Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1917 - Part 7

ON ACTIVE SERVICE
Mrs J. Young.
Princes St
Alberton
Adelaide
South-Australia
[*PASSED FIELD CENSOR
3892*] 

Rear of envelop ~ see original
1st Ap
(52)
 

[*JY*]
France
April 4th 1917
Dear Mum & Dad,
No doubt you will receive this
letter about the same time as the one
written from the Base - however since
then I have gone a few miles from
The Base - we left on the Monday
morning early and reached at
our Destination in the evening.
just the same Town we arrived at
when first we came from England.
went into a farm House Billet
 

2
just outside the Town - and had a
Bn nights rest - next morning was
terribly cold again - snow & wind - it
was rotten - but later on in the day
it improved - & turned out Bright -
had a good walk round the town
not a bad place - and a good
size, about 5.30 PM that evening
we left in motor waggons - &
was soon landed at this spot where
I am now; what a place - goodness
they always seem to pick out the
worst spot possible - mud &
water & cold - have not heard
yet what they are giving to do with
 

3.
us. of course we will not stay here long
last night I walked into the town
where I used to meet Clair - when up
here be4 - had tea there - egg &c
Café - the Francais coffee Café is Bon.
I met a young signaller in the -
and the same Company as me.
he is ready for the trenches again.
Wonder if I will write Clair
again hope I Do. suppose Ray
is chipping into it at one of the
Hospitals - think he is acting as
an orderly or some thing of the kind
Did I tell you I met Jimmy
 

4.
Reynolds - his mother lives at the Lema
place - he is well & will be leaving
the Base for the front any Day.
The trees have not got their Greenness
back yet. I am sick of things
looking so Dead & Dull - It will
be nice in a few weeks now
though - I am longing for the better
weather to come. I am not feeling
too bad at all now - short of
breath though - & not too strong -
but I guess I'll be a1 soon.
Has Connie Heard from Ivo
Hope she has - it is horrible not
 

5
to hear from them I know. Do you
always get word from Ray & Clair?
Did aLL those who sent me parcels
get my note I sent them? I wrote to
them all I think.
Well again I might close.
Hope May & Connie are still
going well with their shorthand &c.
I was just looking at that photo they
sent me - it is Tray Bon.
Au Revoir - With Very
Best Love to you all
Yours Ever
BiLLy
 

—  on active Service
Mrs J. Young.
Princes St
Alberton
Adelaide
South AustraliA — Adelaide — 
[*ChasR Hutton *]
[*FranKe a By*]
 

Rear of envelop ~ see original
4th Ap.
(53)
 

Some Where in France
6/4/17 Good Friday
Dear May & Connie
As it is some time since I last wrote to you thought I
would try & scratch a few lines this evening. In my letter
to Mum the other day I said I was again up the Line home-to-Line. 
Well since then we have moved to a Town - just
on the Belguim xxxxx - it is a very big Town this - but how the
Huns have knocked it about - a big church spire is knocked
clean off & great holes is knocked in the fine Buildings - it
does seem a sin to see what the Brutes have done. The cars are not
running now & few of the people about - but of course there a still
Hundreds living in Different Parts of the Town. Many of the Houses
are used as Billets - I am quartered in fairly comfortable
quarters - xxxxx  "on he xx flag the Salvage store is quite away
we are Doing odd jobs therein just now but Do not know
how long we will be just here. that is Hard to say.
Yesterday was a most Beautiful Day - Sunshine & quite warm
today was not so Nice, yes, it is wonderful to look about at
the Different places in this Town - every thing so peaceful