Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family, January - September 1918 - Part 4

every day & massages my back
for half an hour. At first
she used to make me grit
my teeth pretty hard but
now she only hurts me in
one spot, near the base of the
spine, when she is massaging.
I wrote to Lou Gasquoine
when I arrived here. She
replied that she was not well
but that Arthur would come
& see me. He called last
Saturday & said that Lou
was expecting another addition
to their family.
I am never in the mood
for letterwriting nowadays
but will try & write a long
letter when I am convalescing.
I have not heard from Hal
or Tom since I left France but
I notice by the papers that
they are still at Corbie
blocking Fritz's path to Amiens.
It is cold wet & miserable
so I am staying in bed today
Fondest love to all
Your loving son
Charlie
1 DRL
309/2
 

STATION, COPGROVE, N.E.R.
TELEGRAPH OFFICE, STAVELEY, YORKSHIRE.
SPELLOW HILL.
KNARESBOROUGH.
YORKS
17.5.18
Dear little mother
your letter of Jan 25^th
reached me when I was in hospital
Re that photo of “Jerry & Gusty” that
I sent Lil, Hal gave it to me.
I thought he sent you copies. I
have written him asking for the
loan of the negative. If he writes
& sends it I will get some
prints done for you. Enclosed
is a photo of Franks grave, also
a couple of other snapshots. I
hope to be able to send you soon
some snaps of Hal & myself
taken together - they are being
 

developed in London. I have no
news to tell you of either Hal or
Tom as neither of the beggars
have written me since I left
France. I am progressing well
& expect to be quite O.K. when
I go before my next medical
board on May 27^th. So
you are trying to get a house
over South Yarra way again - &
Ern writes that if he manages to
get transferred to Melbourne he
will also live over in that
direction – I’ll soon need to put
South Yarra on all my letters to
Australia. I hope all are well
Fondest love from
Your loving son
Charlie
 

STATION, COPGROVE, N.E.R.
TELEGRAPH OFFICE, STAVELEY, YORKSHIRE.
SPELLOW HILL.
KNARESBOROUGH.
YORKS.
22.5.18
Dear Father & Mother,
Enclosed are a few snaps
of Hal & myself. I have some
more but don't want to send them
all at once in case the mail
boat gets torpedoed. I have sent
a different lot to Lil by this
mail.
Have received three lots of Australian
letters since I have been here.
The latest, received yesterday, being
mater’s dated 25.3.18 & Ern’s dated
31.3.18 Mater did not mention
my promotion but Ern had
received my letter with the news
of my captaincy.
 

I am feeling nearly alright now
I have done a fair amount of
walking about the estate the last
three days & yesterday went by
train to Harrogate.
This morning I received a letter
from Hal & one from Tom. Hal's
was dated 9.5.18 postmarked 14.5.18 & I
receive it on 22.5.18 & yet we are only
a day's journey apart. Tom's was dated
13.5.18 postmarked 15.5.18 & received on 22.5.18
They were both well at times of
writing & everything has been very
quiet in their sector since I left
We are having glorious spring
weather here now but there has
been a couple of heavy thunderstorms
during the last few days.
Fondest love to all from
Your loving son
Charlie
1 DRL
309/2
 

STATION, COPGROVE, N.E.R.
TELEGRAPH OFFICE, STAVELEY, YORKSHIRE.
SPELLOW HILL.
KNARESBOROUGH.
YORKSHIRE
23.5.18
Dear Wilf
just a few lines to thank
you for a long epistle received
from you a few days ago.
Enclosed are a few snaps
which may be of interest to
you. Of course you will be
able to get prints off all my
negatives (copies of which I have
already sent Pater & Mater) when
I return.
Am having a very enjoyable
time in the country - mostly
loafing. I miss my camera
 

as it is very picturesque about
here, especially at Knaresboro'.
I thought it too risky to take
my camera thro' hospital so
left it behind with Hal.
The endt of the war seems a
long way off - I guess I will
either be a general or killed
before it is over.
There are just as nice girls
in South Yarra as a Crofton -
nicer in fact - compree?
Cheerio! Love & luck
from you loving brother
Charlie
1 DRL 309/2
 

No 1
Overseas Training Battalion
Sandhill Camp
Longbridge Deverill
near Warminster
16.6.18
Dear Father & Mother,
I left London at 5 P.M on the 10th inst
& arrived here about 9 p.m. There is a
floating population of about 70 officers some
marching in & some marching out every day.
We are formed into a sort of infantry
school but as I am artillery the work
is not of much me use to me so I have
managed to wiggle out of most of it up
to date. All officers, other than those over
on leave from France have to report here before
being sent overseas. They are generally here
10 days before the War Office allots them a
passage across the Channel. The other ranks
ready to service overseas are kept separate
from the officers & are trained by a special
cadre of officers. They are trained here for three
weeks before being sent to France. The officers
dribble over, a few every day, but the men are
sent over in a draft once a week, each division
a different day. On Tuesday
we had to report to the M.O. for inoculation
As I had been voluntarily done 10 months
ago at Larkhill I was not inoculated this
time (all ranks have now to be re-inoculated
every twelve months). However
I took the 48 hours off duty that is
given to those who have just seen inoculated.
 

No 1
2
16.6.18
On Wednesday afternoon I tried to see
Penrose G. 1st Training Battalion Camp at
Sutton Veny being only about a mile & a half
from here nearer Warminster. I hired a
bike he & rode to Sheerwater, a very
pretty lake situated in Longleat Park the
seat of the Marquis of Bath. It is about
1½ miles away in the opposite direction
to Sutton Veny. Swimming parades are
held there twice a week from this camp.
On Saturday & Sunday it is a
favourite resort for “the diggers” from
the camps & the people from Warminster.
I did not stay in the Park long as
I wanted to go to Warminster before
seeing Pen. What I liked better than
the little bit of the pretty park that
I did see was the main road running
alongside it. The road was flanked on
one side by the lake & on the other by
slight hills which were thickly wooded
On both sides were a lot of rhododendron
trees growing wild & as they were a
mass of blossom it was a charming
sight. I rode along for a couple of miles
& very reluctantly turned back & rode
into Warminster. Wednesday is early
closing day there so all the shops were
closed & I was unable to get any postcards

 

No 1
3
16.6.18
the first thing I get when I arrive in a
new place. I the rode to the 1st Training
Battalion but found that Penrose was
away at a school. I rode ¼ of a mile
further & visited the little village of
Sutton Veny. I got back to camp in
time for mess. In the evening I went
to a picture show in the camp grounds.
The programme was good & included a
film of Charlie Chaplin which of course
was very funny. On Thursday morning
I visited the M.O. to get a “chit" to
go to the dentist (my 48 hours off duty
after inoculation having expired). He
was away with the batheing parade so
I got off so see him in the afternoon.
I then made an appointment with the
dentist for Friday afternoon. On Friday
morning I went out with the infantry
officers & did some bomb throwing which
was rather interesting as it was new to
me. In the afternoon the dentist put a
temporary filling in one of my front teeth -
I lost the gold filling out of it by chewing
toffee. That afternoon the infantry
officers went to the village of Longbridge
Deverill which is ¼ of a mile from here
& drew up their plans for defending it
if it were attacked from Shaftesbury.