Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family and a condolence letter, June 1916 - c. September 1918 - Part 21

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
AWM2019.22.290
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

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th tenke ate aie Feppor w4 with the line. Ihase thest pope 4 the porses wtht & the menedut settle to be away for the rest the next offse to goo sarted this port it is vert tieet they Have keft the t the day t ty which the plan when L 14 t pot 4 an 414 til Dpr Don last 3 regt to Ourhata 246 has alreaty Luation 4 wish S1h bs than ser that St t
Dear Fathe - Mother, to disjust instead of received orders to go up to th yesterday to relieve in when I got there I had other subal Hacion Adgrs ao leasion ge up t off oe This morning were do some ther registering as were n te changed i & came in battery 61 who I have kont awrny aep he hours of aglight at present. listening ar the phone the belishoment e had a couple the ptions This 68 out of A stalins 2 and 2 day, atthe rands be sle
Dear Father mother, Like Joh but I don't as morgetially as in pact, when as £0:0) fion the other There are to do here as there altho this is are only on 4 be such since I fast the batt ther. The next to the bettery Of BMn Adgix as ly from ther on leave mr bey to the ba to have the Lgh wel 1 subile 24 12 27.4. 17 f the there 21 1244 the day at to bt 0 has last time
was on was t00 1B on the are Hy was then a cat a major -his nav it sharp One of the best peetures of the war that I & the one one that can fix y idee of the count where w recently pepting as in st Gr 0 ph Ht is an Austalia 178. Wnen Ig by & get a photagy after the mat the Eaphy e is 4 the them as a record af Yesterday was fall o expectal goodner the eather& year Ton night Ft th t yor therl
Edguis dear father & mother Since last writing e dad 1e waslenge the atthe fe th fe way shog a at preset ore a & last letter the way we have to bridge all over one fron batter o bue on I got bak t th bfer fromth brdeathe day before e the rode to the nlybeenth ple o uwhe a me wayhad lt se to bout wit 1 ye bee fored bevege You 14 elp thanke before to be a 16 r at Fesd te shp way tt to be done at tthe WI as gunpl b saeof there are sx many tutl that at pde sery officer up thire. Last night I had to report
today for the the t t suballion was dux te beft 4 10X te captain was going over to the port to register our gins. The infort right are doneg a raid tought & we are ithe I was meeked to shoot the battery while the captan did the ruter out where he can observe wide he as establ He t Deready had £a £6 Fanterrit we the 2 pe al repot ixt 4 aet ad sle 4 the ad Belye
lad wt w I that th there k The Belsuin 18 tother Hather ax of leter fe an t fette m tts 2 di the let not dated Mater dated 1410 ed Ior much has be wene that you he bou
10 been addressed e/a82 115 th 1 Com Depo Perhamp& £24 they all reached me 26 xanspalia field artillery droad o my complite address I get my captainly if I get tansfersed te another battery I will aend youa cal that effect that will p ed p I was delighted with the fnx fott of ppoto Will sent. I think they are see especially like the one of mot rothy I also received a copple of from thil & a couple oft The latter scems to be t inI an lcky pe ps up to the pit for the letter & photos up for I only hope Will has s the sep anyhop if able te spa ty fi rs gold tonight ao few days at it was cold n ago Ion the pape the t they did have am busy paper pip t

No. 28   1   Belgium 10  23.11.17
Dear Father & Mother,
I haven't much of interest to write about
this time. At present I am wagonline king
but unfortunately my  realm at present is
not satisfactory. When we arrived in these
parts 49 & 50 were crowded into lines that
were only made for one battery. 49 were
moving in a couple of days & then we
could have had the lines, which were good
ones, to ourselves. However the Capt decided
to move to some others that had just been
vacated by another unit. Someone tried
to turn us out of there the day we arrived
However next day when I was in charge I
got orders from the Area Commandant, the
Town Major, two Staff Captains, & sundry
other officers to clear out. I sat tight &
told them I only took orders from my C.O.
It was no good — we had to pull out at
4 P.M. just as it was getting dark &
come here. This is an infantry camp without
stables & is alongside of where 49 & 50
were together. I have tried to get back 
there but it has been allotted to another
battery. So, for the last few days I have
been touring the country looking for new
lines but without success Now, we are
shifting to temporary lines in three days
time & after a week there move again

 

No. 28  2  10 3.11.17

to lines in which we will stay as long as we

are in the line. After we have been there a

week I suppose we will get orders to move out

of the line. I hate these moves as it does not

give the horses, vehicles & harness a chance

& the men cant settle down. However I hope

to be away for the next two moves as I am

the next officer go on leave, which has already

started. "This front would dome for the duration" —

it is very quiet here. I am very thankful

we have left the other place a the fighting is

still very severe up there — we can hear the

guns roaring day & night. From the roadway on

a hill on the way to the guns we can see the

chimneys (which we used to us as O.P.S) of 

the place where were a little earlier than

this time last year. I haven't seen Hal

since he went up to the guns but I spoke to

him over the phone from BHQ yesterday &

he was quite alright. I hope you let me

know what month's reinforcements Tom leaves

Australia with — if you do, I can ask some

of the officers I know at Larkhill (the

artillery reinforcement camp in England)

to look out for him & help him if they can.

