Letters of Gerard Henderson Cowan, 1916-1917 - Part 2

3DCL 3660(1)
(4)
and spent a very pleasant
afternoon there and in
the evening Mary & I
caught the half past seven
train to Perth and went
to a three act play, acted
by by Guild fordians, it
was very good indeed
on Saturday 29/7/16.
On Friday evening I went to
the Henn's and spent a very
pleasant evening there
Jean had asked two Miss
Padburys and a master
Padbury there for the
evening. We played ping
pong & consequences and
had a very jolly evening.
Re mothers 4 questions.
As far a I know I received
all your letters except the
first one she wrote to me

No 6933
11 Battalion
3^rd Brigade
A.I.F.
On active service
Dear Dad, xx
I think this is your turn for
a letter.
Right up to the present we have had
very decent weather except for two
slightly rough days when we were
about a week out. Now it is very
warm.
We have called at two ports since
leaving Fremantle and found both
very interesting and I beleive we
call at a third in a few days
time where this mail will be
posted. The first port off call I
have described as much as we
were allowed to in other letters.
The second port entered at 

night and the thousands of lights
made a very pretty spectacle.
The view in the morning was grand,
you could ^ see the town stretching away
several miles and rising close up
behind it were mountains about 2000
or 3000 feet or more. These mountains
were very steep and rugged and
at sunrise and sun-set the different
tints and shadows made them look
magnificent. There were some very
fine tram rides here, but as the
trams here were not free and as
we did not have pay day before
going ashore I was unable to do
more than buy some dinner
a fewx ^post cards and one or two
views odds and ends I wanted on
the voyage.
Fruit here was plentiful and
the strawberries were the finest 

I have ever seen. Some of the streets
were broad and well laid out, but
in the older parts, both streets and
footpaths were very narrow.
I went through the Museum and
publick gardens. The museum was
small but very interesting, but I
don't think it is as good as the
Perth museum. The gardens were.
very pretty and down one side
was a fine avenue of oaks.
We stayed there three days but were
only allowed on shore from
II am to 3 pm on the first day
while the vessel was in dock.
I am looking forward to a fat bundle
of letters when we get to where we
are going.
love to all x
Gerard. 

No 6933
11 Battalion
3^rd Brigade
A.I.F.
On active service
26/12/16
Dear Dad, Mother, Helen & Frank
A mail closes for Australia
at 6p.m. and we are limited to one
sheet per letter. We are still on the water
and all well. We spent a very decent Xmas
indeed. We were carrying 2000 Xmas bll
billies among our cargo and these
were given out to the men. We had a
billie each and a tinned plum pudding
between two. My billie contained two
packets of cigarettes one tin of Yankee
Doodle tofbacco, two packets of chewing
gum, some butter scotch, a tinned
plum pudding, toothbrush, shaving soap
and a pipe It was packed by the Victoria
League Perth. Many others however were
packed by private people and had
letters in them saying who they were from
and wishing the Soldier a merry Xmas
Quite a number of fellows received
 people they knew
well. Well may you
have had a very merry 
Xmas and happy new year
when this reaches you
Love to all
Gerard

HARTLEBURY CASTLE
DEC 28 1916
Dear Mr Cowan,
I have heard from your Mother that you have come to
England for active service & I believe that you are distantly
connected with me through the du Boulays. I should be glad to hear
from you & if there is anything I can to do shall be glad.
I remain,
your faithfully
Huyshe Worcester
(Lord Bishop of Worcester.) 

