Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family and a condolence letter, June 1916 - c. September 1918 - Part 7

1

France 14  11.3.17
Rcd 12/5/17
Dear Father & Mother,
I was honored today with a 
visit by "the brat". Young Frank, who is
now battery captain of his old battery & is
O.C. of his brigade's wagon lines, came up today
to see his new B.C. at their gun position.
He didn't know where his guns were & 
couldn't find his B Hdqrs so came across
to me to find out. He knew where I was
because he handed over this position to
our battery. He then went & saw his B.C.
& while he was at their position Fritz
was very nasty shelling an adjoining
battery. He came back & had lunch
with me & we both then went across
to see Hal. It was grand the three of
us being together again - it is the first
time we have been since Frank's birthday
on Sept 6^th at Fleurbaix. He is looking
well & feels it - Hal & I are the same.
Rather a strange coincidence Frank has
also been in the position where Hal is
now. Some coincidences - Frank got
a letter from J.B. the other day enclosing
some snaps.  He was at our wagon lines
& shewed them to Major Lister, who he
knew was a friend of J.B. Blister had
also received some of the same snaps. 

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14    11.3.17
You will remember that Bert George who
had "Kookaburra" before us was also in
the Canadian Scouts & Ern had written
an article for the Brunswick paper
giving an account of George's deed for
which he was made King's sergeant.
Well! one of Hal's subalterns, Lieut
McHenry, is a cousin of Bert George's &
has stayed at "Kookaburra" (before it
was called that) & knows Macclesfield
well. Blister has also stayed at Brodrick's.
Fritz was nasty again tonight when he
put 4 big H.V. shells rather too close to
the battery for my liking. They are brutes
of things - as I have written before, they
have "arrived" before you know they are

coming. My pet aversion however are
"archies" (anti-aircraft shells) - when they
are falling you don't know where they are
going to land & they are "backsheesh" -
you get them for nothing. I went to
one of the famous woods nearby the
other day & whilst there two Taubes
flew over. All our "archies" within
range opened fire & pieces of shell &
shrapnel were flying all about me. I
can tell you I hugged a shattered tree
trunk pretty closely until the Taubes
had got well away from the wood. 

14   3   11.3.17

Altho' I am not by any means a brave 

man, up to the present on only one occasion 

has fear gripped my heart. Strange to say,

then I was in no danger - & knew it, but 

the feeling was there all the same. It was 

when we were at Fleurbaix. Our battery 

being a lot closer to Fritz than the others, 

used to do all the wire-cutting for the raids; 

until near the last when the French mortars 

were supposed to do it. One evening just as 

it was getting dark the C.O. rang up & told

me the wire had not been cut, so the

infantry had reported, for a raid by them 

that night. I had to go down to the front 

line & direct my battery's fire on to the wire. 

We cut it successfully & I stayed there 

until after the raid. Our fire brought

retaliation from Fritz in the shape of 5.9 &

4.2 shells and "pigeon" bombs. It was the latter
 which "put the wind up" me ( to use a 

Tommy's expression). They were all being

put into the support trench about 200

yds in rear of the front line trench where

I was, but I could hear them going over

my head in the dark with a soft "fluff-fluff"

like a bird. They made neither

an uncanny sound ( I can't say, noise)

& seemed real messengers of death. They 

have a range of about 1,000 yds & are

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evidently fired by compressed air as you

can't hear the sound of their guns. They have

a tail to make them shoot true & it is

this which makes the "fluff-fluff" sound. 

They are called "pigeons" because the sound

they make is like a bird flying & they 

are also called "pineapples" because they

are like them in shape & size. I have

often been at Btn Hdqrs in the supports,

which was his favorite "pigeon" target,

when they have been bursting close to

me & I have taken no notice of them. 

This night, however, it was the sound

of them before they burst that I did not

like. Blister has not assumed

command here yet (he never has been

actually in command). Today I received a 

memo( I still get all memos & orders &

administer the battery) saying that the

C.R.A. (divisional artillery commander) 

might visit the wagon lines in about

3 days time. I sent it on to our W.L. &

this afternoon, the sub there sent a 

message saying that the Major was

staying there until after the CRA's visit. 

It is possible  that he may not come

up here at all as I may soon be putting 

15 on the top of my letters. He played

a nice trick on us on the 9^th. On that

5  14   11.5.17

day I looked up the corduroy road to

see if he was in sight as some of his

gear was sent up that morning in the

ration cart & Cowlishaw had written

saying the Major would be up on the 8^th.

I saw three horsemen come up & halt on

the road where it is closest to the battery

I thought it was the Major & his batman

with a groom to take their two horses

back to the W.L. It turned out to be

two officers from the D.A.C. (divisional 

ammunition column) who are situated 

close to our W.L. Major Lister had been

to their lines a few nights previously to

dinner & had invited them to come up

to the gunpits on the 9^th when he would

give them a good dinner. He didn't come up

& hadn't let me know about them - consequently,

as goods are hard to get at

present from the canteen, their "good

dinner" consisted of bully beef, bread &

marmalade. One of them was Frank's old

battery captain, Lieut Goldsmith, who

was transferred to the D.A.C. when we

were reorganized. I sent a message to the

D.A.C. asking the major to go there &

speak to me over the phone. He said he

had problems about inviting the 2 officers

here but that he was coming up straight ^away &

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would be up in a couple of hours & to keep 

them here. as the C.O. & Adjt were here & I

had to go around the battery position with

them & the officers' horses were out in a snow

storm the D.A.C officers decided not to wait.