I am 35 today - this day last year we were

moving out of the Somme for 3 weeks rest at Nowra —  this

day 2 years ago I left Australia.
Fond love to all Your loving son
Charlie

 

N°29 1 Belgium 11 25-11-17

Dear Father & Mother,

To my disgust, instead of going 

on leave, I received orders to go up to

the gunpits yesterday to relieve our 

other subaltern. When I got there I had 

to go up to Battalion Hdqrs as liaison 

officer overnight. This morning from 

there I had to go forward & do some 

registering. I then went back as far 

as where we have a forward gun. I 

changed my telephonist there & came 

on here to the battery O.P. where I have 

to keep a lookout during the hours of 

daylight. At present I am listening 

for calls on the phone & the telephonist

is observing. I have had a couple of 

yarns to Hal over the phone & he 

is quite well & cheerful. These O.P.

is a couple of hundreds yards in front 

of one of the many famous places 

associated with the name — "Australians". 

Now it is very quiet on this front 

I have ∧NOT heard one of Fritz's shells all 

day, altho' our guns have fired a few 

rounds. Up north, however, they seem 

to be fighting as hard as ever — I can 

hear the guns booming there incessantly

& am very thankful that we are

well out of that terrible part.

 

N°29 2 11 25-11-17

The country round this O.P. is all shell

holes but they are nearly all old ones

& are carved with grace so the outlook

is much more pleasing to the eye

than it was up where we have just 

left. This O.P. is in one of Fritz's old

pillboxes, numbers of which are scattered 

about here. They are practically shellproof

& all had to be captured by the 

infantry. I notice in the papers many 

an account of the desperate little

fights which occurred in the taking 

of them — they are miniature fortresses.
Practically the only way to take 

them is to drop a Melts grenade in 

the openings used for machine guns fire.

That makes Fritz open up & then there

is a wild fight for a few minutes,

for the average Fritz puts up a good

fight, & then — the pillbox is ours.
From here I can get a splendid view 

of Fritz's territory but have been 

unable to detect any movement 

behind his lines all day. I haven't got 

an item for my Intelligence report yet. 

I will close now & have another lookout 

Fond love to all from 

Your loving son 

Charlie

 

N°30  1  Belgium 12 27-11-17
Dear Father & Mother,

Like Johnny Walker I am still going

strong, but I don't fancy I could walk

as energetically as he is pictured doing — 

In fact, when I arrived here (at brigade O.P.

as F.O.O.) I could scarcely drag 1 foot after 

the other. There are twice as many "duties"
to do here as there were in our last position,

altho' this is a much quieter front; & as we 

have only two subalterns in this battery 

now, one of whom must be at the wagonlines 

it means that the subaltern up at the 

guns (to be Irish) is very seldom there

Since I last wrote I have only been at 

the battery for one night & then I only slept 

there. The next morning I went for the day 

to the battery O.P., that night I went to 

Btn Hdqrs as liaison, next day to bty O.P., 

& from there on to here as F.O.O. Tomorrow

I leave here before dawn & walk back 

to the battery where I will get my 

horses & ride back to the wagonlines. 

I will most likely arrive there in time 

to have the joy of moving to new wagon-

lines as we were to be given fresh ones 

four days from the day I left. Last 

night at Battn Hdqrs I met in our officer who 

was a staff sgt. major at the school I 

was at in Broadmeadows. The last time

 

N°30  2  12  27-11-17

I saw him was one day when I was F.O.O.

at Beaumetz down on the Somme. He was then 

a captain — he is now a major — his name is Sharp. 

One of the best pictures of the war that I 

have seen & the only one that can give you 

any idea of the country where we have been 

recently fighting is in "The Graphic" of Oct 20th 1917

It is an Australian official photo & is on 

page 478. When I go on leave I am going to 

try & get a photographic copy of it for 

framing after the war. That reminds me —

Mater was getting each issue of The Sphere 

for me & "The Graphic" for Frank. I hope 

she is continuing to get the latter weekly 

as I know Hal will be glad to have 

them as a record after the war. 

Yesterday was bitterly cold & I expected 

a fall of snow (ugh!) today but my 

expectations were not realized, thank

goodness. It is astonishing how fine the 

weather is keeping for this time of the 

year. Tonight is a lovely moonlight 

night (you will note I have written lovely — 

here, Fritz does not worry us by dropping 

bombs on clear nights). My Direct Line to 

BHQ has been cut by shell fire so I have 

got into communication thus Hal's forward 

guns & have just been talking to him. 

