Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family and a condolence letter, June 1916 - c. September 1918 - Part 11

France 25  4              3.6.17

 

hideousness. Looking across it from the

road it looks like one huge green field,

the grass has completely hidden the shell-

holes. It was only when passing thro' one

of the many ruined villages that one realized

what a terrific struggle had taken place

in these parts.  My legs are not as

well as I would like them to be & I am

rather afraid that they will not let me

see the war to a finish.    I have

not heard or seen anything of Hal or Frank

since I last wrote & am not likely to

until the end of the school. Hal, of

course, is still on leave & Frank will still

be in charge of his wagon lines so they

are bound to be both O.K.  Two of

our officers who attended the last school

were granted 5 days leave to Paris at

the end of it. I am going to apply for

Paris leave at the end of this school.

Paris leave, if granted, does not interfere

with one's turn for London leave.

Two other officers of my battery were sent

back to England for further training the

same day that I left the battery to come

here - lucky beggars! England is beautiful

at this time of the year. Fond love

to all Your loving son

Charlie

France  24  1        8.6.17

 

Dear Father & Mother

After two days at the School I

found that I could not carry on as there

was too much foot work. I went & saw

the medical officer of a unit camped close

to the school. He recommended me to wear

rubber bandages but said that he had

none & none were procureable. The

C.O. of the school then gave me permission

to see my own M.O. The latter is going to

evacuate me - how fair I will go it is hard

to say - perhaps to Australia, perhaps to

"Blighty" & perhaps only as far as the Rest

Camp at Boulogne. If I am not passed out

as medically unfit I shall apply for a

transfer back to the Light Horse. As

artillery work in the line is now all done

on foot my legs can no longer bear the

strain. I hate going & would have hung on

longer, only for a certain reason I feel

compelled to leave the battery - it does not

concern myself as I think my work has

always been considered satisfactory by those

above me & I am capable & willing to do

all work required of me. I am going across

to see Frank tomorrow & will wait to see

Hal before I leave here. Hal is expected back

from leave any day now.

France 24     2        8.6.17

 

I don't think I have ever written you about

the rations we get here. They are very good -

very different from South Africa. When I

was acting battery commander the men

used to come to me with all sorts of

complaints which I generally tried to

remedy. One thing however I would not

listen to & that was a complaint in

regard to rations. We always get bread

& generally fresh meat - we occasionally

have bully beef which is nice for a

change but I haven't seen an army

biscuit for a couple of months. Then we

got them because most of the transport

(railways) was being used in bringing

a new army into the line. We get

plenty of potatoes & onions & every few

days there is an issue of tinned

pork (which is hard to find) & beans.

The latter are of the haricot variety &

remind me of the days at "Kookaburra".

A phrase largely used where rations

are concerned is 'in lieu of'. We have

had several issues of lovely oranges -

once they were in lieu of onions (") &

at other times in lieu of jam. At

the beginning of the war most of the

jam issued was either marmalade

France    24   3      8.6.17

 

or plum & apple. Now we get all sorts-

the best I have tasted being Jones' IXL

Raspberry. One thing which never varies

in quality is the excellent cheese which

is generally a tasty Cheddar type. On

several occasions we have had a good

type of Dutch cheese issued. We get

a good issue of tea & sugar (no shortage

of the latter in the army) but coffee is

not issued now likes it used to be

in South Africa. In the winter we

used to get a rum issue daily with

occasionally tinned cocoa & milk or

soup tablets (OXO) issued in lieu. The

rum issue has now been stopped for

the summer but it can be issued on

the order of a medical officer if the

men have been doing heavy work or

working in wet weather. An issue of

xxx limejuice is to be made very few

days during the summer to take the

place of the rum issue. Arthur

Gasquoine told me he had secured

a contact for O.T. Ltd to supply the

War Office with several thousands

of gallons of unsweetened lemon squash.

Then there is butter or margarine

issued 2oz. daily & also pickles.

France 24    4    8.6.17

 

Another thing we get issued here, which

would have been a godsend to the

men in South Africa, is tobacco - 2ozs

of cut tobacco or 4 pkts of cigarettes

a week (on Sundays). We are also

issued with a box of matches twice

a week & candles daily. We get

eatables (also clothing) now & then

from the Australian Comforts Fund

& there is generally an Expeditionary

Force Canteen handy where the men

can buy all sorts of tinned goods,

sweets, & tobacco & cigarettes - we have

now a brigade canteen of our own -

so you will see by the foregoing that

the men are not starved here.

We also get presents, figs, or raisins

issued at times in lieu of jam &

we then don't get a full issue of

bread, rice being issued instead.

I have been taking things very quietly

since I returned from the school

lying down most of the time.

Fond love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

Copy

France    16.6.17

 

Extract of letter written to Miss Davis   Woy Woy

 

Dear Miss Davis

I was at the waggon lines the

day Bdr Hilder was killed. The Captain was

wounded the same day & I had to go up to the

gun pits to take charge & was then told the

following.-   Our Battery position was

heavily shelled all day the gunners were ordered to

leave the pits & move to a flank. The Captain tried

to get into communication with Brigade Headquarters

but found that the telephone wires had been broken

by shell fire. We then went & used another Battery's

telephone while he was away Bdr Hilder said to

one of the suballions that he would re establish

communication. He went back to the gun position

with a telephonist under heavy shell fire, mended

the wires & got into touch with Brigade Hdqrs

He then stood by the phone waiting for orders

to come through. The Germans got a direct

hit with a shell on the telephone dug-out

killing Bdr Hilder instantaneously & wounding

one of the other specialists. I forwarded there

copy

 

particulars to our commanding officer who wrote

to Bdr Hilders parents. He also

mentioned in dispatches Bdr Hilders brave deed

You who knew him so well were right when

you wrote that you knew he died bravely & well.

I too knew the Bombardiers well for I am the

only officer left who has been with this battery

all through & many a day have the Bde & I

spent together in our observation post & I

mourn him as a brave & fine lad. Fearless, &

always willing to do more than his duty.

 

Yrs Sincerely

Chas E Gatliff

Lieut

From

Lt. C.E. Gatliff

re Bdr. W. D. Hilder

diary

penned as per syllabi

3/3/19.

Type Pages 31-34.

No. 3  General Hospital

Wardsworth   London

21.6.17

 

Dear Father & Mother,

You will see by the above that I

have arrived in "Blighty". I left our battery

wagon lines at Barastie at about 2 p.m. on

the 13th inst. & rode to the 8th Aus. Field Ambulance

at Bapaume. I had all my belongings in charge

of my batman following in a "pillbox" behind.

The M.O. at the Field Ambulance did not bother

about seeing me but just marked my card

"For Operation" & I was put in a motor ambulance

& sent to the 3rd Aus. Casualty Clearing Station

at Grevillers. I was put to bed at once but

was not examined until next day. The C.O.

a Lt. Colonel, personally looked after all officers'

cases. He marked my card E L (evacuation to

hospital)- wrote down a few particulars of my

case. I asked the Sister when I would be

going. She said that an ambulance train was

at the siding but that it would not go for

a couple of days - not until they had enough

patients to evacuate. Next morning 15th I had

the usual hospital wash & cup of tea at 6 a.m

& then dozed off to sleep. My batman woke me

up at 8.30 a.m. & told me I was being evacuated

at 9 a.m. & that I was going as a stretcher case.

Batman do not accompany their officers beyond

the C.C.S. so when I got into the train I saw

the last of him. We left Grevillers at 10a.m.

& arrived at Rouen about 1.30a.m. next day

after picking up patients at Achiet-le-Grand

Aveling & Codgehill. Motor Ambulances were