Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family and a condolence letter, June 1916 - c. September 1918 - Part 2

                            4                  5.1.17

take ours in Australia but are either two sapling

trunks braced together -  which are very shaky

structures or else reinforced concrete posts

which are very good. The insulators are made f

green glass. At 7.10 we arrived at Sens old

Cathedral here — junctions of Yonne & Varni rivers

into the Seine. Long viaduct before reaching Port-sur

Younie at 7.35. Reached Montreau at 8.10AM. Tea at

Cape de la Gare Very poor meal for 3 fc 50c. Strolled

round town but nothing of interest to be seen there

left Montreau at 9.30PM just as it was getting

dark. To sleep at 10 P.M This trips from Marseilles

 to Paris is generally travelled over by the pleasure

seeking people in the Monte Carlo & Riveria season

on one of the fast espressos which generally

travel at night time & do the trip in a few

hours. Our trip was on a slow troop train 
& yet it went all too fast for my liking

People who travel overland to catch the

mail boat to Australia at Marseilles also

travel by the P.l.M. express. I don't think they

know what they miss or else they would

certainly travel by a slow train. As my

notes were written whilst on the train was often

jolting the spelling of some of the names of places

en route has been hard to decipher but with

a railway map I will be able to correct them.

Will continue the journey from Paris to Havre

some other time. Fond love to all from

Your loving son Charlie

1   France 13           7.1.17

Dear Father & Mother,

The last two days have been bitterly

cold — too cold to write but I suppose I must

keep up to my reputation for letter writing

Here all days are the same — the same work has

to be done each & every day. I have no difficulty

in remembering the date I have too many blanky

returns to furnish each day to let me forget 

that, but I very seldom know what day of the

week it is. Today the Padre came along & I

thought he was just paying me a friendly visit

until it suddenly dawned on me that it

must be Sunday & he was after holding a

service for the men — such was the case. The

time slips by very quickly here — I can scarcely

realize that a fortnight has gone since Xmas

day. Nothing startling has happened since I

last wrote. I am still in a safe position at

the major lines. Frank if he is back from leave

will also be perfectly safe for a couple of weeks

to come as his battery is out resting. Hal is

up at the gun position but is safe & well.

Woods made famous in history by the Great

Push are now nothing but a mass of shattered

trunks — I am looking forward to seeing how

Nature will assert herself when Springtime

comes. Here, what was once green hills &

valleys is now a sea ^of mud with great shell

holes & networks of trenches scattered about

2           7.1.17 continued on 10.1.17

Now that I have got things in running order I often

get an hour or so free during the daytime. I started

to write the first part of this letter before tea on the 7^th

but it was so cold that I took my boots off & got

into my blankets at 5PM. It was too awkward to

write in bed altho' I censored some letters & did some

office work. Next day it was not so cold but I had to

go to Bde Hdqrs & the gunpits & did not get back

till late. It was then blowing a regular gale &

I thought my tent would get blown down so

I got into bed while it was safe. I saw Hal

at the gunpits & he was quite O.K. I brought

back some letters of his to be posted. They were

to Croxton Em & Olive. I put my initials on

the envelopes. The day following it was again

bitterly cold; so much so, that I turned in at

4.30P.M. when it gets dark here. I again censored

letters & did a little reading — the first for a long

time. On the 6^th Fritz got his high velocity

gun going during the afternoon & shelled pretty

heavily in the direction of where our wagon lines

were last time we were in. On the night of the

7^th ^he got very nasty & put some HV shells over in

the direction of our present positions — one came

unpleasantly close to us & another very close to

the wagon lines of one of the other batteries — the 

rest all went wide or far of us. He was

evidently sweeping ........ & searching.

He put three lots over. I was awake when

3        7.1.17 continued 10.1.17

he fired the first two lots at 9.40 & 11 P.M. but

woke up at 3AM with a nasty feeling that something

was happening — then I heard his third lot going over

The gunpits are in a pretty safe position & are

evidently enlocated by Fritz — very different from the

last time we were in when all the batteries except

Hal's were in a exceedingly warm spot. The battery 

Hal relieved then, had been blown out of this position

alongside the other batteries & had to retire to a safer

position 2000 yds further back. This time our 

battery has had no casualties — the other batteries

have all had slight casualties amongst drivers

taking up ammunition. Hal of course lost Lieut

Brown — a gunner when on F.O.Q duty. It is

simply marvellous the quantity of ammunition

both sides fire without anyone being hit.

I saw Lieut. Pamphilon of the Light Horse doing

traffic control duty when I went to B H Q the

day before yesterday. I have not seen him since

we were in camp together at Broadmeadows.

We were talking about the H V gun shelling

the previous night & he said he thought he

had the safest place on this — but he changed

his mind that night as Fritz put some of

his H V staff near his dugout. At present

it has us rather "rattled" because it is

new to us I suppose — we will get used

to it in time like everything else — even this

blooming everlasting blanky MUD.

4           7.1.17 continued 10.1.17

Fritz delights in shelling one particular corner on the

way to the Gunpits. When I was at B H Q I told the

C. O. I was going to the G.P. He told me to be

careful at this corner. I told him I wouldn't

greatly loiter there. Strange to say just as I got

there he put three over but they all went wide

Coming back I called at B H Q & the Colonel said

they saw Fritz put the shells over & he reckoned

I would be about there & was anxious to know

how I was. There is nothing startling about

these incidents but they are about one & I 

think that is what you desire to hear about

most, anything concerning ay one of us three.

