Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1917 - Part 9

been rotten - today blowing a gale- cold & Wet-
it is a terrible climate at this alright- but surely 
Next month will be -AI. The trees are budding

The leaves will soon be showing. That's what 

I long to see- green trees- & everything bright & Nice

This is 'supposed' to be Spring- so they say - seems

little like it To Australians & Don't some of them

roar at this place & its climate- you ought to 

hear them. Australian wiLL Do us anyway. I see

one of Channon's Boys is missing & wounded.

hope he is quite aLright- but The Huns are so Hard

on prisoners- if that is where he is. I notice Recruiting

 is terribly slow in SA- I wonder why 

that is- most of the other states are doing much

better again. too many Germans, That's the Trouble.
I would Like To sit Baker on one of these 
shells- any way the big ass woulD go Mad if

 he Did come here- away from his Mummy 
 

So Mrs ALLan & old Mr Flett are dead. Oh

well they were a good old age- weren't they?

WeLL now Mum & Dad I will write 

again. To go by this next mail- whenever 

that is. Trusting always- that all are  weLL

Au Revoir - very much love to

you aLL & to Aunts & others

Yrs ever.

BiLLy. xxxxx

Always pleased to know Kelly is

Doing AI.

ON ACTIVE SERVICE

Mrs. J. Young 

Princes Street

Alberton

Adelaide

South Australia

[*JWally*]

Rear of envelop ~ see original
17 AP.
(56)

Somewhere in France

12th May 1917

My dear Mum & Dad.

As there is a mail closing

this morning I must write you

just a short line: I have also 

written to May- by This mail:

As usual have very little

decent news- but I'm glad to say

that everything is alright with me

& I know so long as you know

that much- you are satisfied. 

We are still having glorious

weather- warm & to day - muggy

I think us French - Australians

will feel the heat when we

-2-

get back - but I guess all are

content to put up with that little

bit. This morning early there

was a gas alarm - but it did

not come to anything here -

They woke us up - but I was

soon asleep again - gas is

no good though - one sniff would

be too much at any time:

& I believe Fritz has a new kind

worse than ever, I take my

Turn on gas guard - Hxxxx 

always a guard on day & night

xxxx to xxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx

trenches & xxxx the xxxxxxx

sounded aLL over the Town then:

Plenty of air fights every Day

-3-

but otherwise things are pretty quiet

again & Do not know  what

to xxxxx of xxxx - xxxxx

xxxx xxx to not too reiableo xxxx xxxx 

it is xxxxx xx xxx xx xxx

the English papers xx I xxxx

& are xxxxxxx xxxx xxxxx

now xxxx last xxxx  if xxxx

you xxx xxx xxx  xxx xxxx xxxx

of it  but- I do reaLLy

think Australian papers are

not Too reliable: of course it

is right xxxxx to xxxx xxxx

bright xxx xxxx xxxxx :

but the people xxxx know the

xxxx xxx xxxx : I am so glad

Hughes has been returned that

4

is reaLLy bon news - in fact

tray bon - (very good) but how

could our people vote otherwise:

The English papers gave the

"Election Cables" a prominent place

in their papers : The blossom on

the fruit trees are looking just the

thing now - it is lovely to see the

 beautiful trees so green - never

before have I enjoyed greeness

& sunshine so much: as I have

this year in France: after the

terrible "night mare of a winter

yes, it was more like a night mare"

A Sunday or two back I had

a look over the - one of the -

Military cemetary's a good few

-5-

Australians are buried there -

they Keep the graves so Nice- a

cross on each: I was surprised

at it being so weLL Kept, but

of course that us how is should

be: The other night I went to

the pictures - The -coo-ees were

also on: Australian Bush scenery

was on the stage: it was so

good: The building was a good

one - used in Peace Time as a

Cxxxx. Of course as I've said

before this Town was weLL populated

in Peace Time: but now the

Number amounts to a very few.

Ray is at Boulogne if you

should not know: he may

not have said where he was

.6.

TeLL Bertha I wiLL write to her soon

also Aunt Helen & Jess Mom.

I've received letters from aLL of

them During the last week also

WeLL mum & Dad I wiLL now

Close Au Revoir

With ever so much Love to you

both & trusting you are weLL

Yrs ever

Billy. xxxxxx

Glad to Know 'Kelly' is still

Going strong - poor old chap:

He won't know me R Young

when I get back - I've got so fat -

• I Don't think - but I Dont think I've

got much thinner anyway -

I Don't feel too bad now

Ken