Letters from Kenneth Jack Young to his family, 1918 - Part 5

2

only too weLL you need a good

change : & I want to see you

aLL looking OK when I get

Back Home:  that is everything.

I am pleased to know they

were aLL so pleased with having

you in Syd & Melbourne I

Know how good & Kind they aLL

are though.

WeLL, just now, this great

Battle is in full progress, it

is a rather anxious time now

but I Have NO doubt of the

Results. - Britishers will Never

give in to Huns - If the Hun

can "square" the Russian &

the (Italian at times) he can

Never do so with the British or

Francais:  Never on this earth:

 

 

3.

The Huns to Date Seem to Have

gained some ground but

compared with the Loss of Life

etc this Temporary Gain is Next

to Nothing:  I am Quite Confident

& Do not care How Black

things may Look:  I Know a

German Victory is impossible

if they did wash our men

out: WeLL the world would

be ruined:  Yet men in 

Australia can sit Back:

How they can I do Not Know,

I'm No Hero but would go

to the Very Front Now!:  if I was

wanted Now: my turn wiLL be

in a few Days Now:  I perhaps

be in the thick of it. Yet I

feel confident, & it is lovely

to Know even, I can help to

save the Empire & the World

from Prussianism & Disaster

 

4.

& if perhaps I did faLL, How much

better to Be there, than away

Back, caring Nothing of what

may happen:  I can Never wish

to be Home in safety & comfort

while I should be Here, as much 

as we aLL would like to be there.

Perhaps, Mum & Dad within the

Next few weeks - I & my pals, will

be in the Line, at the place

where you read in the papers of.

& of the Last Great Battles of the

War:  Between Britain - Germany

who is to be Victor is to Be

Surely proved within the Next

2 months or so:  I hear those who

 

5

are Lucky shall soon Return

to their Homes: & settle down

to enjoy the Freedom they Have

Fought for: & by jove I guess I'LL

be weLL there I Bet I'll see it

through:  The Thoughts of

going to France: is rather

strange:  but I can't say it is

at aLL terrible, altho' I Know

exactly what I Have to Face:

anyway I've some idea: as

you Know: most of the Boys

in the school are "Returned"

but not too many seem to

Worry Very much, the whish

of shells etc, I Know;  & that is

rather a rotten Sensation:

but once you get "warmed" up

You can give Fritz aLL He wants.

 

The Last week or so the weather

Has been glorious, Quite warm on

Saturday & Sunday.  Day Light

Saving Has started Here again.

No word of My Leave yet, but do

not expect to get it Now, as France

wiLL be my next "Leave" & that

any Day Now. Well Dear Mum

& Dad, I Hope this Letter will interest 

you a wee Bit, altho' I Know it

is a rather "War-Cry" tone of a

Note, But Never mind Look to the

Great Future:  & trust it shall Be Good.

Au Revoir Dear Mum &

Dad & Good Luck

Very Much Love to ALL

Yours Ever

Ken  XXXXX

 

 

Mrs. J. Young

Princes Street

Alberton

Adelaide

South Australia

[*via AMERICA*]

 

Rear of envelop ~ see Original

(133)

26/3/18

 

 

3rd DiL Sig SchooL

9/4/18

Dear May & Connie

I wrote to Mum Dad Last night, So

you must excuse this short Letter. I Know it

must be short.

Have not received any maiL

from any of you For some Time Now, but as usual

always on the Look out:

Most likely I shall be off to the Front, Next week

there is further talk of us classified chaps

getting pushed over; & doing a bit of Dot-

Dash in the Line.  I ought to get a decent job

I think, most likely an operator, anyway we

will see. later on, a Sig in France

usually has a Far better time than the

infantryman.  I sent my photo Home

Yesterday, so Hope You Get it, & in OK order.

if Possible I will send another, I think

I'd like you to have two, as NO doubt,

 

 

2  2.

You will like a couple.

I expect you are all wondering

what is going to happen Next in France, things

Do not seem to be too grand by all accounts

but expect things will take a good turn for

the good Later;  You know I am afraid

our Leaders are the trouble, the men

are splendid we Know;  but every plan

of ours seems to be upset, I am feeling

inclined to say, the Huns have far

better Generals of course they are Hard

& rotten With Badness, but that is No

reason why our Generals cannot

do their job better at times, too many

of our men are sacrificed, & aLL

thro' some of these "idiots" of ours.

Our chaps have been in some of this

Heavy fighting During the last 2 weeks.

Some of them that went over 2 or 3 weeks

are back in Blighty, wounded,

(Sigs these were) and one 43^rd - I wonder

 

[*Ivy Leaves

From one of the

Woods, in Wiltshire,

England*]

3  3

How Long I'll be ?  ?  Will see later on

I expect I'll do alright, seeing I've been

luckily so Far, since I have gone so far.

(Later) - Things are still "Fairly good"

in the Food Line here, I can

usually manage to Get enough to

eat, I am still Tres Bon on the

food Line I can tell You, I bought

a Loaf of Bread tonight, and a

tin of Milk, I've Made a Hole 

in the Bread already, & I am off

for MORE Directly, Margarine

is rationed Now, so cannot buy

any more Now;   I have ¼ lb anyway.

Of course don't think we are getting

Starved in camp, we get Sufficient

to Live on, & thats aLL, Very little

Meat, & Less Bread in this new

Camp, than we got in the Last.

It is Raining again tonight 

this is a great pLace For rain etc