Letters of Gerard Henderson Cowan, 1918-1919 - Part 1

8/2/18
Dear Mum
Latest event is that all C Coy which
I am in is isolated for measles.
We are not allowed out of the camp and
cannot even go to be Signal School
however we are carrying on with the work and
hope not to be very backward when our classification
comes round. I m feeling wild I was getting on
fairly well in the school and we should have
classified about the end of march now we will
be possibly three weeks or a month later
and as I want to be a fully classified Sig
as soon as possible on account of the aviation
I don't welcome the isolation
Also Ted was going to France sometime
this week and we were both going to a dance
on Wednesday evening, of course isolation has
settled that. I wont even be able to go to [[?]] 
on Sunday to see is he has left or not.
Apart from the measles everything is fairly
satisfactory the winter has been extremely
mild not very much colder than the winter
 

would be at Gin Gin or Perth
We have only had about 3 falls of snow and not
a great deal of rain and ^there has been quite a

remarkable amount
of sunshine for winter time on else I am getting
used to tall ships and don't notice it so much
Aunt Lucys parcel of toffee and a parcel of jam

chocolate

honey and sugar arrived safely and as you may
quess I was glad to get them.
Chocolates are almost a nonentity in this country
and I think all sweets soon well be
I have been swotting up on Vickers and [[?]]
machine guns as the more I know about them
the more chance I've got for the flying Corps.
Oh just a word on in your last letter you mentioned
that Walt wanted to put something in the paper
about me. Well I don't wany any such rot put
and I leave it to you all at home to see nothing
is put in. What I did is helping to carry out
that man was nothing. I ran no more risk
walking out over the top than staying in
the trench, probably less as Fritz was giving
the trench particular. Hell when we left it
and as for continuing to carry the stretcher
when I was hit it was nothing the wound was only slight
and it wouldn't have done any one any good
to be stop in an place where were were
 

(3)
likely to have exposed to Shrapnel and H.E. shells. 
You say Clement was wrote say about me, well you
can tell Dirchsey that or that Clement is a plucky as
you make them and had some particularly
narrow [[?]]. Then he was not only in the first stunt
that I was wounded in but ^was in the two or three
following stunts which were a good deal worse
than the first.
I just had a letter from him a few days ago
he is in hospital in England having slipped off
a frozen duck board when going up to the line
and sprained his knee which I am glad to say
brought him to Blighty. I fancy he must be
on furlough at present as I have had no reply to
my letter
Re your question about the wound it was only
a muscle wound and does not effect me now
I was caused by a splinter of H.E (high explosive) shell.
not shrapnel note the difference
Drawn description of differences between explosive and schrapnel devices - see original document
 

(4)
Hope you like my sketches.
The Australians you saw in the pictures
marching in single file where probably marching
in what is known as artillery formation,
marching in sections in single file each section
being about 50 or 60 yards from the next.
then you see if a shrapnel on an HE bursts near
it naturally does not get so many men as it
would it they were bunched up in Column
of fours
Well today is the eighth and Frank’s  birthday
wish him many happy returns. Also wish [[?]] happy returns of 10th Helen in case
the letters which I wrote to them both have not

arrived
I have had a couple of letters from Clive but

I have not heard from Ethel for ages and I

am sure she is writting don't know what to

make of it all.

Well mum lone to all

Gerard
 

Dear Dad
There is very little
news. Being isolated for measles
we have to remain in
camp and it is mighty
slow I don't know how
we are going to stick it
for 21 days
A few Australian letters
dated Oct are still coming
in. I wonder if you
get the mail at home
in the same manner.
I had all or nearly
all my november
mail long before the

Oct mail began to turn
up However I don't think
any letters from you
all at home have gone
astray which is the main
thing
The winter had been wonderfully
warm this year it is more
like spring at present and
it continues all the trees
will be out in leaf, even
now the buds are beginning
to swell
Strange that last winter should
be so extremely. Severe
and this so mild.
Helen seems to have had
a gay time at Mt Magnet

from all accounts
and Gran seems to
have enjoyed herself too.
Have not had any letters
from any one in England
lately the last was from
Uncle Ernest. He wrote
saying he had had letters
from Australia and
giving me any new 
he thought might interest
me
Well Dad your letters
from home give me just
the news I want and buck
me up tremendously.
Love to all
Gerard

ROYAL FLYING CORPS,

QUEEN'S COLLEGE,

OXFORD.
Dear Aunt Bertha
I must apologise for
not having written fo to you for such
a time. We were isolated for measles
in camp at Warminster for over
two weeks, and since then I have
been transferred to the Australian
Flying Corps and am present
at the above College going throw
through a course of Aeronautics
which lasts for six weeks.
If I pass successfully we then go
to Uxbridge for two weeks
instruction on machine guns

from there we have to go to
some aerodrome and have to do
so many hours flight before we
are entitled to our wings. As soon
as we have earned those however
we get of our Commission.
The course is a pretty stiff one
as a great deal has to be learnt
in a short time, but I hope to get
through successfully.
Oxford appears to be a very
pretty old place, but I have a
good deal of it to see yet.
We have very little time to
go sight seeing here, our studies
take up all our time
I have been for one or two
short walks

 I left camp last Tuesday and
went to London to be examined
by the Medical Board. I passed
successfully. I came here to
Oxford last Friday
While in London I went to see
Mrs Walcott but she had gone
to Ryde, however I saw Rhoda
we lunched together of Friday.
Nina I believe is taking up ambulance
driving as she wishes to go to France
I had mail from home dated
January the 3rd. All were well.
There should be another one
in by now and I am looking
forward to hearing from them
again

Well Aunt as I have a great number
of lectures to write up I must
close
from
your effecate nephew

Gerard H Cowan