Correspondence from Keith McKeddie Doig to Lewis Maffra Grant, 1917, Part 15

France.

28.4.17.

My dearest Louie,

I think I said to

you in my letter a couple of days ago

that there were still two of yours to

come yet and they've not arrived so

far. So you see we have our

little troubles with the mail also.

The Australian mail closes here today

so I've just got to write you

without answering your letters which

are yet to come.

I was awfully upset yesterday to

learn from Ron Collier that Keith

Barrett had been killed. I had

not seen his name in any casualty

list and was wondering why he had

not answered my last letter.

You did not know him Louie but

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he was one of the greatest friends I've

ever had. Straight and as honorable, 

full of fun, clever and most unselfish

in everything - he was one in a

thousand. I was looking forward

to seeing him again and altho' we

did not know it at the time his

division was alongside us. during

the winter and it was possible that

we were living quite close to one

another. I have been fortunate in

the friends I've had but it is very hard

to lose them.

Ron Collier was just leaving England

when he wrote, to go to France to

join up again. He said he had

a letter from George. He is another

of my friends Louie and another one

in a thousand. You must meet him

after the war. Mother can tell you about

Ron. George was well when he

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wrote last and said they were

training hard. George is 22 d coy

but I cannot but think of him

only as a boy yet. I'm a

terribly old man now you know and

I hope you'll not to forget to have

a smoking cap for me and a stick

to hobble around with. In spite of

my years however I managed to

play with our officers against the

59^th yesterday in a football match

and we gave them a real good

beating. The boys enjoyed seeing

their officers rolled into a shell-hole.

Occasionally now we have

some very good games of bridge

which I enjoy very much. The

weather is still fine (strange to say)

and we are having a good spell.

I'm keeping ju just as well

as I can be. Betwixt you and me

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dear this submarine warfare is

getting very serious and unless something

big happens. I'm afraid it will

cause us to come to terms not of

our own making. However cheeroh

dear and keep smiling.

Lots & lots of love to you sweetheart

from your ever loving

Keith.

A big hug to Mick.

Thank Floss for her letter and

tell her I'm writing her in a 

day or so.

Kind regards to Mrs & Mrs Drev

& Allan.

K.

OAS
28/4/17

Miss Louie Grant

413 Park Street

North Carlton

Melbourne

Australia
KMCK Doig

France

Wednesday  2.5.17.

My dear Louie,

Don't worry about the

letters, parcels, or papers you send

to me. I get them all safely and

I think I'm very lucky. for really

some of the chaps do not get theirs

at all. My last parcel contained

the shirt- some shirt too my dear

and most comfortable. in spite of

your fears to the contrary. The

Alston cigarettes, the figs, the soup

cubes - all most welcome. Do you

know there's a hot wind blowing

here today and the weather is

not warm - its hot. And there

is dust blowing about just

like it does in Sydney Road. And

to think that 3 weeks ago it was

snowing hard. The people hereabouts

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who lived here in the pre-war days are

beginning to dribble back in ones or twos

but they only come for the day. as there's

not a house standing - not even a wall.

Have just been over watching an old

man and woman digging for. some wine

and a 1000 francs which they hurriedly

buried as the Germans came on to their

advance during the early days of the

war. They recovered some of it alright

about 300 - 400 yds aways on old

man is digging for 13,000 francs.

I hope he is successful. Poor beggars

but they seem happy.

Played the 58^th Football yesterday and after

a most exciting match beat them by

7 points - as a result I'm somewhat

stiff & sore and minus skin in not

a few places.

Write more later dear. Cheeroh and

lots of love from your

Keith

OAS

2/5/17.

Miss. Louie Grant

413 Park Street

North. Carlton

Melbourne 

Australia
KMCK Doig

France.

Sunday  6.5.17.

My dear Sweet heart,

Fancy it is May.

already, and Xmas was such a little

while ago. Yet at times the whole

thing seems to be a dream and it seems

years since I left Australia. We've

been having glorious weather during the

past fortnight - and yesterday it was

so hot that we all put on our

lightest clothes and. our best tussore

silk shirts. But to-day it is a little

cold and very windy. Have just come

from Church parade and now while

there is a Brigade parade I've dodged

away to write a letter or so. We had

our Divisional sports the other day and

I'm trying to get you a programme of

which there are not many. Yesterday it

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was Divisional horse day and I dare

say if I had been there I would

have seen Ross but it was too

hot and we were a bit tired &

consequently slept. Hd Qtrs here

now are a wild and woolly crowd

and altho' one retires say at

10 p m after a nice little game of

bridge, yet one is constantly on

the qui vive for raids wherein,

you and your bed - flimsy structure

tho' it is, is pitched headlong into

the floor of the hut and a wild

fight follows. Counter-attacks of

course. take place and then about

1 or 2 a.m. we settle down to

rest till 6.30 a.m - when reveillé

pulls us from our couches. By

that you'll see we are still at

rest. It's not half a bad war then.

I'm keeping very fit my dear. To-day

3

(altho it is Sunday) we are playing the

57^th Football. We've not been beaten in

the Brigade yet and as I captain the

officers' team and coach the men's

team we are anxious to win

to-day.

I see they've torpedoed the Ballarat

but thank God all the boys got off safely.

I'm afraid if we don't finish the

war today this year, the U boats 

will finish it for us. Incidentally

dear do not mind duplicating your

news in other letters for I fear our

mails are going to have a rough

time.

I forgot to thank you for the Electrines

in the last parcel and so I do now.

But now we have very many hours

daylight and candles are not

nearly so much in demand.

I told you our old padré had

4

been taken away from us and now

we have another R.C. padré. He also

is a jolly fine chap and a very able

successor to the last fellow. Strange

tho' it is, the R.C. padrés are the

men we like to get in our battalions

Thank you for all the snaps - reminder

of a better country than this. Thank

you for the Bulletins all so cunningly

concealed in the Argus. I get them

regularly. Give my kind regards

to Floss & Allan & Mr & Mrs Dreverman

and a big hug to Mick.

And to you dear lots of love and

all good wishes from your own

Keith.