Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family and a condolence letter, June 1916 - c. September 1918 - Part 12

2               21.6.17

 

waiting for us & I was taken to No 2 Red Cross

Hospital. This was a hospital for officers only

& was situated in a monastery on the heights

in a suburb of Rouen. There were two huts

in the courtyard & I was put in Hut II

I was still treated as a stretcher case but

was allowed to get up to have a bath or

wash. The C.O. had a look at me the first

day I was there 16th & said that I was to

be sent to England. Next day another M.O.

came round but didn't examine me. He

marked my sheet "For operation" but I told 

him that there was nothing to operate on-

he just crossed out the objectional phrase

& left the word England on the sheet. He

asked me could I go as a sitting case & I

thankfully said "Certainly, yes". The next two

days 17th & 18th I spent in bed but got up

at 5 a.m. on the 19th had a bath, shave, &

dressed.  After having breakfast I sat in the

front of the motor ambulance & we went

thro' the main streets to the other side of Rouen

as I spent a day in Rouen about this time

ten years ago it was a very interesting drive

for me as I knew all the principal places.

We left Rouen by ambulance train at 8.30 a.m.

& arrived alongside a hospital ship at Havre

at about 12.30 but did not go aboard until

2 p.m. We steamed out of Havre at 9.30 p.m.

just as it was getting dark & arrived in

dock at Southampton at 8 a.m. next day.

The 20th. We left there in an ambulance train

at 12.30 & arrived in London at 2.45 p.m.

Three of us Australian officers (walking cases)

were driven here in a fine big private

motor car. A doctor came & saw me &

3       21.6.17

 

asked if I was alright but I was not examined

until today. The M.O. said ^then that an operation

wasn't necessary -that what I needed was

rest & that I would go before a board. So

I won't know until then, about 4 days from

now, what they intend to do in my case.

There were three Casualty Clearing Stations

together at Grevillers, 2 British & 1 Australian,

& they took it in to have receiving day. I

was fortunate in arriving there the day the

3rd Aust C.C.S. was receiving patients. While I

was in the receiving tent waiting for the M.O.

to see me an orderly came up to me. He was

very surprised when I called him by name as

he did not know me - & I had never seen him

before, but I had often danced with his sisters

& the whole family are as alike as peas. They

are the Freedmans of Carlton. This particular

one used to go to school with Hal & remembered

Ern & I returning from S.Africa. I met another

one, who was a staff sergeant-major, when I was

at Broadmeadows - he used to go to school with

Frank. The latter one has joined the Royal Flying

Corps in England.  There were only two

other officers as patients in the C.S.S. both "Tommies",

one was an infantry brigadier-general & the other

the artillery staff captain of the division to which

Frank's battery was attached when I left the

line. We had nurses to ^loo after us - two of

them came from Melbourne - it seemed like

a breath of HOME to hear an Australian girl

talking again.  Fritz must have got

word that I was clearing out, perhaps not

to return, for he threw some lumps of hate

pretty close to where I was the day I left

4       21.6.17

 

left Grevillers. The first incident occurred as they

were putting us into the ambulance train. A

couple of Taubes came over very high up & dropped

½ a dozen bombs - they  did no damage however. Then

when we got to Achier-le-Grand about half an hour

later while we we were taking on some more

patients from the C.C.S. there, Fritz started shelling

the C.C.S. & the railway line. Our train had

to push out about a mile up the line for a

couple of hours until the shelling ceased. One

train passed us with all the carriages covered

with dirt thrown there by a shell which had

burst on the railway embankment & when

we went back to the C.C.S. there was another

train in the siding which bore marks of the

shelling - all the trucks & carriages were luckily

empty for one (marked "reserved for officers") had

all the windows smashed & on the top of the

next one was the big stump of a tree which

had been thrown there by the shell burst.

One of the stretcher bearers who carried

me from the C.C.S. into the ambulance train

used to work at Sturrock's - he did not

recognise me until I spoke to him.

I had a good view lying down looking out of

the carriage window of another section of

the Somme advance. We passed thro' Miramont

the taking of which Frank's brigade assisted

the British R.F.A. last Feb & Beaumont Havel

which fell last Nov just as we arrived

into the line on the Somme front.

Besides the Red Cross sisters at the Red Cross

hospital Rouen we had a couple of V.A.D.

(Volunteer and Detachment) nurses. Some

of the other officers used to tease these

poor girls unmercifully.  The beds in

5       21.6.17

 

the hut I was in were all subscribed for

by people in Brazil. There were 18 beds in

the ward 5 of which were maintained by the

British Women of Ponto de Vero & 4 by the Brazilian

Women of some other town. Of the remainder some

were maintained by mining companies & some

by private individuals. Hut I had a 

gramaphone & so did a ward adjoining us

Hut I had nearly all ballads & high class

records & the other ward principally ragtime,

comics & band pieces & when they both

took it into their heads to play at the

same time we poor beggars in Hut II heard

some wee harmony. We have rather a good

gramaphone in the ward here with all the

latest song & music records.   We had

a lovely train journey from Rouen to Havre

but I will not describe it as I did the

same trip the same ^time of the year (a week later)

in 1916.  When I got down into my

cabin on the hospital ship I saw the masting

had Adelaide Steamship Coy on it. The boat

turned out to be HMAT Warilda. How I

wished she was doing her usual trip

around the Australian coast with me on

board. I had two of the best meals on board

her that I have had for many a long day -

not white rolls for breakfast an unheard of

luxury nowadays in this part of the world.

Here in England the bread which is made

of different kinds of flour (maize, oat & wheat)

must be at least 12 hours old before it

can be sold. I think I have written

enough for one letter so will close with

fond love to all.

