Correspondence from Keith McKeddie Doig to Lewis Maffra Grant, 1917, Part 7

France.

6.3.17.

My dear, dear Louie,

Here I was

sitting down on a pile of blankets

this evening smoking a pipe, quite

pleased because I'm getting no

casualties (the battalion is in the line).

When a runner comes came into the

aid post and handed me eleven

letters. Just imagine my feelings

Eleven letters! I floated. And

now I've just finished reading

them all and. I'm just bubbling

over with happiness and contentment

Eleven of them.! Four from you, three

from Mother, two from George and

two from Woolwich. Four from

you, you dear good girl, and

such a lovely photo of your dear

self, which goes into my diary

for safe keeping. This aid post

is a dug-out of our make -

not as well made as Fritzes - but

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still a most serviceable shelter

when Fritz is putting over his

five nines - a nasty little habit

he has. about this particular

spot. And. I got hold of the

poetry about Gingah. Mick and

read it to my A.M.C. boys &

they. thought it was. just "it."

Now dear. before I go any

further I am going to tell

you how much. I regret. ever.

telling either you or Mother

any. of the rotten part of this

business, and so please don't take

any notice of those first few

letters of mine. And nextly dear

you must remember that as an

R.M.O. I'm always well looked

after and pretty safe as things

go. And thirdly remember.

that. whatever hardships I

go through, the men have much

worse. So that altogether I 

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would be a. poor sort of person

if I complained.

But to get back. to news. The

main thing with me is that

I got. 11 letters today. You

see I can't get over that, and

I got them away up here. too.

When I was in an old ruined

village. the other. a nice little

black dog followed me back to

the trench. I lost him when I 

moved up here but to-day along

he came with some. signallers,

& now the boys have got him

down in the dug-out making

no end of a good fellow of him,

nursing him, patting him &

feeding him. They are going to

train him for a raid against

some. of. Fritze's daschounds.

I was awfully sorry to hear

that your Uncle Jim was

so seriously injured & I do hope

ere this that he has fully

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recovered.

What I would like to do

now is to have a real

good old game of bridge

with you all - one of the real

old-timers. I told you in my

last letter that we have

been having some rather good

games lately, but still I prefer

them at Park Street. I'm

sorry. I've not received those

parcels of eatables you sent

me, but dear, much as I

would love to get them, I would

not really mind very much if

they got into the hands of

some of the poor beggars that

do all the work up this way.

The trouble is, however, that

when a parcel fails to

arrive, you can generally bet

that it has fallen into the

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hands of some. fellow in a

base job and I don't like

that at all. So don't wish

And then I am also very

sorry to know that poor

little Micksey is not getting

on as well as he. might. Maybe

Louie he will get over that

later on. Let us hope so at

any rate. It must worry

you & Floss a great deal.

though.

You know dear I'm a

bit of "I am", because I

feel very proud to think that

I've come through most of this

winter as well as anybody.

That is to say. except for a

little bit of an influenzal attack

I had when we were in billets

I've been as right as a bank,

and I've never missed doing

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my work thro' illness. I'm

so glad to hear you are well.

You know dear I never think

of you as being anything else

but well and healthy, and I

hope I may always. have

reason. to keep thinking that.

I would just hate to hear

you were ill at all. - xx no

matter how little:

We've not been near billets for

almost two months now and

I don't know how long it will

be before we see them again.

Still in the same part of the line

but things are improving

greatly and the weather is

clearing or rather warming

up, altho' we had a little

snow yesterday. A little

bit of green grass is showing

up on the shell - swept country

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side. and even a few birds

are to be seen. The Coming of

Spring - but what a Spring

it is going to be!

Fritz is still going strong

and so are we - I wonder 

when he is going to get tired

of it.

Well. my dear sweet heart, that

is all the news I can give you

and when I read my own letters

through and see how miserably

they compare with yours I'm

almost ashamed to send them.

Cheeroh. and keep Smiling. I'm

as right as a bank and of

course. I'm tremendously happy

tonight. I'm again somewhat

dirty but I'll keep a clean place

in my face to-morrow dear, so will

you send me a Kiss. Lots & lots

& lots of love. from your ever loving

Keith.

P.S. Usual for Mick

Kind R. to Floss & Mr & Mrs D & A

P.S.  Thank for envelopes &

paper. Don't bother about

sending them now, for we've

a canteen attached to the

battalion (some battalion ours) &

I can always get stuff there.

And when I can't write to

you, I'll be thinking of you 

and sending you telepathic 

(is that the word?) communications

to you. I think I will cable

you & Mother at Easter.

Cheeroh.

K.

Eleven letters to night

What ho!

OAS   6/3/17

Miss Louie Grant

C/O Vict Fertilisers Assocn

59 William Street

Melbourne 

Australia
KMcK Doig