Letters relating to William George Blaskett, 1916-1919 - Part 1

France 18.6.16

My dearest Mother/ 

I dont think there has been

any time since I left home, when I have written 

to you in more pleasant surroundings. I am

writing this, lying on my stomach in the corner

of the field at the back of the farmhouse in which

we are billeted; it is 7.30pm but the sun has

not yet set, and the big guns havent started

their night's work, so all is peaceful. It seems

impossible that the greatest war of all the ages 

is raging within a few short miles of us. But as

I write, there comes a sound that recalls me to

the fact that there is a war. Without looking 

up I know what it is. An British aeroplane 

is passing overhead towards the German lines.

That means the concert is about to start; for the 

Huns are sure to fire at her, and she will 

probably drop some bombs.

The weather has taken a change for the better

during the last few days & is really summery 

now: the first 3 days were very wet and cold.

(Hello, there's 2 more 'planes'. Something's going to happen)

I have never received that birthday parcel.
 

 

It's a terrible shame, the way our mail is mismanaged.

Dont send any more parcels or papers; its wasting 

money. Aunt Jane has sent me 2 lots of papers 

since I got to France. She is good isnt she? I

write to her as often as I can.

While I was in hospital, someone or other, pinched 

some of my gear, including my scarf and cap

comforter, & several other small things, so I wrote 

to Emmie last Wednesday & asked her to buy send me

a woollen cap of some sort & 2 or 3 handkerchiefs.

I hadnt any money at the time, as I had drawn 

no pay for about 6 or 7 weeks, so told her the state

of my finances & said I would send in 2 or 3 days 

when we were paid. We were paid today, so I'm 

sending her 10/- txd. I think thats enough dont you?

There doesnt seem much chance of leave to 

England for ^some time yet, but hope to get there sooner

or later. 

I trust you are all well at home. Am 

pleased to say my hand is splendid now, though I

still have a bit of bandage round it, to keep

out the cold, for its still rather cool at nights. 

The Australian boys were very much surprised

when we first got here to find that it 

was light till nearly 11 oclock at night and 

got bright again just after 2 in the morning.

They couldnt understand twilight at all.

Now I close, for there's no news to tell you, 

at least any I could tell after signing the

certificate on the envelope. The privilege of not

having your letters censored is too good to be

abused. 

My fondest love to your dear self, dad & Modge 

from your loving son

Will.

I signed a form yesterday increasing my

allotment to you (or the Bank, rather) to 6/- 

per day from 1^st June. They should get 

notice of the change about 2 or 3 weeks after

you get this letter. I was pleased to hear 

the account was mounting up, but please

mother, dont stint yourselves just for the sake of 

the money. You know you're welcome to all of 

it. I have allotted myself 2/6 per day. I 

think that will be ample.

PTO

I was counting up my deferred pay today. It is

mounting up.

Theres from Oct 27 to Mar 8 (114 days) @ 1/- per day = 5. 14. 0

Mar 9 to April 13 (whilst corporal) (36 days) @ 1/6 "  " = 2. 14. 0

April 14 to June 18 ( " sergt) (66 days) @ 2/-  "    "         = 6. 12. 0

                                                                                                    15. 0. 0

Just £15 today. Dont forget to claim

it if any thing happens to me. Did you ever 

get that Will I made in Mitcham. I dont 

remember you mentioning in any letter, though 

I suppose it's alright. Anyway, in case it isnt

I'm making another in my paybook in exactly 

the same terms.

Goodbye, for the present.

Keep smiling, we're going to win, whatever

it costs.

W

A Coy

48 Battn

12^th Brigade

26-6-16

My dearest Mother,

You will remember me telling

you that a bundle of letters was sent to the

Hospital for me, which I did not receive. Fortunately, 

it came to hand last night. It contained your 

letters dated 4^th, 9^th, and 18^th April, dad's dated 16-4-16 

and Charlie's of same date. I had a glorious 

read last night. They will keep me going for 

some time now for I always read my home 

mail over and over again. I was very pleased 

with The Young Pretender's letter. It was a great

improvement on his usual efforts. I hope he will

keep it up. I am very sorry to hear poor old 

Reg Gould was disappointed about coming away.

It's very hard luck. Still, "Its better to have joined,

and lost, than never to have joined at all." 

