Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1916 - Part 16

VIA San FRANSISCO

Mrs John Young.

Princes Street

Alberton
Adelaide

South Australia

Rear of envelop ~ see original

(25) 

England
 

Lark Hill
Salisbury Plain
Oct 24TH 1916
My Dear Mum & Dad.
We will be leaving in about two weeks
time, so I thought I would Drop You-a
line or two tonight, there may be-a
chance of it getting aw'ay Before I write
the usual weekly letter. I am feeling
fit for the fray now. I suppose we
will have a hard time, but I'll Don't want
you to worry about me, I'll take care
& promise to take no risks other than
what I am, obliged to Do. I am going
to cable just before we leave, but in
case this is not allowed, this will reach
you within 5 weeks time, that is why
I want you to get this as soon, as possible
some of the boys have got very bad
colds, otherwise they look so well, it
is grand to see them all looking so
well, good colour the same with me, so
they say, (Real English colour): of course
you know I cannot tell you, as I do not
know my self, what we are to Do,
but I suppose we are going pretty
well straight into the trenches - it seems
almost hard to think - of us going there
 

in the cold winters of France, however
why should we be going from here - if
we are not to fight, the last few Days
have not been so cold thank goodness
I hope all my letters will reach me
I have been very fortunate, so far,
I have received all you have sent,
I may see poor old Clair o'er there in
France. I Don't suppose France will
look so beautiful, what I will see later
but I'll always remember Dear old
South France, we cannot expect to
see any thing very beautiful near the
front, the shells have rooted everything
suppose we will spend Xmas Day in
the Trenches - what a time we will
have, never mind Xmas 12 mths, I hope
to be Down from Queensland, spending
Xmas Day at home. the war will be
over by about June I think, so hope
it is & that I am in working order
by that. The Sigs have got a pretty fair
job I believe so 'I'll be a 1.
Now as this in only a note to give
you some idea of our Doings I

will now close, I'll write "The letter"

in a few Days.

Good Bye Yrs Ever

Hope Cockie is A1     Kenneth!

xxxxxx

ON - ACTIVE -SERVICE
Mrs J Young

Princes Street

Alberton

Adelaide

South Australia
 

Rear of envelop ~ see original
(26)

England

Oct 29TH 1916
England.

My Dear Mum Dad & May

Since last writing I have not received

any Australian Mail, so I will

not be able to give you much news

I am thinking - Will start with

everything is O.K.  so perhaps that is

what you like to hear - first go off.

Plenty of rain the last Week again,

So of course we are having an easy

time, lectures & Buzzer reading they

had to postpone the Church parade

this morning on account of rain.

Have any of my letters been censored yet?

perhaps those written.

from the Afric were, I have - often

wondered however they will do so

when I write from France, You Bet.
I now here we are not going till

4 to 5 weeks, on account of mumps

in our Battalion but goodness Knows.

what they will Do about it. They are

getting every thing ready, have got my

new Service Rifle, Black Boot, & we 

2

each given a pair of nice warm

gloves, that was a decent thing to give

us 'altho' I have plenty of course 

I am sending several papers with

this, and the elephants photos &c I

will get away in about a week, you

will get them by Xmas anyhow. We

are only able to take very few things

to the front with us just what we

can carry in our pack, & that's not

much as you know No word of

Ray yet, isn't he a card, good ness

Knows where he is I've written 3 times

& Clair has written once I know,

Clair must in be France, poor old
Chap didn't have long here, Did he,

anyhow he was pleased to get away

I know, camp life get very monotonous

& there is nothing much to Do, now it

is [[nearly always so wet & muddy.

I do not think Col Gordon is going

away in Command of the 43^rd - another

Major is taking over the command 

I hear, & Gordon is going on    

3

the Staff, Gordon is no favourite With

the men, but Major Butler (son of

Sir Richard) is a great favorite. it is a

11 in command though. Hope Miss

Young & Connie are still getting on well

with the type writing. May will soon

be able to type my letters, eH?

and of course so will Connie my

word they will get a grand situation

after a bit, take care & get them into

good places, that's the thing, make

good money, push ahead & do well & fill

the places of the poor chaps at the front.

They have girls working everywhere in

Britain, you ought to see them Driving

the man cars in Glasgow, - no fear at

all - & here you see them as porters

wearing rather short skirts & caps

they are also in the Commonwealth Bank

(worstluck) they are too slow to catch a

cold, they wasted enough of my time anyhow

the money was there, thank goodness

women can not  hold responsible position

anyhow young women can't they

are too slow - & too much to say, while 

4

at their work but for short hand &

typewriting they are a 1 - at this work

they cannot argue too much I know

I am sending you "Kitchener's letter" I Know

it is nice to have & you will like it, I

just love any thing like that look after

it, I'll like to have it - for when I

come back - Kitchener was a grand man.

I see where this war will cost Australia

£300,000 it is a terrible sum, good ness knows

when they will clear this off, but I hope

they can manage to make the DIRTY

Huns to pay for it - the brutes they are

Had a letter from Sam Jenkins this week

he has been very busy, his young lady

& her people are really grand people

I had such a nice Day with them at

Dunoon, they are just working people,

but live in a grand wee "Hoose" in

the Beautiful scotch town Leunoon

I like the Scotch beautiful people &

no mistake, yet the English women have

been more than good to us & do all

they can for us - as I have told you B4

I wonder how the French will treat us