Correspondence from Keith McKeddie Doig to Lewis Maffra Grant, 1917, Part 5

2

should be ashamed of himself, Letters

from Australia are such dear things

to us - much better than English letters

even if the good aunts are so kind

Everything has got so quiet about here

now. This camp where we are now

used to be a little dangerous some

few months ago but now. Fritz

sends about four shells at us.

every night and then all is quiet.

And now while I'm writing I

cannot even hear our own guns.

Perhaps it is the quietness that is

depressing me.

The boys are all happy and appear

to be in good spirits - they go thro'

some pretty rough times and it's

good to hear them. They little know

what they've got to go through.
I've been debating whether to tear
this up or not, but I think I'll
send it just to let you see that
sometimes one does get just a wee bit
tired of things. Cheeroh my dear
dear sweetheart. All good wishes
& love to you
Keith

22.2.17
Miss. Louie Grant
C/o Vict. Fertilisers Assocn.
59 William Street
Melbourne
Australia
[*KMcK Doig*]

Back of envelope - see original document

France
27.2.17.
My dear Louie,
A spare afternoon, the
men in good fettle, the weather getting
warmer, and yours truly with
not too much toil on hand: So
I'm just going to write to my
sweetheart & my mother and then
go for a "constitutional" with
the old padré.
At present we are not in the line
but we expect to go up there in
a day or two - I will relieve
Capt Hughes whom I've not seen for
a couple of weeks. Old Fritz is
doing queer things over here at
present and they do know not quite
know his little game. He's a
very clever chap is the Bosche.
I went along with the
boys the other day to watch
them training and had a most
enjoyable day rifle shooting, machine
gunning, throwing live bombs, and

2
revolver shooting. In fact they told
me I ought to give up being an
R.M O and join up the combatant
section but - I declined with thanks.
And then the last two or
three nights we have been having
some most excellent games of bridge
playing for a franc a 100 (tell it in
whispers & not to mother - she'll think I've
gone to the dogs absolutely). The two
majors play the Signalling Officer &
myself and they have paid us
every time. Last night we played
till after midnight and we finished
1400 up and they consider themselves
some bridge players. Fritz interrupts
now & then with an occasional
shell, but the little wooden hut is
very comfortable and he ceases after
a while.
I've not heard from Willie for
some considerable time, nor George,
but I do hope they are both well
and happy. I thought I would
have been able to pay Ross a
visit but when I had the

3
opportunity, the weather was very
much off and now here we are
on our way up again. I rode
into a village or rather town the
other day and this town is very well
known by its church. It was my
final destination when I came to
France first and I think I sent
mother a picture of the Church. Saw
two or three chaps there whom I
knew well in Australia. Incidentally
the Bosche still shells that town.
Incidentally Your guess as to
the town where I spent the night
in an Y.M.C.A room was correct. I
posted you two photos when there.
One was of the Cathedral and the 
other a view of the river. Did you
get them?
No more news my dear. I'm keeping
very well and am quite contented
and happy. Lots & lots of love to
you from your ever loving
Keith
P.S. (1) Kind regard to Floss
(2) Usual to Mick
(3) Kind regards to Mr & Mrs Drev & Allan
& Ethel, etc. Cheeroh.

OAS
27.2.17
Miss. Louie Grant
C/o Vict. Fertisliser's Assocn.
59 William Street
Melbourne
Australia
[*KMcK Doig*]

Back of envelope - see original document

Fr
In a Dugout
In a Trench
France
2.3.17.
My dear Louie,
You write from your
sewing room. I'm writing from above
address. I've been in the sewing-room but
you've never been in this dug-out, so I
guess I've got the advantage of you there.
I've lived in all sorts & conditions of dug-outs
some of them very common-place, others
very fine. This is a medium sort of dug-out
but it is interesting in that ^it has
tunnels running all over the place, and of
course the padré & I explored them, but
did not find much except a lot of bully
beef tins. Naturally it is an old one of
Fritze's. I forgot to tell you that I
had seen numerous "tanks". Explored

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a village today that had a few walls
standing but except for a few Fritz
bombs, there was nothing else. While
there I got into a "tank" that was
nearby and thoroughly looked at it.
Fritz held this village & he buried his
dead in the little village cemetery. I

looked at those and like everything else he
is thorough in this too, for on the graves
were primroses and lillies growing, and
each grave marked by a real cross. Alas!
a good number of the crosses are broken to bits
by shell - fire but I think it is his artillery
that is doing that now. Got your letters
today and they were just great. See I am
not writing backhand dear, for you
don't know how I love your letters.
Would that I were sleepin sitting on
that arm chair with you at the other end of
the room. However all that in good
time. We are still up in the same.