Letters of John Kelly and Michael Kelly to their family - Part 4

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will come from xxx New South Wales I expect Joe
will be amongst this lot, I hope so In one way but
it will be better for him to stay at home, has it's only
himself at home, I only received Fathers letter the
day before I got yours he did not like me coming
but he will forgive me when I come back, at least
I hope so any way I would have come with the
Battery. There is some talk of taking all the Australian
troops home to England after the War that trip
will be worth something if there are such luck in
store for us. Well Nellie you must not wait until you
get letters from one before writing has it is only a chance
that I get to write, all tell all the others to write
has you would not believe how nice it is to get
letters out here, some of the boys get dozens of letters
They are a fine lot of fellow taking them on the 
whole, I have be in charge of a few ever since
I left Sydney and they are very nice fellow indeed 
Two of are brothers they bought their discharge
out of the Artillery the same has myself. Well Nellie
Dear I think I have done a fair amount of
writing in such a uncomfortable position and this
pencil wants a devil of a lot of sharpening.  So I
will say goog bye with best love to all except
the same to your self I Remain Affectionate
Brother Jack
I hope you got the card and Feather I sent
you and Mabel at Christmas Time
4.
the 12^th January, and had to walk for the first 30 miles
Well Dear Nell  I will have to nock of writing to night now 
is a bit of a concert in camp and I cannot miss any
thing like that in this part of the Country. you will
think it no doubt very strange that we should have
a concert in such times, but we enjoy our self while
we can eat day if you die tomorrow as the saying
is. Well I am starting again to write after the concert.
and excitement, last night the concert went off very
well but before the night was over we all had be taken
out to a night attack but it proved to be nothing
and we did not even fire a single shot we laid

up in waiting for them, for two or three hours and
then we retired to camp, and I set about baking
some some scone for breakfast it was the first I
tried, no soda only some thick milk that I got off
a settler so you can guess what they were like, but
boys reckoned they were grand, it was a change
after the hard dry biscuits, we act you with too
You will want a map of Africa to see all these
places, I got one sometime ago which I was going
to send you but it got lost some where in moving
about. I expect that you got our Photos long ago.
I got a [[proof?]] out here and they seemed to be pretty
good, So, after all A Battery is coming and a lot
more troops from Australia and most of them

or Cape Town and I dont know
wether we are to be kept there any
lenght of time, You of cause will know
long before you receive this letter of
our arrival in South Africa, so it is not
much good of me telling of our arrival
When I wrote to you last I said I was
a very poor sailor, and indeed I was untill
we reached Albany but after that I
was a very fair one. All the troops had
to get vaccinated, and there was some
of them very bad, there arms swelled
up like a horses led, I never dreamt
that vaccination played up with you
like it does. Mine was not very bad
There was a great bit of fun on board
on 1^st of month, in buring or drownding
the dead horse, sailors you know get
paid monthly in advance, so they reckon
they have to work a dead horse all the
month. So there is a wooden horse
Troop Ship Aberdeen
Sunday December 5^th 1899

My Dear Sister
I now take the pleasure
of writing a few lines to you hoping
that it will find you all in the best
of health has it leaves me at present
Well Nellie we are pretty near our destination
now, after a good long trip, and not
altogether a bad one, although there
was a fair amount of sickness, first
with sea sickness and then with the
vaccination. We are with in an hour
or two of anchoring, but of cause I
cannot tell you any thing about South
Africa or the war yet, which I hope
to later on, I will put another line
or two in, when we land if I have
a minute to spare, It is not certain
wether we will land in Port Elizabeth 

Address No (36) Pte J Kelly
N.S.W. M R
made and sailor is dressed up in jockeys
cloths and they represent some grand horse
and jock. They are then put up for auction
and so many bottles of whisky or beer
are offered for them, the jockey then
mounts his nag, and they are hoisted up
the rigging as high as possible the jock
then lets is horse drop into the sea and
then he is lowered, and so they start
another month. Of cause there's been plenty
of concerts and sports on board too
We have Church on board every Sunday
the English are more fortunate the Catholics
for they have the Rev Mc Moylneux the
English footballer. And there is no Catholic
Officers on board, so one of our sergeants
have to read the service, he says he was
studing for a priest one time, but he
became a soldier instead,
We all had to make our will, coming
out I left what I possess to you and
C/o G C C Military Force
Cape Town
South Africa
Mabel, I have got about £60 pounds
in the saying in New South Wales
so of cause that will be your if anything
happens me. I expect Pat sent you the
photos before now, tell me what they are
like when you write I will now
conclude with best love to Father
brothers and sisters except the same
to your self I remain Your
Affectinate Brother Jack
Excuse this scribble has I am writing
under difficulties

Later We arrived in Port Elizabeth
quite safe but we were sent at once
to Cape Town, and we will very
likely be sent strait to the front. but
has I have to writt post this letter before
we land I will not be able to tell you
any more, in fact I have not a minute
to spare, Write as soon has Possible like
a good Girl
PR82/55
AUSTRALIAN
WAR MEMORIAL

