Lieutenant Colonel William McKenzie, MC, OBE - letters - 1917 - Part 5

2
It is generally supposed that it
will take another 15 months
to finish the war now that the
Russians are acting as they are
doing at present. We have practically
to wait for America now and
she cannot exert her strength
until next April or May to
any extent. The first lot of fighting
cannot help us before late September
& then from November to March, the
country gets too soft to bear the
weight of the guns travelling etc
so we have simply to do trench war
fare, raids etc & it is just like
5 months waste time. Nov to 
March are the best fighting months
in the East - Mesopotamia & Palestine.
After April it is too hot to do much
heavy fighting.  Troops die from
thirst, a appoplexy etc. Russia
has let us down very badly, tho'
the allies are trying hard to get
them into line again but they
are an uncertain quantity.

3
Im right & good - very fit and
in excellent spirits.  I could
tell you some nice incidents
if I had time but I havent
& I forget them so soon things
happen so rapidly that the fact
gets crowded out even Gallipoli
doing are rapidly receding from

memory & I forget much of

them & as for my last old Country

trip to the Congress it has clean

faded from my outlook.  I

seem to remember next to nothing

of it, I try to think of names

of well known people in Austn

& Im days ere these names come

to me at times. It's rather annoying

at times, yet I can go to a town for

2 or 3 dozen seperate messages

at present & I'll have them off pat

I suppose it's the keen concentration

of mind on the present & only 
the present. Im having quite a 

3 France. 16/7/'17.
this would only be a small

detail compared with France

& Belgium ^ where 17,000 towns &

villages have been laid waste,

The last letters I have got from

Aust were dated April 26^th

& the War Cry was April 21^st

I guess some mails have gone

to "the mermaids" as some

of ours have likewise done.

I got a shorthand typist

while in London & had over

100 letters typed to Austn

folks re killed, missing etc

& all these have "gone under"

on the 'Mongolia' .

I have posted ( registered) a small

parcel containing regimental

badges & two serviette rings.

The badges are for the Boys to

be kept intact & I desire Mavis

to give the 2 serviette rings 

to Mrs Hay as a war souvenir

from me. They are made from

German shells nose caps.

with which I had a nodding

acquaintance . They are not

valuable in cash but interesting

as souvenirs, so she'll be glad

to have something I was 
interested in. 

4

I trust you are keeping real

well in every way and

having quite a good time

in general as also the

boys & Mavis. Ens Frank

Inglis came to see me yestdy

he is well & flourishing,

as are Ens Brooks & Captn Turner

both of Q'ld.

I shall D.V. be home by April

next at latest if I'm O.K. 

I will finish MP at new year

& leave the front unless the

war ends before then and

try to get the earliest ship

back tho' there is a quite a difficiency

in this direction as ships

are so scarce. I am absolutely

war weary, my memory is fast

failing & I'll have hard work

to avoid a collapse later on.
I'm quite perplexed over my

lapses of memory and weariness

of mind. However, a sea voyage

should set me right even tho' I

feel old.

I must conclude with fondest

love to all and warmest of 

wishes. God Bless you

Yours as ever 

W McKenzie Chaplain

MILITARY CAMP at France

4^th August 1917

My Darling wife

I have just read 

your letter of May 26^th this day

from which I am delighted to 

learn that all at home are well

& sticking to the game of life

earnestly striving to do their part

& play fair. I had a lovely letter

from Don. It was cleverly written 

very frank & exceedingly encour
aging to me. I have big hopes

for Don & he will not disappnt

me. Colin is doing splendidly

& no doubt Gordon will rub

along all right & come out well

up the ladder, while Mavis will

shake things up in real good 

style and do much credit to her

mother's name, fame & fortune.

I am deeply grateful that you are

keeping well yourself & able to do

something for the sale of work.

2

I hope Camberwell will do better

than last year. I feel sure it will

with all the added talent the Corps

has got. You'll find they will simply

carry the girlie Captn along with them.

