Lieutenant Colonel William McKenzie, MC, OBE - letters - 1916 - Part 7

THE SALVATION ARMY 
Headquarters: 69 Bourke St., Melbourne

W. BRAMWELL, BOOTH,

General

JAMES HAYS

Commissioner

SALVATION ARMY INSTITUTE

3 
MILITARY CAMP at...............................................................

I note the request of Mrs Cook of

Hawthorn Corps - I'll note the address

& call if I can when I again visit

London probably in November.

We are likely to move in to the Trenches

very early again but it will not

be too strenuous for some time.

I am all right & cheery as possible

Im simply swamped with letters

to answer & now to day brought

over 1000 lonely soldier letters

& nigh one hundred for myself.

It is a great weariness to me and 
ties me  down terribly.

Anyhow I must struggle thro'

Hoping this finds you all well in

every way & I [[?]] also with

heaps of love hugs & kisses

From
Father
May God richly bless you all.

 

You might get the children's
photos taken again about

Dec 12th to 30 with yourself
so that I can see, how they

have grown - You only

need get one dozen posts

cards Father
 

France

30/8/16

My Precious Darling

It is a pleasure to sit

down & pen you a few

lines once more. I 

have just come out

of the trenches once

more for a day or

two - where we have had

a very trying dangerous

time - also many of

 my austn boys now

lie lifeless & many

more wounded. Only

for heeding the small

voice of my Guardian 

Angel on several

occasion I too would

2

have been no more. 
It is most remarkable

when I'm in great danger

I am quite conscious

of a Guardian Angel

with me who tho I

cannot see Him telling

me in times of peril

just what to do & I
 have learned to promptly

obey & so come off all

right - sometimes it is

"Go"  others "do not go" &

again 'get away quickly'

"lie down", "be careful"

"go in there "- it is very

striking & has deeply impressed

me. I am sure

it is a Guardian Angel

Surely the Lord is good

& His mercy endureth
forever.
  

 3
We had a bit of foot
slogging on the roads 
camping out in places
on our way back to the 
Trenches.  The King was
out here, but we did 
not see him nor
see the 1st Brigade.
We had a great service
on Sunday last - August
15th- The bulk of the 1st
Brigade the Field Ambulance
the field Engineers the
Machine Gunners, the 
Trench mortars Battery
& other Artillery men were
present- It was a united 
Service - a C. of E. man
and myself conducted the
Service - Genl Birdwood
& Genl Smythe were there
with a host of other
officers.
 

4
I read the lesson and
preached the sermon.

Text- " I can do all things
thro' Christ" etc:"- It was

a vigorous  "Go" - I guess
5000 men were present,

Genl Birdwood made 
a speech afterwards & 
presented decoration ribbons
to a number of men,

myself included - He
said "I wish I had the
Cross to give you but
His Majesty the King
will do that & gave 
great congratulatory
words etc.  After he
had finished he called
me to accompany him
to review the troops

in a march past.

He said, Come on
Padre & let us
 

18/9/16

My Precious Darling

[[? First of all]]  how pleased

I am to be able to pen
you a few lines letting
you know of my continued
welfare.  I am happy to
say my health is good
tho' I had a very crook
billious attack this
past week whenever I
get  real knocked out I
invariably  get a bad
billious attack, thru'
nervous exhaustion
however I recover in
3 days & feel O.K. once
more, the  primary cause
this time was an
extra heavy day.
2.
I had written to y- 30 am
retired at 3.Got to sleep
at 4 A.M. & slept to 7.40
&then got up took my 
bike & rode over a very 
rough road for 7½ miles
with out breakfast- It had
rain & the pushing
was tough - I went up
to bury some men but
when I got to the Cemetery
they had not been brought
down- However I was
on hand to bury a 
Lieut McBride of the
Engineers who had just
got killed that morning
while walking towards
the trenches thro' a wrecked
village a mile from the
trenches shot thro' the
heart by an indirect 

shot from a machine
gun
 

3

he was a very fine chap
I then rode back had lunch

& an interview then set 
out to a large [[?town]]
Poperinghe in Belgium
& there at a big Expeditionary
Canteen purchased
65 Pounds worth of Goods
to start at my  Canteen in
the Battalion & so save
the soldiers  being charged
the high prices they have
to pay to the local people
who think them good games
to pluck. So this will
meet a real need.  It is
a lot of work to get it
going properly, & sell
the goods at the cost
prices & it is surprising
the turnover we have
already I have spent
in 4 days ₤175 in
purchasing stock.
 4