Just as well, as Blister didn't turn up 

He has ^not written nor given me any instructions
to carry on all the time he has been back -

8 days now. How's that for being a casual B.C.

There is not much news in this letter

but I know it will be appreciated more

than usual for it is the first for a long

time giving news that we are all together

& all well

The cold weather has passed again Today

was quite warm 52° & Frank & I had a

pleasant walk across to see Hal.

In the Daily Mail I received today

it says that the Australian election

campaign is being conducted with unprecedented

bitterness. I can't express

my feelings about it. One remark often

heard here is ^to this effect the lads don't want

conscription - they don't want to fight

with the coldfooters who only came

because they were conscripted. Am

afraid there will be trouble in Aus.

when these lads return.

Fond love to all

Your loving son Charlie

1
France 14   13.3.17 

Dear Father & Mother,

Now that - (had just started this when

I had to go out & pelt a few at Fritz, he

was strafing our front line) - the weather is
getting warmer I am feeling more inclined for

letterwriting. Before, when it was so cold, my

hands used to get too cold to write & as the 

ground was all covered with snow wood was

hard to find; consequently what we did get

was generally very poor stuff saturated with

water. The fire then had to be coaxed all 

the time. Now, the snow has gone & the wood

is gradually drying - in addition several

batteries have gone forward & we are using 

some of the timber of their dugouts for firewood.

Our nights are getting quieter as regards

shooting but I generally stay up until

1 or 2 a.m. Up to that time I am always

liable to get a buzz from Hdqrs. I found

that if I went to bed at 11 or 12 & dropped

off to sleep & then got a buzz I couldn't

go to sleep again for hours - sometimes it

would be 5 or 6 a.m. before I would drop

off again. As orders come from BHQ about
8.30 a.m. & I have to send my morning

returns in them also, by the time I have

gone thro' them I am thoroughly awake

so it is no use lying ^in bed after then

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14    13.3.17

as I have done with sleep for the of the 

day. I was getting a bit worried as I thought

I was suffering from insomnia. Now I fall

asleep as soon as I turn in & don't wake until

the clerk brings me the orders & returns,

unless, of course, I get a "buzz" - it always

wakes me altho' it is rather faint. I get 

the other officers to take the calls at times

but I can't get rid of my phone at night as

the C.O. generally asks for the O.C. As I 

have now got well into the running of 

shooting the battery I don't have much worry

& as I sit up late & have nothing to read

(the daily paper which we get nearly every

day doesn't take long to read) I have plenty

of time for letterwriting - hence the many epistles

you are receiving lately. I am also "making

hay while the sun shines" - I ^have had another

interruption - heard a terrific explosion & my

dugout shook. I thought Fritz had got a direct

hit on one of our ammunition dumps (have

just pelted a few more at him) but when I 

went outside I could see nothing. I buzzed my

telephone pit to get Hal for me (have had to

give Fritz some more medicine - he's a nuisance

tonight, perhaps because I wrote earlier in this
letter that our nights were getting quieter as

regards shooting I have been 2 hours writing this

much, 9 PM when I started & it is now 11 P.M)

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14   13.3.17

The telephonist replied that Hal was wanting 

me. We always buzz each other if either of us

gets the S.O.S. or gas alarm, or hear any rumours

or news, or if we get letters from home. It turned

out to be a big gun firing - we have heard it

several times since - it's a beauty - thank the

Lord it is "on our side". Hal remarked that it

had interrupted him writing a letter. I said

"Same here!" He is replying to a letter he received

from Mater today. I received one from Wilf to

which I will reply tomorrow night. I am

looking forward to receiving some more letters

by the same mail tomorrow morning. — To

continue "haymaking", soon I may have few

opportunities for writing & posting letters &
you will then only receive field service p.c.s.

from me. When I return I will be able

to tell you the proper pronunciation of the

French towns - Amiens (Ahmyong) Ypres

(Eep, French Eepray, Belgian) Guillemont 

(Gillymong) Albert (Albare) Etaples

(Etarpe) & so on. Yesterday, March 12^th,

we received our Christmas boxes from

the Australian Comforts Fund. Hal's battery

received theirs the day before, when Frank 

& I were across there. I am smoking Havelock

tobacco in a pipe, writing this with a

pencil sharpened every few minutes with a

knife - all received in my Xmas box. It

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14   13.3.17
also contained 2 tins Sardines, tin Zambuk, 2 prs
bootlaces, tooth brush, tooth paste, handkerchiefs,
tin Griffith's chocolate, cigarette papers, ½ doz envelopes
& sheets of notepaper - & the inevitable Wrigley's
chewing gum. Every box contained chewing gum &
nearly all the parcels the lads receive have

It in - why? I don't know, as the lads are
not keen on it. I think it must be a
bit of brilliant advertising work on Wrigley's
part. My batman has not returned
from leave; we have had no news about him,
official or otherwise, & as he is now 17 days
overdue I am afraid something has
happened to him as he was a very steady
fellow. Captain Prior has been invalided
to Australia & so has Lieut. Fewster, the
officer they injured pulling out of the mud
the first time we were in the line here.
They are lucky in a way, but I would
sooner hang on & see it finished & also go
back fit & well than go back now when
there is still work to be done & also as

an invalid. When will the war end -
"this year, next year, sometime, never!"
This is a very disconnected letter but you
must blame Fritz for it. We are all three
well. Fond love to all
Your loving son
Charlie