Hal told me that he was in the trenches

with his group commanders when the sgt acting

as guide said they were in a trench that

Fritz could enfilade & as he was shelling their

way at the time they hastened to move on

I don't know exactly how it happened but

Hal fell on top of the Colonel who he pushed

into the mud. The Colonel by the way happened

to be Cox-Taylor — he is rather stout & heavily built

Have heard that Frank is expected back

here in a couple of days & as they pass in 

wagon lines I will keep a look-out for him

Trust all at home are keeping well

Fond love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

1     France 13      12.1.17

Dear Father & Mother,

I kept a look-out this morning & saw Frank

on his way to his new position. He was looking

very well after his holiday in "Blighty" (England)

Rather a coincidence when on active service that

he should have spent the two last Xmases at

the Giffords Xmas 1915 from Gallipoli & Xmas

1916 from France. Of course he said he had had

a royal time — trust him for that, so now I

can give you news firsthand that all three

of us are in good health & spirits. I spent

this afternoon paying the men here & tomorrow

will go up to the gunpits to pay the men

there when I will again see Hal. Now that

we are several miles apart I try to ride

up to see that he is O.K. every third or

fourth day. Frank's battery, like mine, will be

split up but for a week or two he will

take over other B. C's batterie while they

are on leave. He will be close to Hal while

there & then he will come back near me,

So we will now ^all be able to keep in touch

with each other. Every time I pay the men

I have to sign their paybooks & all letters

I censor I sign my name on both the letter &

their envelope & every day there are numberless

official letters & returns to sign so by now

I guess I have signed my name once 

during the war I have signed it 1,000,000 times

2       13       12.1.17

During the day often think of things to write

you but at night, after I have finished off

everything I sit down to write I don't

seem able to collect my thoughts. Nearly

every night lately it has been raining with

the days cloudy & misty consequently only an

occasional aeroplane is to be seen & sometimes

for over a week not one balloon goes up. Last

time we were in, it was bitterly cold but

generally clear for observation & 30 or 40 

"sausages" (as the observation balloons are called)

were generally to be seen in the air near

here whilst at times the air seemed fairly

alive with aeroplanes of all shapes & sizes

singly, in pairs, & in flights of 7 or 8. Altho'

all the rain we have had lately makes this

place muddier than ever, one good things in

its favor it is not so cold then as when it

is fine — but it is quite cold enough — too cold

by a long way, for my liking. How I am

looking forward to my next leave — I think

what I will appreciate most then will be

to be nice & clean sitting in a comfortable

chair smoking in front of a cosy fire Some

of the officers in Frank's brigade & the D. O. C.

who were on leave at the same time as I

last was & afterwards are going on leave 

a second time but our beggars are nearly

all "playing the old soldier" going sick

3     13    12.1.17

so as to get a few days' extra leave. I have

seen several derelict tanks — there was one close

to our last position & there is also one right

alongside one of the dugouts at our gunpits now;

but I have not seen one in action yet. I

suppose I will have plenty of opportunities of

seeming them in full swing when the next

big offensive takes place in the Spring.

When we were in training in Egypt & up at

our "home from home" up the line we would

have been courtmartialled if we had dared

to blow a trumpet or bugle & yet here where

"the fight" really is you can hear them being

blown all day. And nearly every day you

can see a band on the road — all the

regiments have them including the A.I.F.

I saw in an "Age" the other day that they

were proceeding with the electric tram from

Fitzroy to Preston. I suppose that will be

the one along St George's Road which the

Northcote Council tried to block because

they thought it would outrival their old

cable tram in High St. Cable trams in

Melbourne will be a thing of the past,

I guess, by the time I return there.

Fond love to all trust all are well

Your loving son

Charlie

France 13          18.1.17

Dear Father Mother,

Just a few lines to let you know

that I went up to the Gun positions

today & saw both Hal & Frank. They

were both well & in excellent spirits.

Hal said to me he was surprised how

well he was standing the cold. Snow

everywhere — think it will thaw tonight

am tired & cold — so will close now

Have very little time for letterwriting

Fond love to all

Chas

13     France    22.1.17

Dear Father & Mother

Still too busy — & too cold to

write you at any length. Are in

the throes of a revolution (reorganization)

Hal is certain of a majority as battery

commander — Frank is captain as battery

captain — & I am lieutenant as Station

Commander. Was battery captain about

3 months & acting battery commander

exactly 2 months & now I go back to

Section commander. Frank formed his

battery & has been its battery commander

10 months & now has to go as battery

captain (second in command) — still, its

a way they have in the army. Have

seen Hal a couple of times since

I last wrote. Most likely I will

have Major Lister, my O.C. in the 

B. A. C. Egypt, as my new B. C. —

I will be pleased to be under him

again. Snow has been on the ground

for the last 6 days & the mud

is all frozen hard. So that you can

walk on it anywhere. Mail from

Australia has arrived with letters 

for me from you all.

Love to all

Yr loving son Charlie