Letters from David Gerald Evans to his family, 1916 - Part 12

2

What sort of a time have you

had lately - has it been very hot?

I wouldnt mind if some of the

heat was transported over here

it was snowing the other day, but

has not been too bad the last week.

Today is Saturday & we have to 

walk about 4 miles to a lecture.

On Wednesday I had a long

walk to one of the large towns

near here, About 15 miles altogether

The game wasn't worth the [[?]]

I sent you £2 in a registered letter

about a month ago - I wonder if

it will ever reach you -

The old French woman in this

billet is a hard case, she is   

About 80 lives by herself, is

A good old soul & told me her

whole history the other night, don't

think she has ever been out of

the village -

I have'nt seen where any of the

Redcamp horses have won any

races yet though I keep a look out

for them -

This is a rotten letter but anything

of interest there may

[*be to tell would be cut out by censor -

must stop now love to all Your loving son

Gerald*]

D.G Evans

Good-bye

love to all

Your loving son

Gerald

France

My dear Minnie.

This is

going to be a very short

note as I have already

written to mother & Evan tonight

I got three letters from you

today and a lot of papers

also the hamper from the

Mutual store, it is very nice

and had a note from you

in it. It had sox gloves

biscuits plum pudding etc

in it & was very acceptable

I got 15 letters today & don't

know how I am going to

read all the papers luckily

we won't be doing anything

for a day or two & that will

give me a chance.

I also got a pair of sox

2

from Mrs Hungerford &

Meallie Stevenson.

You will be going strong up

to your neck in the harvest

now, and will be pretty

short handed.

I got a Xmas card from Nellie

Stanley today very nice of

her, I wish you would thank

her for me.

I had a letter from Carrie

she is a most ardent

patriot

Ken, might go & visit Aunt

Sallie's great aunt if you

let him know the address -

& again he mightn't I have

not had any letter from her

by the way what unit is

Trevor in -

I saw Charlie M^cCardel

the other night, that boy has

done well here and came

along absolutely on his own

France

1-12-16

My dear Evan

I have received

two letters from you today

dated Oct - I believe the

earlier October mail went down

on the Arabia -

Am glad to hear everything is

going along so well at home

it has been jolly cold today

& am hoping it will snow -

I saw Clive Williams for a couple

of minutes today he is in

the 1^st Battalion - Also young

Coryeno from Bobinawarrah he

has his commission -

I have not seen Austin

Mahony for some time but

hear that he has a commission

and the Military Cross so has

done very well, good luck to him

2

You seem to have done

very well with the cattle. they

must be very dear now.

Alec Campbell has gone on

some engineering job and

will probably get his

Captaincy out of it -

They seem to have rejected

a lot of the eligibles who

were examined - I wonder why

We had a sports meeting the

other day I competed in the

Football Kicking but was out

of form - we played the

7^th Battalion and beat them

easily - some very good men

were playing including several

league players.

Harry must have had a

painful time with him.

I am second in command

of the Company now, a host

of original officers returned

to the battalion as well as others

3

from hospital and that to

go back a yard it doesn't

matter much really, as I am

with a very decent chap who

was in D coy with me ever since

I joined the Battalion.

Young Jarrott has gone to

Hospital, it seems a shame

to send boys like him over

here -

I had a letter from Ken - he

is in England I expect he

will stay there three months

at least -

I received a hamper from

the Mutual Store tonight

sent by mother & Minnie it

is very good -

I will ring off now.

Love to all

Your affec bro

Gerald

Censored

D.G Evans

France

8-12-16

My dear Mother

As today is

my birthday think I had better

write to you & I had my last

birthday in Egypt and it was

a bit warmer than this -

however I have a good camp

and plenty of tucker today

and what more could a man

wish for?

Yesterday Archie Patterson came

to see me he is in the 59^th

Battalion and I don't think he

fancies soldiering very much

perhaps he will like it better

when he has been at the

war awhile. One of Billy

Torge's sons was with him they

both looked very well -

2

I saw Cliff Anderson too

he is in A Coy, 24^th Battalion

poor little Cliff is not very keen

either, he was wounded in July

with a piece of shrapnel, he

look very well and weighs over

12 st - Also saw Austin Mahony

and congratulated him on his

Military Cross -

The mail closes finally for

Australia tomorrow & you should

get lots of letters from me if

all I wish have written reach

you alright -

I have not heard from Ken

yet. No doubt he is having

a good old time in England.

I don't think it will be

too bad for the next couple of

weeks if the weather does'nt

go mad altogether.

I have not finished the

contents of the hamper you

sent me yet and am taking

3

the bovril & chocolate right

in with me, I gave the

balaclava & mittens to one of

the boys who didn't have one. -

I have not been able to get

any cable forms lately so

have not been able to send

any to you, but will send

one to you before Xmas -

You will all be having a

bonzer time then, I will

be home for the next one

so it will be quite alright

I must stop now with

best love to all

Your loving son

Gerald

D.G. Evans 

CABLEGRAM

Via Pacific  London 23/12/16  1.3  15

Evans

Redcamp

Via Wangatta

Merry Xmas all very well love

eighth December

Gerald

1.3

2.40