December 31 1915
December 31 1915
My dear Ross
We had heard that your boy Gerard had joined up and was coming home
and Helen wrote to you a few days ago to say how glad we shall be to see something 
of him if he finds himself anywhere within reach of us; But he will
have to let us know, for as everything is wrapped up in a sort of mystery, we
can only indirectly hear whereabouts anyone, or any ship, happens to be;
I can indeed feel with you on parting with from your son, but, surrounded
as we are here with Mothers who have had to send out every boy they have, I can
only feel glad that you will not have to part with more than this one; It is
all terribly sad this war and everything connected with it; but still we 
can begin to see the end in sight now, and, anyway, I dont think we shall ever
have any repetitions of those disgraceful impossible expeditions which were due
to the interference of ignorant Politicians; We are also at last properly provided
with Artillery and ammunition, and this goes a very long way in saving
the lives of our own soldiers, so that we ought to be able think that the
really worst part of the fighting is over- You cannot help feeling proud, I 
am sure, that your boy has joined as a Volunteer, for I suppose it is still
possible that you may have compulsory service as we had to at last; It was a
bitter fight here until that Nation saw that it had to come, and things are now
slowly settling down under the new system; Of course this war is yours just as
such as it is ours - if we were to go under, and our Fleet defeated, nothing
could save either Australia or New Zealand; We have heard that it was the 
votes of the Irish, the Women and the Ministers of Religion which threw out
National service for you; I wonder what the truth was? I read however that 
W.A. had voted for it; We were sorry to hear about your mothers illness 

which I fear has left its mark on her, but trust both she and Walter have
been a little better lately, and that she had not worried too much about the
war; which must have interfered with your father's business; at least it has
with every form of business here, except those directly connected with Munition
I cannot describe to you the general state of the country here; The
prices of everything have risen so that £1 is worth about 16/0 from a purchasing 
point of view; Then the Government takes one quarter of everyone's income to 5/0
in the £, leaving us to fight for something under a year, to get back the difference
between this and the proper amount payable, whatever it is; The women
are gradually coming forward to take men's places, but out weak point seems
to be agriculture, for they don't take to that, and so we are seriously threatened
with a shortage of food;
Nina enjoyed her Remount work very much, but they gave each girl five
horses to clean and exersise and look after, which was really too much; She
hopes soon to join one of the London Hospitals, but has been nursing here ever
since the Remount establishment was broken up; Dodie is working daily at the

Admiralty in London 9 to 4-30. and likes her work very much; She has been
nursing previously since the outbreak of the War; Helen works at War Guild work
sewing - knitting & c. and also packs up parcels for our Prisoners in Turkey, and
I keep the books of the latter fund, as running a Savings Bank, and have worked 
out several inventions, some of which I hope may be of use;
With every good wish for the coming year to you and yours and all the
others at Geraldton
Your affecate Uncle
Ernest du Boulay 

No 6933
Reply Left. Cowen Company C Batt 11 Regt
Stationed at no 3 Australian Camp
Durrington
Feb 4^th 1917
Dear Dad,
Just as few lines as I hear a mail leaves
on the x  6^th.
It is now nearly a month since landing here, though
it is very hard to imagine it is that long.
I do not like the climate any more, but thank
goodness the days are getting longer, not that
we see any more sun which seems to be an
unknown quantity in this country, but we
have a little more n misty light now than
when we first landed.
I have heard that this is the severest winter
they have had for 10 years.
For a week or so we have had very little xxx
snow but every thing has been frozen except
large bodies of water.
The fire buckets in the huts are just a solid 

mass of ice and all the water taps ^ except one in our
wash room were frozen and owing to
a burst pipe or tap the floor was flooded and
was soon a mass of ice two or three inches
thick. It was eventually broken, up and shovelled
out side where it remains in a great heap now.
I have just been through a two days bombing school
and intend to get into a four or ten days school
if possible as it is extremely interesting work.
There is absolutely no chance of transferring
to the artillery and only the barest to the
flying corp, they take two men from a Batt
now and again, but you have to have special
qualifications to be picked.
I am writing this from Salisbury. Friel & I procured
passes and came in here this morning.
We have the Cathedral which is magnificent and
also very old and all other places of interest
Ill The Poultry cross (built 1335) St Anne's gate (1331)