Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family, January - September 1918 - Part 11

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Yesterday I had lunch at the Royal Automobile Club, of which all Overseas
officers are honorary members.  At the next table to me was Major Armstrong
He is going back to Australia this week so we will probably both be
on the same boat.  I saw both Scarlett & Redmond at A.I.F. Hdqrs
yesterday & on Monday when I went to see Lt. McKenzie at Australia
House. Lt. Magee, who I knew at Perham last year, was there. He also is
going back to Australia this week, so I will already know some of my

shipmates.  When I changed from the tube to the District Railway at Hammersmith 
on Sunday going to [[?]] one of my old 73^rd B.A.C. came up &

spoke to me.  Scammel was his name.  He had been transferred to the

Infantry where he was Sgt. & acting C.S.M.  He had been wounded 3 times,

had won the D.C.M. & M.M.  He had been recommended for the Officers

Tramway Corps twice but unfortunately got wounded both times before he

could get away to the school now he is in hospital & will be returned

to Australia with synovitis of the knee brought about by continuing

fighting 4 hours after he was wounded in the thigh.  I am on the

last roll of the next boat D22 for Australia & expect to receive orders

to report at A.I.F. Hdqrs at any time now.  As it is, I go there nearly 

every day to see if there is anything doing as I am heartily sick

of staying in London - perhaps if I was returning to France I wouldn't

mind staying here indefinitely but with the thoughts of Australia

ever before me I can't jet away from here quickly enough for my

liking.  I daresay this letter will go by the same boat as I do but you

may receive it a few days before I arrive if they put the mail off at

Adelaide.   Every time I have been in London before there have

been several flag days, which are like your button days & the collectors

make life a burden.  Thank goodness there is a dearth of flag days this

leave of mine altho' there are 3 or 4 listed for the end of the month.  However

I will be well on the busy ocean by then.  At present our troops are

fighting near Doynes where my battery got blown out in April 1917 & we

have also recaptured Hill 63 near Messiness where my battery was in Feb.

this year.  We are pushing Fritz back steadily all the time now - or is it

that the cunning devil is falling back on to his Hindenburg line with comfortable

quarters leaving our troops with a bigger area of devastated country for this coming

winter than we had to put up with last winter.  The ends must be in our

favor whether soon or late but I know Fritz too well to be too optimistic.

Fond love to all

From you loving son,

Charlie

THE AUSTRALASIAN OFFICERS' CLUB

138 PICCADILLY

LONDON W.1.

No. 29
September 9th, 1918

Dear Father & Mother                            

Am still being "messed about" as regards my date of sailing.

Over a week ago I made enquiries as I intended, if the boat was

not sailing soon, to get out of London, which is an expensive place,

& go to Weymouth, where the A.I.F. would look after me.  With all my

luggage it would be too much trouble to go down there for a few days

& was told then that the boat would be sailing at the end of last week.

On Saturday they told it would sail about Thursday this week & on

making enquiries today they said it would not be sailing now before the

beginning of next week.  If I had known this a week ago I could have had a

fortnight without expense down by the seaside at Weymouth.  Now I will just

have to stay on here until the boat does sail.  They said owing to the [Ber?]

one of our transports outwards bound, having been torpedoed a little while ago

all the transports arrangements have been upset.  I am taking things very

quietly & loaf in the lounge at the hotel of a morning & in the afternoon generally

go to Hdqrs & afterwards to either this club or to the R.A.C. where I sit in a cosy

armchair in the smoking room & read.  I generally go back to the hotel after

dinner & go to bed early I will be frightfully lazy after this & long sea

voyage doing nothing but one good thing about it all it is doing my back the

world of good - by the time I arrive in Australia I expect it will be quite O.K.

Last night I went to an entertainment given free to soldiers only every Sunday

evening at the Palace Theatre.  It was parts of two popular [[?]] "Tubs & Tads up"

now being played at a couple of the West end theatres.  It was a very good show.