He has the satisfaction of knowing he was willing 

to do his bit, which is more than a good 

many have. Am glad to hear you are getting 

so much better and stronger. Let's hope the 

illness has done you good and that your

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health will improve. We have had a few more

wet days just lately, but the boys don't mind

much. It's dry in the barns, & when it rains we

dont have to drill so, its quite alright, as far

as they are concerned. Most of us had colds 

at first, but the majority have got rid of them 

now, and the effect of this glorious climate is 

making itself apparent. Two days ago, I 

received a parcel from Emmie, containing 

handkerchiefs & a scarf, so I'm quite equipped 

again. Its is very nice to get the English papers 

herex. I buy my old friend "The Daily Chronicle" 

nearly every morning. On Monday, we get Saturday's 

issue, on Tuesday, Monday's & so on. It's a 

change after Egypt, especially after being in the 

Canal Zone, where we never saw a paper except an

occasional Egyptian Mail or Times of Egypt which 

contained absolutely no news whatever. I'm pleased 

to tell ^you my hand is quite right again. I dont

even wear a bandage now.

According to the papers the Russians again

are doing splendidly; at the same time in spite 

of their victories & the fact that we are more than

 

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holding our own, along the Western front. I think the 

end of the war is a long way ahead yet. I think 

the Bosches would jump at the chance of making 

peace now, but it couldnt be anything but very 

unsatisfactory to us at present. We must beat 

them so much that it will many many years 

before they can fight again, if they ever can. I, for 

one, would rather have 2 or 3 years more now, than 

in a few years time, have to start again, & I 

should say that's the general feeling amongst the 

fighting men. I saw in the Chronicle casualty 

lost a few days ago the announcement of the death 

of J. C Blackett, Aust. Inf. & wondered if it was 

Joe Blackett, son ^of the Revd. Blackett.

I am sending Aunt Jane a small silk 

handkerchief, with the Allied flags, very nicely 

embroidered on it, & the words "Greetings from France".

I think she will like it. Hope so, anyway. 

Of course, I can't tell you anything about

where we are or what we are doing, but all 

the time you get letters from me you can guess 

I'm pretty right.

I remain with fondest love to all 

Your loving son

Will

PTO

PS I forgot to mention I received your parcel

containing 2 prs socks safely, for which many 

thanks. Bill was short & I have quite a 

number, so I gave him the dark pair, which 

were the bigger of the two. He sends his kind

regards & thanks.

I think we shall be able to do with 

plenty of warm socks here, especially later 

in the year.

If I run out at any time will send 

to Emmie. The scarf she sent me belonged 

to either Ernie or Percy, & they left it behind

I'm glad she didn't have to buy it as 

now she will have the 10/- for the kiddies.

I knew she wouldn't accept the money 

for the scarf, so said "if there is any over, buy

something for the kids" It's the only way to 

get here to accept anything. She's as proud as

the rest of the family, which is saying something.

She told me in her letter she had received your 

parcel & the kids were fearful swells, now 

A Coy

48 Bn

26-6-16

Dear old dad/

Many thanks for your letter of 16-4-16 

and paper cuttings. Am glad to hear business 

is good. As long as that's so, I dont worry. As 

I told mother in my previous letter, I have

increased my allotment to the Bank to 6/- a 

day so things should be alright now. You 

say you would like me to be home by next 

April 18. No one would like it more than I 

should; all the same, I dont see much chance 

of it happening. You say, you think I'm 

getting bloodthirsty. If you heard just a few 

of the things I have heard in France, you would 

be bloodthirsty yourself. The Germans were

all through this district in Oct 1914, & some of 

them slept in the loft I sleep in, & where I'm 

writing this. (No wonder the place is lousy)

In the churchyard of the village church 

are buried a few Britishers, killed in action. 

It also contains (what is, I think, a splendid piece of 

Christianity) a simple wooden cross with the

words "Un Allemand" (a German). These things 

make you realise there is a war. But what 

stirs you is a tombstone like this.

A la memoire de Henri - 

agé 19, massacré par Les 

Allemands, October 1914.

Charlie can translate it for you. It isnt the 

only one either & some of the victims aren't 

anywhere near 19. The church itself, with

its broken windows, and shrapnel-spitted 

roof, xxxxxx its broken altars & 

choir stalls full of gaping holes, bears eloquent 

testimony to the barbarism of the enemy, &

calls for revenge. While one is thinking these 

thoughts, there comes the boom of the big 

guns just three or four miles away or a 

terrific explosion ^from some land mine or bomb telling that Britain has still 

got her teeth in the enemy's neck & will 

choke ^him gradually, but surely.

Mr Hughes seems to be intent on making 

a fool of himself aided and abetted by the 

newspapers. That's the beauty of Australian

Laborism. It's all for the people. But the