Your loving son.

Charlie

No 3  London General Hospital.

Wardsworth.  London

23.6.17

 

76

 

Dear Father & Mother,

Do you remember me writing in one of my letters

about the 3 Charles, one from each battery, all riding

back to their gunpits together after attending a

Field General Court Martial. Well: by another strange

coincidence the same 3 Charlies are all in this

hospital at present - the only officers from our

brigade - Lt Chas m Chase, 49th Bty; Lt. Chas.M. Orr 50th

Bty & Lt Chas E Gatliff 51st Bty. The other two were

both wounded but not seriously & are making good

progress towards recovery. Lt Orr is in the same ward

as I am - in a bed opposite me.  Hal & Frank

have also both been patients in this hospital.

As I am marked for a board I am allowed to

got out. As I have been laying up for a fortnight

now my legs feel fairly right. I went out for a

couple of hours yesterday into the City & back.

Today I am taking all my kit to the hotel where

I stay when on leave I am anxious to see what

curios of mine have been commandeered on my

trip from the Front to here. The Staff Sgt. Major at

the hospital at Rouen told me that they had taken

some cartridge cases & fuses out of my valise but

2      23.6.17

 

I think they overlooked my two kitbags. All the

officers who are well enough to get up have their

meals in a big officers' mess - there about 200 of us.

There is a notice on the wall as follows - "Officers are

asked as a point of honour to prevent waste - even

of the smallest piece of bread or meat". Now that

potatoes are so scarce we always get them boiled in

their jackets to save the waste caused by peeling

them now. We are allowed plenty of the three

commodities of which there is a great shortage

outside i.e. bread, potatoes & sugar. The

strawberry season is now in full swing - yesterday

we had large quantities of them for dessert. At 

Rouen we used to take it in turns to send out

for enough strawberries & cream to go round the

whole ward. By Jove! the first lot I tasted did

seem good - the strawberries (not hot house ones) over

here seem to be sweeter & have more flavor than those

in Australia. I haven't heard from Hal or Frank

since I left the battery. I daresay Frank will be over

here on leave very shortly - he is due for it but is

waiting until his majority comes out in orders

Fond love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

Address all letters

until further notice:-

 

C/o "British-Australasian

115 High Holborn

London V/CI

England

26.6.17

 

Dear Father & Mother,

I went before the medical board yesterday

Their verdict was "unfit for active service -

home service (England) for 1 month & then another

board". I have two weeks out of the month

on sick leave & then I go to our training

depot at Perham Downs, Salisbury. Unless

I can get a clerical job, work at the

training camp will be more severe on my

legs than if I were still in the line

If I find it so I will apply for 3 months leave

to Australia to give my legs a good rest on

the sea voyage - & if they refuse me I will

apply to be sent back to the front again.

Enclosed are some photos which I know you

will welcome. I will send some more in

other letters. As I may be over here for

some months to come you can continue writing

me (as above address). The B.A. will forward

letters on to me.

Fond love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

Premier Hotel         2.7.17

Russell Square

London W.C.I

 

Dear Father & Mother,

When I was over on leave last May I went

for trips out to Ruislip & to Epping Forest.

Yesterday I went out to Pinner which is not

far from Ruislip. Pinner is only 12 miles north

of London & it only takes 20 minutes to get

there by the electric railway & yet it is

quite an old fashioned place situated in

charming rustic scenery. I had lunch &

tea at the Queen's Head an old time inn

dating back to 1705 - opposite it is a house

with the date 1603. It was hard to believe

that a war was on for once I was at a

place where khaki ^ did not everlastingly meet my

gaze, altho' on the outskirts of the village

there is a convalescent home for wounded

soldiers & not far away at Harefield is

the general hospital where most of the

wounded & sick Australian N.C.O's &

privates are sent to.  I am taking

things very quietly & my legs are now

feeling O.K. but I don't know how I

2      

London    2.7.17

 

will get on when I go to the training

camp next week.  A couple of

days ago I noticed in the daily papers

that the R.M.S. Mongolia had been sunk

by a mine off Bombay & that a large

soldier's mail for Australia had gone down

with her. As I write you every few days

I suppose some of my letters were lost.

Neither Hal nor Frank have written to

me 4 since I have been over here this time.

I saw Charlie Chase (of Hal's battery wounded)

on Friday. He said that he had heard

that Hal "has his crown up". - so that's

good news. No word about Frank & his

majority.  Some more snaps enclosed

Received letters dated Apr 16 & 17 from Lil,

dated Apr 29 from Mater & dated Apr 29 from

Pater but none from Ern. They had

been forwarded on from France.

Fond love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

C/o "British-Australasian"

115 High Holborn

London    WCI

6.7.17

 

Dear Father & Mother,

I am sending a few more snapshots -

they were all taken about the same time

but since Fritz sank the Mongolia with a

soldiers' mail on board I don't want to

"put all my eggs (photos) in one basket (letter)"

They are numbered on the back as follows:-

10/ Ammunition dump exploded by German shell fire

No. 6 gun in tree, gunpit on right 49th Bty AFA  27.5.17

11/ No 6 gunpit showing hole caused by shell which

tossed the gun right out of pit on to tree on right.

13/ No 6 gun 49th Bty   27.5.17}  after being

14/  "     "    "        "       "           "     } shelled by

16/ No 3 gunpit  "      "           "    }   Fritz

17/ No 2       "       "        "           "   }

I haven't heard from either of the two brats

in France since I last wrote. Have heard that

our brigade is now out of the line - at last!

No news at present - have been to one or two

plays during the week & have done a lot of

reading (& loafing) at my hotel.

Fond love to all

Your loving son 

Charlie