The other day I met Detective [B/], one time of Carlton, at A.I.F. Hdqrs.  He is attached to

the A.P.M.'s branch I went with him & had a look around near Scotland Yard, the police

Hdqrs. in London.  It was very interesting.  On Saturday afternoon I went to Hyde Park

to hear the band play. It plays every afternoon & evening now & as their club is situated at

Hyde Park Corner & often drift into the park for an hour or so I listen to the music.No word from Hal or Tom.  Fond love to all

Your loving son

Charlie

September 14th 1918

Dear Father & Mother                          

I really think this will be the last letter that

I will write you from Blighty - for some months to come

at any rate, I hope. On Thursday morning I was awakened

at 6am & given a telegram which stated that I had to

report at Hdqrs. on Saturday at 10.30 am  re embarkation.

This morning, on reporting, I was given a railway warrant to

Liverpool, with orders to catch a special train at 9.30a.m.

tomorrow from Euston, which is quite close to Russell Square.

I got my 3 trunks & 2 bags to the station this afternoon, so

if I can't get a taxi in the morning, I can easily walk there.

It was the only ride I have had in a taxi  the whole month

I have been in London this time, as I have had to study

my ways & means carefully now that money goes such a 

little way over here these days.  I have done all my travelling

about the city per medium of tubes & bus.  I think I could

find my way blindfold about the underground system.

It is marvellous how it has been perfected since I was

over here in 1907.  Neither Hal nor Tom have written

me but I have been fortunate in meeting two of our officers

just over on leave I met Jerry Mann (Lt. under me in Gun Valley

Valley last year & still with 51st) in the Strand on Thursday &

I again met him yesterday on Russell Square Tube Station &

travelled with him to Piccadilly Circus.  Today I met Joe

Archibald (Captain 53rd) at A.I.F. Hdqrs. They are both

going to Ireland for the remainder of their leave tomorrow

They gave me all the news of my old chums.  They said Hal

was alright when they left but they could give me no

news of Tom as he is in the ranks of a different battery

to theirs.  From their accounts this last push of ours - the

taking of Peronne has been Hell for our infantry but a

[preme?] for our artillery.  When they left our infantry were

coming out of the line for a spell & the artillery were to

come  out on the 11th inst.  This time I think it will really

be dinkum as our lads were on the point of mutiny at

being kept in the line so long - the Tommies all get a fair

spell out of the line & their crack troops such as the Guards

Regt. only go into the line for big stints & the Canadians,

who have done so well lately a little north of the Australians,

were recently out of the line for 3 months.  It is a 

downright shame the way our fine lads are being treated

The following is more as a record for my benefit but it will

serve to how the astonishing number of my pals I meet in

this great city (it is a good job for me that I am on the

water wagon).  I meet them at places other than Hdqrs. & I

never go near such places as the [j?] [?] & Regent Palace

Hotels where some of our officers are always staying.  On Thursday

I met Jerry Mann (lt. 51) in the strand at the R.A.C. I met [?] [?]

Lts. Vallance & Jones (4th L.H.) In Pall Mall I met a Canadian Army Major

I knew at [Telgues?] 1916 - In Victoria St.  I met Lt. Matthews 2nd Div Arty &

one time of 222nd Bty. Albert Park & who I met at Larthill last year

Outside Hdqrs I met Lt. [Bh?] 54th Bay going for a medical board

The O.C. transport section is Capt. Perrin who told me he was a chum

of Frank's & Turner's before the war.  He used to live at Croydon &

know Veda Phillips.  In the Overdraft Pay Section where I had to go to

see about my 30 days pay advance, I met Lt. Tracey who was a L.H.

Sgt under me at Seymour.  In the pay dept both the Sgt & Cpl there said

they were in the Savings Bank in Elizabeth St. with Frank.  I also

met there Major McKenzie ADVS 3rd Div. who used to be VO 4th L.H.

in Egypt.  Matthews & Breakwater were also there as well as two

officers I met in hospital & one I met on the train going from Boulogne

to [Haire?] last June.  When I took my playbook to the ledger dept

I met Cpl Wheeler (ex L.H.) on the way.  Back to the R.A.C. & I met

Lt. Mayne who goes back to Aus. with me. At Trafalgar Square Tube I

met Captain Dight 3rd Div. Pioneers who was Lt. & QM when I left

Broadmeadows & when I got out at Mark Lane station I met a

Tommy Arty Captain who was also with me at the [Telgues?] school - some

record for one day!  Fond love to all from Charlie