Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1917 - Part 21

7

Had a letter from Sam last Week he was
at Devonport in the Naval Barracks
he has an Uncle in a camp near
here, Sam wanted me to go & see
him I wiLLwhen I get out of this
Isolation game, His Uncle is From WA.
WelI dear Mum & Dad I can't
write any more this evening, So wiLL
Now Conclude, & write more shortly
Remember me to all Aunts & the
other also all Friends.
With much Love & good Wishes
to you aLL

Yrs Ever

Billy xxxx 

No 3 Group Sig School 

Fovant. Engl

9/11/17.
Dear May & Connie.
I wrote to Mum, just Last night, so of course

have but Little news to give you: Another

day past and stiLL No mail - I'm always

on the look out for Ausie maiL you know,
so few seem to reach us lately somehow, & the
mail comes by way of American now too,
as a ruLe anyway. Several Austn
Troopships have come that way, through
the Panama CanaL, then they have
disembarked at Glasgow then down to

EngLand here, that ought to be an

interesting voyage I should think. stiLL the

The one I had was equal to any so far.

as I've heard from the others.

I have not heard from Ray, & no

word from any one of Clan, I am 

2.

always wondering when we wiLL be leaving
Something, I don't know what to say, but only trust
aLL is weLL. I wiLL again write to the Red

Cross, Aust Branch & see if they Know of

anything concerning poor old Clair, goodness

Knows what you wiLL aLL think about it,

I am sorry for you all, it's a terrible

worry for you-aLL, terrible times for those at

Home. Mum mentioned in one of her

letters some time ago that Tom Blair was

in the same Hospital as I was in, in

England. Yes I Knew him Mum, I had

several good yarns to the poor fellow, he

was quite crippled up when I saw him

couldn't walk & him with a poor wife at

home & children, its cruel, he wiLL most

likely be in S A now, I often wish that

rumor you heard of me coming home

was Dinkum, may, not yet for a good

while, some time - Next Year - 

-3-

Hope you are Both getting on well with your

shorthand it wiLL make it harder I know,

for Connie, aLL these things Happening.

In This mornings papers Russia has

just about finished with the ALLies, & wiLL

now Be bound over to a German, I'll

die first, wouldn't aLL Australians, Not

the Bakers & such like people they and Not

Australians, pro German Brutes, is aLL I

can think of such as them, & those wretched

wharf lumpers, you know, we hear

here in our camp that these lumpers

in Australia, refused to load our Xmas

Parcels, or something of the Kind. all of us

are mad at them even men who are

confirmed Labourites, condemn them,

and wish for Conscription to come in to

get a few of the likes of them away, It

is really terrible, look out when these

chaps over this part of the world get back

4 

there wiLL be a good deal of trouble, they

wiLL get their German Flat Head Knocked in,

I bet there wiLL be trouble anyway.

This evening I had a Nice letter from

Clive Balmer, he is in a Hospital at

Croydon, Near London Now. Seems to be

having a good speLL- doesn't He,

anyway I'm glad, he's mad to get

back to our Sunny Land, he's a

great Australian, like myself as he says

I don't think their exists such a body of

men, who have such an affection

for their Native Land, as we Australians

& ReaLLy it is True, just as he says it.

I don't let any one say a word against it,

anyway, its an insult if they do.

Today was wet, most of the time,

its the Lord Mayor's Show in London,

Australian Soldiers are marching.

One of the Bands from near here 

5.

have gone to London to play a toon or five

the chaps here, wish the rain to come

down as hard as it can, during the Show.

they seem to dislike the Lord Mayor

having Shows these times, I have to grin at

them, there is a shortage of food too, & they

are having some feast no doubt.

Lord Rhonda will be having a good square

feed you may bet.

Well Connie & May go Long just War.

Wishing you Both a glorious & more

Happy New Year, I am sorry for you

Connie.

Good Bye & Good Luck

Yrs Ever

Billy .

Rear of envelop ~ see Original
(60)      (60)

(60)       (60) 

Rear of envelop ~ see Original
La Bizet

April 1917.

Belgium

[*No19*]

(103)

NO 3 Group Signal School.

Wiltshire   18/11/17.    Eng.
My Dear Mum & Dad.
I am so pleased to have at last heard from the Red
Cross, the News which I consider, good, concerning Clair,
They wrote to me a month back, but on account of
change of address, I did not receive it, it is a shame,
weLL I received a note from Ray, in Belgium, just
after the one from the Red Cross, so poor old Clair
is in Hunland. perhaps it is may be a good job in
a way, he wiLL be surely away from the Shot & Shell.
I trust he is weLL treated, WeLL the Red Cross
teLL me that parcels are sent regularly to British
prisoners of war, so he wiLL surely, receive plenty of
food, I am trying to think out a way to get a parcel sent
to him from us, Now, perhaps if you sent money
(Cable) to Combank, from Clairs account, I would
ask our friend Miss Nicholson to send a good
parcel Now and then, as private parcels may Now
be sent once a Quarter, However if you send
a few pounds (To me of course) I'll manage the rest,
I think, that is if you are aLL willing to do this to 

.2.

make his life in Hunland as Happy as possible, one 

cannot be too happy on little Ye eat, & it's up to us to

spare Nothing, I'LL spare Nothing myself to do what

I can, while I am in England, once I leave, you

know I cannot do much, parcels sent, direct

from Australia are Not certain of reaching their

destination, as we have already proved, I've Not

received any more of Those parcels, or even letters

I am sorry to say, for weeks Now, Miss Nicholson

I think would do this for us I am sure, she is an

old maid interested in Soldiers, and as you

Know very Kind & perhaps I'LL be in London in

a week or two, so may see her then & make

arrangements. Ray did not even mention what

he was attached to, he's a card, Not one word

about himself not a single word, I had to

smiLe, however he's in Belgium & must be OK.

This "Stay" of mine in England sees no

end yet, expect to be here for Xmas, & into Next

year, a little way, I must say though I get sick

of camp life, at times you can imagine what

it is, short days and No where much to go now.

the weather is very mild, this time last year

it snowed, no sign of snow this year yet,

cold mornings, Not been wet either of late.