We are both well & send fond love. 

Your loving son Charlie

 

N°31  1  Belgium 13 30-12 11-17
Dear Father & Mother

Since last writing I've been down to 

the wagonlines & I am now at the gunpits. 

The way things are at present I am never 

one place more than a few hours. I told you 

on my last letter the way we have to fudge 

all over our front, doing battery & brigade O.P. duty,

& liaison. I got back to the battery from the 

brigade O.P. the day before yesterday & from 

there rod to the W.L. I had only been there 

a couple of hours when a message came through

for me to reconnoitre some wagonlines about 5

miles away. I had a look at them & reported 

to the Adjt & got back here after dark. I

"turned in" early & about 11 P.M. was awakened

by and orderly with a message saying that

permission could ∧NOT be obtained for us to

move to the wagonlines I had inspected. I 

could ∧NOT help thinking — why the d--l didn't they 

try & get permission before sending me on what

turned out to be a fool's errand. It's a way

they have in the Army I suppose. Yesterday 

I put in a busy day at the W.L. In a way

there is more work to be done at the W.L.

than at the gunpits, but it is a one-officer

job, whereas there are so many duties

(F.O.O. O.P & L.O.) at the guns that at needs 

two or three officers up there. Last night

I received a message that I had to report

 

31  2  13  30-12 11-17

here today for the day only. I came up before 

daybreak this morning & found that the other 

subaltern was away at the battery O.P. & that 

the captain was going over to the phone on our 

xxx RIGHT to register our guns. The infantry on our 

right are doing a raid tonight & we are 

helping their guns. I was needed to shoot 

the battery while the captain did the registering 

while he is finding out where he can observe 

our shots & ∧is establishing communication I am 

writing this. I've already had a yarn to 

Hal — I interrupted him in the middle of a 

shave. he is O.K. & so am I. I go back to 

the wagonlines tonight Tomorrow I have a 12 

mile ride for pay & then I have to pay all 

the men at wagonlines. The next day I report 

up here for duty. My leave has not come 

through yet — I am looking forward to it so 

that I will be able to "dig myself in" in 

a nice quiet comfortable hotel for 14 days 

I don't think I will tour Scotland as I 

had intended — I have done too much 

travelling about lately. I guess I will 

get a job with books apres la guerre

touring round showing tourists the battle-

fields of Belgium (& also France

Fondest love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

 

32  1  Belgium 10  1-12-17

Dear Father & Mother,

I was glad & sorry tonight when I received 

a batch of letters from Home which had been 

forwarded on by the British Australasian -

glad, because it is over a fortnight since I last 

heard from Home & because three of the letters 

contained snapshots — sad, because when you 

wrote you had just received Hal's & my letters 

with the news of Frank's death. The letters I 

received with Mater dated 14-10-17, one from Pater dated 

14-10-17 one from Wilf 14-10-17 & three from Em 17-9-17 

24-8-17 & 14-10-17. Much is being said & written 

about the bad postal service in the A.I.F but I

know from personal experience that it is excellent.

I think the only letters you have written that 

I have not received have been sent to the bottom 

of the sea by Fritz — certainly some of them have 

been a long time in reaching me owing to my 

changing my units. Is it is the men's own fault 

if they do not receive their letters. They are 

being continually told in orders to notify 

the AIF Base P.O. in London whenever they

change their address so all letters [[end?]] up

there sooner or later. So don't worry but

keep on writing regularly, to any address you 

like as I keep the Base P.O. well posted on

to my movements (also the British Australasian)

The letters I received tonight have severally

 

32  2  10  1-12-17

been addressed c/o BA, 115th How Bty, 51st Bty & N°1

Com Depot Perham, & my address is 50th Bty & yet

they all reached me. My battery & Australian 

Field Artillery abroad is my complete address, 

so, when I get my captaincy, if I get transferred 

to another battery I will send you a cable to 

that effect & that will be my new address. 

I was delighted with the fine lot of photos 

Wilf sent. I think they're very good. I 

especially like the one of Mater & little 

Dorothy. I also received a couple of snaps of 

Dorothy from Lil & a couple of Evelyn from 

Em. The latter seemed to be a bonny kid

so both Em & I are lucky having such 

fine kiddies. I go up to the pits tomorrow &

will take the letters and photos up for Hal

to see & read. I only hope Wilf has sent 

him some of the snaps, anyhow if he 

hasn't I will be able to spare Hal a few. 

It is bitterly cold tonight. A few days 

ago I wrote that it was cold enough for 

snow. I noticed in the papers afterwards 

that that day they did have falls of snow 

in England. Am busy squaring up after 

paying, typing up papers before going to gunpits

& censoring letters before I leave so I will 

close this now. I will answer your letters 

if possible from the gunpits or somewhere up

that way. Fondest love to all   Charlie

 
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