I note that the boys heard from

Andy Carnes as also the remarks
re his doings etc. I heard from
& wrote him but dont know if he
got my letter. I guess he'll be coming
to France soon if not here already.
You mention about a call from
Pennell's but dont state their
appmt, only say they expect me to
come later, where did they go?
I guess several letters have gone
under, 3 mail boats have been
sunk with our Austn mail during
the last 6 weeks. It is a pity, but
worse things are continually
happening, However Ive missed
the War Crys of April 28 May
5^th & 17^th 3 weeks in succession
as also heaps of letters & parcels.
Thus I had nothing about the Melb
Congress doings & happenings.
Still these are only the inconveniences
of war & they'll be even greater
yet as the days go by tho going to
be a very bitter struggle.

3
I had 3 weeks with the Battalion
in which I had a bad rotten time
with Trench fever. I had 7 relapses
& at last I had to be taken on an
Ambulance Car to a Casualty
Clearing Station, 10 miles away.
Temperature's 103.8 - at 10 p.m. I stayed
there until 9 pm next day & was
carried to a red Cross + train &
arrived at Rouen NO 8 Hospital at
4 A.M. next morning. I piled on the
Blankets in the train & sweat
the fever out. I lay in one Ward
for 12 hours + then was carried
to another. I got up the following
aftn & at 10 the following morning
I bluffed the Doctor by telling
him I was in the pink feeling very
fit & desired to be marked for
duty, which he did & I left that
same Aftn stayed in a Pub that
night & left next morning for

4
A 4½ hours train run to Harve where
I stayed in our Divisional Base
Camp from Satdy Aftn to Tues.
I was right against BoB Henry's
big Hut & so spent a lot of time
with him. He is very popular &
is doing a very fine work. He
has an immense Hut & gets crowded
Houses. He had a great meeting on
Sunday night, 600 present & 21 out
at the Penitent Form. Monday night
He had even a bigger crowd nearly
a 1,000 crowded in & around the
windows & doors, it was a slap
up ding dong Concert. A tip top
go. He had a Brass band of 12 & a
songster Brigade of 13 at the
Sunday night meeting. There is
an Ensign & wife a lassie Ensign
& 4 Salv lassie employees at the
Refreshment Hut so they swell the
Songsters. Captn Alf Perry was there
too in the Band.  I met quite a lot

of Salvationists (24 or so) & had
some long confabs with BOB
He is in the best of health and
spirits but is generally 'fed up'
with the English S.A. managers
He thinks them double shufflers
& quick change artists.

France
22/8/17
My Darling Wife,
I am
pleased to be able
to tell you that I
am in the pink of
condition & feeling
very fit indeed. Better
than I have been
since last December.
All is going well
with me since
my returning from
Hospital. I have
had no recurrence
of fever or severe
Gastric troubles
so this is much
cause for gratitude.
We are not yet
up to the front
line where the
fighting is deadly
what with gas

boiling oils, jets
of flame & molten
steel that burns
to death all the
3 latter - the
agonising screams
of men under
these conditions
are terrifying.
Hundreds roasted
to death together
in some instances
It is almost un-

believable that
professed by Xtian,
nations could

3
stoop to such
Diabolical deeds,
One wonders where
it will end and
who can hope to
come out of it
alive - The gas blinds
you for 4 Days
It even blisters you
thro' the Clothing
All the skin peels
off your faces
Of course if you
were caught with
out a gas mask
then a 5 minutes
dose would finish
you quick. The
death is an agony
indescribable
4
We have recently
shifted forward
& I am now Camped
at a small way
side french pub.
in a wee poakey
bedroom. All
is quiet & very
monotonous. The
men are drilling
daily route marching
etc to keep them
fit. We are held
about for chasing
the huns in open
warfare that
takes a lot of in-
dividual initiative
& self reliance
with wonderful Courage