Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1917 - Part 20

Front.  The Allies can hold their own, - and more.

so they say that the Western Front, is where the War is

to be Decided - so that's O.K., after aLL.

Two Days later)  Have Finished another Day's

"Work" so can now finish this wee letter off. the 

mail leaves in a Day or two so they so.

I heard from the Com Bank this afternoon, the

money is all OK - thank Mum wiLL you for me.

I'll pay Mrs Sugars the £5 Now.

Tonight is rather wet, so wiLL not go too far;

old England is "fading" I mean the trees you know, & it

gets dark very early now, soon after 5 now.  What a

difference between this and Last June when I was in

the Norfolk Hospital, when it was light at a 9.30 or 10PM

it was beautiful then; everyone so Kind to us, I'LL always

remember my few weeks there:

I hear something about them breaking up the

4 and 5 Divisions & only having the 3 Divisions 1^st 2 & 3

But do Not Know if this is correct or not yet.

Had a Note from Sam Justins yesterday he is

at Devonport Naval Barracks, don't suppose Sam

cares much about that, he may go to sea later.

Plenty of good eating apples aBout

still.  I'm posting (for cert) some snaps I've taken

I somehow seem to Late sending Parcels, it is the

Loss of them I don't like you Know.  I'm putting in

 

 

for leave in a while (good conduct Leave) which

I'm entitled too, 4 days leave this is, so might

just as well make a "miserable" life as Happy as

Possible, altho' I'm not feeling miserable mind.

but wish things were much brighter for you at Home.

Its no use worrying too much though, as Hard as

it is some times.

Well May & Connie,  Au Revoir &

good Luck to you both,

With much Love

Yours V. Sincerely

Ken xxxx

See, and Have a JoLLy good Xmas.

I'll be in England this Xmas I think

WiLL CabLe when I Leave for France.

Give old Cockie a good feed for me.

 

 

Miss May Young

Princes Street

Alberton

Adela

South Aus

Rear of envelop ~ see original

Oct 31st

(101)

 

No 3 Group Signal School

Fovant.

England.

8/11/17

My Dear Mum & Dad,

Now, I've got a chance must try and

write what I can,  I have not received

a scrap of mail from Australia for

such a long long time I'd love a letter

from you, I never hear how you are

or anything about anybody, so far

away from Old Ausie these days.

Never mind things will turn OK in 

the Long run I know, as hopeless as

things look at times, it's a Long

Chap for all concerned isn't it?

There was a chap in this

hut I am in who had mumps

so we are now isolated for 24 days

2

15 of us in the Hut, one CpL, so we

just do a wee bit of SignaLLing &c, to 

pass the time away you Know  I'm

getting on OK Mum & Dad, learning

all there is to be known in SignaLLing

its most interesting work & no mistake.

Before I forget, I received a Line

from Mrs Sugars yesterday. She sends

her love to you all, Charlie wiLL

get a commission in the Army.

& wiLL soon be home again, Mrs

Sugars wan'ts me to go down to Worthing

Some time when Charlie is home.

There are Thousands of Londoners

living in Worthing Now, some at

most distracted thro' the air Raids,

poor creatures have been scared, NO

wonder you have perhaps little idea

what Bombs & these kind of things

.3.

are Like anything but nice I can

assure you.  Tonight its very wet, &

pretty fresh, but I am very comfortable 

in this place, - a lovely fine fire, &

plenty of grub. Not much to worry 

over, so can't complain, yet I'd love 

to get away home Sweet Home again.

None of us are sure of getting there yet,

we Never Know these times, so many

things to fight against, & then the cold.

But I've been lucky as I've said

before, Nearly 12 mths since I set 

out on the great Adventure to

France with the 43rd Battalion,

what changes in the 12 mths, I

often think of it aLL such a lot of

different places I've visited & seen.

& a good crowd of our Battalion

Boys then, are away home in

South Australia, others gone forever.

 

4

I am very pleased, in one way, to see

they are going to try and get conscription 

in Australia, I am sure it

wiLL be passed this time, its only

fair, I really can't understand such

chaps we have in Australia hanging

back I'd rather Die this minute than

be such a scoundrel, its no fun

in France, the trip to England & aLL

that sort of thing sounds Not Bad,

but the times comes when all who

enlist to do their Bit to Face Death.

and go through some of the most

terrible ordeals you could imagine.

I reaLLy think its Nearly over Now,

so perhaps they won't require their

miserable services, I don't want to

see Australian Conscripts over here,

I'd feel like chewing them up, when

I saw their miserable forms crawling

 

- 5 -

about here, it would be funny to

see Fat Baker Shouldering rifLe &c.

that would Knock some of the fat off.

Suppose by the time you receive

this you wiLL have had Xmas, I

wiLL Not be in France this Xmas, I

am almost sure of that Now.  I Know

you will be glad to Know this I'LL

Cable to you when I Leave for France.

(If the war is not over By Xmas) perhaps 

it is hardly likely still there is

a good chance, the Huns are played

out or nearly so, I reckon this Italian

Business, it reaLLy of NO use to the

Huns, its only putting in time, trying 

to Keep there peoples.  Pecker up.

The war is to be decided on the Western

Front, & that wiLL do me, A1. they

are beaten there we know, so don't

trouble about any other Part, look

to the Western Front, & you wiLL then

6.

see who's on the top, - the ALLies are

We (the isolation chaps) went for

a march this morning, on the way

we saw the Farmers making cider

such quaint old fashioned way they

have of doing things, reaLLy grand

thats what always takes my eye in this

country is these strange old sights, tip top.

Such a lot of apples everywhere, but

they are going off now.

7 PM.  The Paper Boy has just been

Round. more very bad news from these

Russians, they are are Humbug & now

the Huns are trying to smash Italy

I'll bet my life on it, they wiLL not

gain too much,The Americans are

in the trenches that the main thing

and British and French troops have

been sent to Italy to give them a

Hand, Then they wiLL be OK.