& my sales have been
very brisk. I have put a 
a sergt in charge & a
helper, only the helper
to much better than the
Scotch Sergt for Bis.
The Sergt is too argumentative
to the men &
scolds too much
Well it was 7.30pm
when I got the food

landed & then I had

to journey 2 miles

per cart to get tea & 
at 9 pm. I got a horse
& rode up to the Cemetery
7½ miles-He fell once
in a hole & jumped
some when the guns
(our guns)  went off
near him, however
I didn't come off
any times.
 

5

On getting to the Cemetery
I found there was 

only one grave dug &
I wanted 5, so I had
at 12 p.m. to rouse 10

men out of bed ^(one out) to
dig 4 graves - I got

West austrns - The bodies
came down - They were

blown in pieces &

I buried them & rode 
7½ miles back then had

a hot cp of tea & 

walked another two 
miles to our new camp
where I write this.

My Battln came out
to here  for 12 days
6

I got to bed at 4.30

A.M. & I was really too 
tired to sleep until 6 A.M.

I got up at 10 A.M.  after
breakfast in bed. &

opened the Canteen in
the aftn. & I fancy
I did a bit of work.

I had to join a 'Pop"
next aft'n (Friday) and
buy ₤70 worth of stores
and when I got back I
found Major Orames
waiting for me, tho'
by  this time I was 'dead
crook'  & by evening was
[[?latching]] to some tune.
However I was pleased
to see him, he is  20
miles away. I had
a chat with him. He
is certainly looking
 

7

well & is getting along

'w his work remarkably
well. Tho' I do not think
he is having many
converts. Geo [[?Goven]] is
also very happy with him
& they are in  clover.

Orames has a lovely
room & has had for
2 months past for a

billet - as he does not

need to shift about,

He goes frequently into

the trenches  & is very

popular with the/men

&  gets on well with the
Officers.  He has a Canteen

going also & it is

doing fine work.  He
will make a good name
for himself & the S.A.

& I am more than glad

of this for his own

& the sake of the Kingdom
8

I also hear that [[?Condon]] is
getting along all right at

the Base.  One of the 

4th Battln Officers ( a

great chum of mine) is
in charge of the Base
Camp where he is & this 
officer (Capt Clayton)
(Scotch descent) has given

him great facilities and
treated him as a Chaplain

proper A.I.F.  giving him a
tent to himself & every
opportunity for his work.

So this is most helpful

He will have a great
chance there. Thus it is
all to the good.

I have just had church

Parade - a small one
this morning as the
most of my Battalion

were away on duty
still it was good.
 

9
I spoke on Gideon & his 300
& how they overcame
the enemy.
I just got your letter of
the 24th I am extremely
sorry to hear that you
are suffering with your

feet, you must take it

easier - I hope you can

shift to another locality.

Why not try Fairfield
quarter or somewhere

round that quarter

Still it may be possible

Kew way or by our
old haunts upper

Hawthorn- anyhow

I cannot help you

just now.

 

10
I hope that Don is doing
all right - I would only
agree to Colin going to

Sellicks for November

Dec & January - and then

only if his arm is strong

as there will be very hard
work & heavy lifting

& unless it is properly

set & knit.  He would be

injured for life. The
risk is too great unless
his arm is strong, so
as I cant see him you
must decide. Only dont
let him go if his arm
is not well.  He must

go to school all next

year  & try & do something

with his ginger head

Three months on a farm

would do him much 
good & the cash would 
be handy for his schooling.