the old country than 

I have.

I say Louie dear, Mother tells me

you have got the ring, but she says

she is sorry . that she did not

get it herself for she might have got

you a better one, Now don't you

blame me altogether if everything

is not correct. for you see dear

I'm just horribly ignorant about

matters of this sort & for the life of me

I could not ask anybody about it.

All I know is that I'd sooner have

done it myself and given it to you

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myself. For my not being able

to do that I'm afraid you must

lay the blame on old Bill the Kaiser

and please do not be too

angry with me, for if I have offended

I did so in ignorance and

not in intention. I'm sure you've

forgiven me already haven't you my

dear.

There's a good only old "strafe" just started

outside and I'm wondering what

is happening for if there's anything

doing I've got to be ready for it.

so I must end this note soon.

Have not seen Ross for a

month or so but f perhaps will

see him if we go back. Billets

however are going to be a thing

of the past for us from now on, I

believe, for the big push must

start soon. Well dear I think

5

I've told you everything I can

But I must tell you not to worry

about me as you say you were

in December sometime. I'm as

fit as a fiddle and getting

on quite alright and I would

not like any of you to worry

about me.

Lots & lots of love, Kind regards

to Floss, the usual to Micks per you,

remember me kindly to Mr & Mrs

Dreverman & Allan. Cheeroh.

Keep smiling & writing to your

ever loving

Keith

OAS
10.2.17

Miss. Louie Grant

c/o Victorian Fert. Assocn.

59. William Street

Melbourne

Australia

[*KMcK Doig*]

France

16.2.17

My dear, dear Louie, 

Just try and

picture me two or three days.

ago. Cold and hungry, coming

out of the line. Reached a

midway trench and removed my

many accoutrements. "Four

letters for you Sir" says the

orderly and I was on them

like a tiger, on. Two from you,

one from Mother & one from George.

All about your Xmas festivities.

And what a lovely long

letter you did write, all about

your Xmas day, your priceless

little gem from "The Herald", the

motor-car that was in danger of

breaking down, the toast, the bonbons,

Mick and the peaches, the early

rising of Bob Turner. And it

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did interest me muchly. Then

I got to my. bed - a few

boards. with one blanket & my

overcoat and a water-proof

sheet above to prevent the water

dripping on to me. I had a

candle & read it again. It

was great. And I'm not

going to write. back hand for

I'm never sarcastic in my

letter to you my dear. I'm

glad you have the ring and I

like it that Mother put it on

in my absence. I'll be a

happy man when I put it on

dear. And your photo with

the "magic cap" making you

invisible I received so safely.

But you must not trifle

with me like that you know.

I'm a most horribly vile

tempered individual and

can't stand a joke, especially

one like that. All joking aside

3

aside tho' Louie, I did enjoy

your letters and I do thank

you for them.

I'm just afraid that my earlier

letters were a bit despondent at

times. To tell you the truth dear,

the first three or four weeks I

spent in France were the most

awful days I've ever spent and

I do not wish for a repetition

of them. But I should never

have let you know about it

and I could kick myself now

for having done so. However

just you forget all that & if

ever you see a little note of

dissatisfaction creeping into my

letters, just you overlook. it and.

say to yourself. "He'll soon get

over that".

Out of the line now. Did not

have such a bad time up there

but as a we were lucky for if

we had been up there a couple 

of days after, I might have been

working fairly hard. That's all

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in the game however and one

never knows one's luck. Not quite

not so cold now and the snow

which I told you about in

earlier letters is thawing, but

we're getting mud as a result.

Still with the battalion and

am permanently attached to

them; so you can address here

but I think it's better to keep

on sending to Woolwich. As A

chap on sick parade one the other

day asked me if I was

George's brother, because he t used

to play tennis with George. His

name was . Brewer if I remember

rightly. Three or four of the

officers here are old University

fellows and we have many a

yarn about Shop doings.

Which of course are full of

interest. As I've said

before, I think heaps of