Correspondence from Keith McKeddie Doig to Lewis Maffra Grant, 1917, Part 23

A.S. 
19.10.17
Recd. 20/12/17
Miss. Louie M Grant
413 Park Street

North Carlton
Melbourne
Australia
[* KMcK Doig*]

France.
30.10.17.
My dear Louie,
Outside the day is cold, wet &
miserable. Inside I am in a fine big
room in a ^ large house of a Belgian village near Ypres.
We are not uncomfortable here for I have
a nice arm-chair, a good coke fire, the
fuel for which Harry got up early this
morning from a near-by dump when
the sentry was not looking. Harry is
near me having a look at some English
papers which I borrowed this morning and
we've just been discussing this very
disastrous Italian defeat and have come
to the conclusion that the end is
as far off as ever. Still I've not been
in such comfortable quarters for a long
time even tho' Fritz does put a few shells
in the village now & again and frequently
bombs us by night. Still it is very peaceful
when compared with the places we have
just left, for it is only two days since

2
we got out of the forward areas where shells
bombs & all the other discomforts of life
make things somewhat trying.
How long we are out for I do not know,
but I can't think that it will be for
long. altho' the mud & the marshy
impossible state of the country will
I think pull the offensive attitude up
considerably.
Up in this region the warfare is different
from that in the Somme. Owing to the very
worst state of the country, deep dug-outs
are not made so Fritz has cleverly.
conceived the "pill box" type of warfare. The
pill-box is a structure of varying sizes,
built of reinforced concrete - the walls
sometimes 8 feet thick but generally about
3 or 4 feet. They are built more or less
into the ground, frequently are well
camouflaged & difficult to locate, and
can stand direct hits with shells, altho
the concussion inside on these occasions
is considerable and rather nerve

3
 shattering. I know this well. for I've been
in them many times when a shell has hit
them. They have iron-doors - facing away
from us of course when Fritz occupies them, but
facing Fritz when we capture ^them and many
the casualty there has been thru' shells coming

right in the door-way., since the Bosche knows

their range to a yard. The Bosche has

numbers of these "pill-boxes" scattered. about

without any definite trench system and

uses them for shelter for his troops while our

barrage is on. One "pill-box" which I had as

an R.A.P. could hold about 30 but that is

a above the average size. When the

barrage passes over his troops come out

& hold us up with Mach. Guns. I've said

that they can stand direct hits - but of course

that all depends on the size of shell. Most of

them could take a direct hit from a

5.9. shell. his most frequent shell, but not 

many could cor stand can 8 in X I 'm

sorry to say that he has got numerous

shells of this cabbre also. The last R.A.P

 

4

I had was one of a series of "pill-boxes"

and it had two open doors facing straight

out to Fritz and altho' he shelled it consistently

I'm very thankful to say that he did not

get one in. The pill box next to mine got

a direct hit & wounded or killed all 

in it so Im shaking hands with myself.

He also uses now a lot of gas in 

shells. I heard them flying back over

me one night and bursting well-behind

my position there. They have a very

characteristic burst. It is "mustard gas"

& its action is on the eyes, skin (which

blisters) and the throat & lungs. Altho'

not very often fatal, it is very painful but

altho' I had to pass back thro' it I'm

glad to say it did not get me, altho'

quite a number in the battalion got it.

In our last trip, we lost one of our 

finest officers - a wonderfully Christian

man and a most excellent soldier and

without knowledge of fear. His award

of the Military Cross had just come out

 

5

the day before. He was the fourth

brother killed.

Someone has just told us that

there will be no mails from Australia

after Xmas and we are hoping that

there is no truth in the statement, for

it would be awful not to get

letters from home. and sweetheart.

I am expecting English leave at

any time now and really I am 
longing to get over & see the Aunts

& George again. Billy I believe is

on the way over to France, but Ive

heard that so many times that I

take very little notice of it.

I got your letters Sept 1 - 9 and

they were most welcome for I got

them the morning after we came

down from the line, and at those

times one is not at one's best

(altho' very glad to be down) and mail

is eagerly looked for.

I'm glad you got my cable and

I hope the parcel comes safely, altho'

I always feel very dubious about

 

6
sending any parcels from here.

No more news at present

Louie dear, so will close. I don't 

think the censor will take exception

to anything here for it has all been

told you in the papers.

Cheeroh. you dear sweetheart. All

good wishes for Xmas and the New 

Year & let us hope that the next one

we see will be no in a world at
peace. 
Remember me to Drevs & give Mickey

a hug. Give my very kind regards

to Floss.
Keep smiling & hoping. I'm right

as a bank. Lots of love dear & lots

of kisses from your everloving

Keith

Nov 9^th Put this letter in my pocket to

post in England. Got to Woowich yesterday

& found the aunts very well. I've

always beaten the Channel before, but 

yesterday it was very rough and

I herforce had to tie myself down
 

7

below in order to be down. However

that's neither hither nor thither,

Had a telegram from George last

night and he wants me to go

up & see him which I will do

later. Willie, as I thought, has

not yet left England, but is

down at some place called

Hitchin or something like that. 
Bought new tunic & trousers

yesterday. so I am some

dog believe muh. And then

to-morrow me thinks I will

to London town and have

a photo of myself taken in

order to send home to you

It's not half such a

cruel war over here in London

good bed with sheets, hot bath,

any amount of food / including

sugar) & what's more two good

dear aunts to look after

one.  It'll do me for the

 

8

duration.

To-morrow also I must go to

Wandsworth Hospital for quite 

a number of my friends are there

with various bits of Fritzes iron

rations in them. 

I am enclosing a snap out ∧of an

illustrated paper showing a "pill-box"

used as a dressing station. As a matter of

fact my actual dressing station is not there

it was about 20 yds away & is not shown

in the photo. This pill-box is where my

stretcher-bearers lived and a couple of them

are on the right of the photo. The other men

are engineers whom I got up there to make

 shelters for Keeping stretcher cases overnight

The photo is good (or it gives you some

idea of what shell holes are like and 

how close together they are. And they average

about 6 feet deep. The photo was taken one

very quiet afternoon When I was there,

but I do not figure in the snap.

Cheeroh. I'm right. Lots of love

Keith