Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1917 - Part 18

15/8/17

(80)

Church Army Recreation Hut

 

22/9/17

No 1 Aust Common Depot

Perham Downs

23/9/17 Wiltshire:

 

Dear May and Connie,

Must write you a few lines anyway, you

will see by the above that I am at another Depot

now - not a very great distance from Hurdcott Camp

There are such a crowd of boys I know here,

just arrived this evening - There were 50 of us -

drafts leave every few days from Hurdcott to Perham

Downs. - The Depot Band "kindly" played us off to

the station: Quite Nice - of course I like the Band Music.

We changed trains at Salisbury - waited some

time for the Night train - had some grub on the

station - some issue - and bought some also; I wandered

round with a junk of Bread & Butter - margarine I

should say; it was tray bon & I was feeling like it too:

we then went on as far as a town called

Andover; fair sized town, of course you know

Salisbury is a good big place - have sent several P.C

of Salisbury at different times; we detrained at

Tidsworth - a village - which is a fair size - then

Church Army Recreation Hut

-2-

 

walked - rather marched (as we are soldiers or supposed to be)

coming to a strange camp is anything but nice - everything

different - New orders rites &c to see to - they are very

strict in our Army now, far stricter than they used to be:

of course discipline is essential - as you know.

Well I think I will be going to a Signal School,

before long - Sigs are sent to a school somewhere

away a bit - I hear its Lack Hill: I decided to 

tell them, when they asked for the signallers - that I

was in that Corps; Never have I mentioned I was P.Base

in France - and transferred to the Div Salvage Corps.

if I "do" go to France I want to join my battalion,

most likely I will not go to the front again; but I

No nothing just yet, I am not sic - but do not think

I would stand the heavy work - yet I maybe A1 -

we will soon see - as this is a pretty solid

camp - Rank Marches with Packs &c; if I can well then good.

will do my best. The war will NOT last long-

long enough though for all concerned - and I honestly

want to do a wee bit - as terrible as it is there:

I see by the papers today: That Kaiser Bill &

Charles of Austria want peace very badly - it sounds.

-3-

 

lovely - for those who do not want to see Germany smashed

up a bit - but it will not do to stop just yet -

I am glad we have won, I mean a good win - Victory

is ours - without doubt now, but I hope Hun land can

be made to suffer as poor Belgium Serbia &c.

have suffered: Then the allies will have pieces and

peace for all time afterwards - they started it the Hounds,

and now when they see they are getting punished they

yell for peace - would they have cried for Peace if

they had Belgium & the rest choked:- NO, they would

NOT - it shows great signs of weakness on their side

& all is well for Britain - and France - & the freedom

of the other powers assured: a little more hammering

& we will have the peace terms we want:

& let us hope those wicked Hounds that have caused

the world so much pain & suffering - you will say too -

"Hang those criminals" - yet death is too good for them:

The next world will deal with them old nick will

have his work cut out looking after Kaiser Bill.

Von this [?] Herr that; everyone is quite confident of

a "good Victory" for the Allies - America has done the

Deed - it was "to be" that America was to fight &

without her we couldn't gain what was required:

-a Lasting Peace - America will hit soon now - there

are thousands about England - I've only seen a few.

-5-

Were hear for tea tonight, had bread and jam this was

a [[chuch?]] ill - as we did not get jam at Henscott - also

an apple each quite a change these times, to not get

too much of a mixture you know.

        Well Connie & Maz I must conclude.

I have received your letter May - Dated June 25^th glad you

are all getting on so A1 like with your Thor [[O. ?]]

      Glad you write to those La Petit Francais

Girl - Petite means little -

           With Good Bye once again:

                  With Much love & good wishes to both

                 Ys Sincerely

                    Ken.  xxxxx

Miss Mary A Young

Princess Street

Alberton
Adelaide

South Australia

Back of envelope

 

 22 Sept

 (92)

                                       No 3 Signal Group School

                                           Wiltshire England

                                             21 Oct 1917

My Dear Dad & Mum,

                        As I said I would write you a line this week

end. I have so little news though  worst luck, & then

through the week so little time - as there are night

Parades twice a week from 6.30^pm to 9.30^pm so you

see we are getting right into the job now.

       We have to pass as 1st Class Signalleers before

leaving. This school of course thete is theory to

learn which is most interesting - consists of map-

reading - scales, sketches - parts of the Phone, or Buzzer

Station work, cables & c re - so you will perhaps Compr

There is plenty to learn: As far as the reading goes 

of course I knew that long ago, only out of Practice

a good certificate is given when we get through

so that is really worth going in for, & a lot of the

work will be useful in civil life, apres La Guerre

Such as map reading & finding your positions on the map

or ground from a map, all very easy - when you

know how to do it, like most things in this world.

       The Gods here let the Zepps over England lst

night - one of them over London area, the balance

which I think was 10 Zepps, on the East Coast, this is

                                    2

a blow to British Pride - Don't you think? then when

these Zepps got in France on their miserable return

to Hunland, the Francais et drive at them & smashed

4 & another thought to be knocked rotten, you know a

thing like this makes me mad to think a monster machine

like that should fly over their great London, & kill people

and smash things about a "Little", they said, it was Dark

& they were silenced (their engines I were silenced I mean)

if our air service is up to the mark, they should never

have got where they did - the night was cloudy - & the

Heads were enjoying themselves I expect, Never worry, they

won't come again, we have threatened reprisals, ye, it

looks like it, They won't Bomb Hun towns till they are

made to do so - I am sure the "people will kick up a

fuss over this lot, & out, of a few of these rotters

who are "running" things, or trying to do so - all they

want to do is to drop a bomb on Whitehall then perhaps

the sleepy rotters might do something more, it's a shame

and makes everyone so wild. You ought to hear the talk

here in this Aussie camp this morning" the war &c is

always very closely followed by all hands, always

has been in England - but few are very anxious to

go to France out of the whole crowd; that's the truth,

They hear too many bad accounts from these chaps

who have already been there - Haven't heard much

of the 43^rd Btn of late - I'll join the Battalion when I'm

                                3

finished here. I expect, perhaps that will be in 2 mths

time or after mas. Let some of the others have

a turn anyway, thro' the cold frozen mths to come.

Never hear a word about Geo Lakie hope he's A1 tho.

            Sunday morning is a "great' morning here, the

O Chips a Capt is a terrible idiot, you would be

surprised to see just how us chaps have to arrange

things in our huts, it's sickening, tho' nice to have things

up to the mark: of course, but with 21 mths in the army

I've never struck the likes of this Goon, real old woman

anyone would think we were in a OTS School

(Officers Training School), instead of ordinary Privates

& the likes, my word - they have things different in

France - this chap has not been there, and not likely

to go. The 2^nd in charge of this school is a 43^rd Btn

Lieut, he was my sergt when in the Sigs with the Batt,

he is always very nice to me, belongs to Adelaide the

O.C. Sigs 43rd Lieut Clarke you know, he was killed, in 

the Trenches with his battalion, poor fellow.

          Fancy the rumour going about that I was

coming home - on my way - yes, I'm on my way

to France, Australia - some day I hope, a man has

to be pretty well cooked for at least six mths

before they can get home these times, what made

them think I was on my way home, I was

wondering if anyone who had gone back from here