Private J Kelly
Troop Ship Aberdeen
Nov 4^th 1899
Dearest Sister
I expect you got a
great surprise, when you heard that
I was off to the war, with the Mtd. 
Rifles, by the Aberdeen which left
Sydney on the 3^rd instant. I wrote to
Father as soon has I knew for
certain that I was going. but I
did not hear from him before
leaving. I was expecting to go to
South Africa to the war this last
month, that is the reason that
I did not write to you and
when I was certain of going
I only had two days notice so
I not much time to my self I
had not even time to go to Parramatta
Pat was the only one of our family

(2)
that was down at the boat to see
me off. I could not find maggie
the day I was leaving. I had not
heard from her for a long time. Well
Dear Nell you will have to forgive me
for not writing to you before running away
to the war. But I hope I will be
able to write you many a letter yet
I expect that Father was In a great
way when he heard that I was going
has he was always against soldiering
I expected to go with the Field
Battery, but they would not let the
Battery go. so I was determined
to go with the some of the troops
I bought out of the Artillery
to go which cost me ten pounds
it is pretty hard to have to pay to
go and get shot at. I was very
much surprised that were not more
from Tenterfield volunteered for 

3
Transvall I thought that there would
sure to be abount twenty. Fancy Charly
Fee leaving the bank to go as a Private
Dave McAlister and Charlie Miller two
old Tenterfield Mounted rifles are also
on this trip. I seen Captain Thomas
also in Sydney he was very anxious
to go he was telling me but they are
not letting many Officers go. We got a
great send off on leaving Sydney
on leaving as you already I
expect by the papers They were
hundreds of boats followed us
out to the heads, then of cause
most of us started Europing. I
was a bit sick all day on
Saturday but I am grand today
thak God. we had short
service on board today it was read
by one of the Staff Sergeants. We
arrived in Melbourne about

half pass seven but were not allowed
to go ashore. The Aberdeen is going
stay in Melbourne about three
days so we will have a good
chance of seeing the cup run
for, I you write as soon as you
get this letter Dear Sister I may get
it in Albany. I got my Photo
taken before leaving Sydney. Pat
will send you five which of
cause you will have to divide
There are two of us in one of the
Pictures it is a friend of mind
from the Battrey who is going
also with Mtd. Rifles you can
^have one of each for yourself I will
now conclude with love to all
except the Same to your self
I Remain
Affct Brother Jack 

PR 82/55 (1)

AUSTRALIAN

WAR MEMORIAL

II
so far that is very good
considering the third contingent
lost eighteen as
far as Albany We did not
call at Albaney or else I
would of wrote from there
We had a very poor send
off from Brisbane on
account of the wet weather
We were all entertained by
the Governor at Government
house before we left we
had the pleasure of shaking
hands with Lady Lamington
that was a bit of a distinction.
We had stopped
two days at Sydney taking
in coal & water I wrote to
Mabel to send Pats address
a I could of wired to him
from Brisbane and he could
of come down to the boat
Photograph - see original document
Troopship, May 3^rd 1900
Miss G.E. Kelly
My Dear Sister
Just a few lines to let
you know how I am getting
on, and enjoying my trip
to South Africa. We are
having very fair weather
so far all excepting a
few days we had rough
I have not had the
pleasure of being sea
sick yet though about
half of the boys were
down with it. We have
lost only three horses

III
to see me. We were anchored
at Garden Island and no one
was allowed to go over to
Sydney but they allowed
us to go down on the Island
for a few hours each day
so a few of us squared a
boatman to come over to
the boat after dark and
row us over to Sydney and
hrs no one was any the
wiser I could of went out
to Pats place then if I
had his address. We had
a very good send off from
Sydney considering wer were
strangers. I suppose you
received my wire photo
all right and the large
one with four small ones
there are not much good
Uncle Malachi was down
PR82/55
AUSTRALIAN
WAR MEMORIAL
IV
in Brisbane before we left
I saw him only once he came
down to the camp one Sunday
he was telling me Aunt was
up in Tenterfield I wonder
if I ever will see old Tenterfield
again I had a wire from father
you may guess what it was
he said (carry on your y own gait
as usual) I suppose you hear
from Jack I got his address
from Uncle but I mislaid
it somewhere I wonder if
I will meet him. We expect
to arrive at Beira about
the twe 12^th of this month
if all goes well I will write
when I get over there and know
where we are going, and send
my address. So Good Bye
love to all at home from
your loving brother M.A. Kelly
Excuse writing

June 16^th 1900
Dear Nell
We arrived at Beira to day 
are not landing here
we sail for Port Elizabeth
to morrow that is a nothers 
five days sail
I believe the Boers are
getting troublesome
down that way again
I am in the best of health
Mick