Letters from Captain Walter Morris Felix Gamble to his family, 1915-1916 - Part 15

France
14 September '16
My Dear old Mum

Thanks

so much for parcel,

Mum, it was grand.

I wrote home for a

pipe last mail, but

by some wonderful

foresight on your

part, you put one in

the parcel, and so my

want was immediately

satisfied.

Thank Dad for me

and tell him his
 

a scarf. What say

you?

I am sorry mum, 

but I am in a very

poor letter writing mood.

My friend opposite. is

in a similar state we

So we have decided

to give it best.

Tons of love

Your loving son

Wally

choice was excellent.

It is the best pipe I

have had.

I wonder when I

will lose it! - Dad

will probably say,

"In less than a week

he will be wanting 
another."

It is beginning to

get a wee bit cold,

so I wonder if you

could get me a 

w Wesley Scarf. Mum,

I'd just love one, I 
have socks à la Wesley.

So to complete top &

bottom, I must have

France

18^th September 1916

My Dear old Dad.

I forget whether

I wrote last mail or

not. I hope I did. I have

just come back to my

old farmhouse after a 

fortnight of activity in

the trenches, and now I 

can't remember clearly

who I wrote to.

I met Malcolm at a

lecture a few evenings ago.

We dined together and

yarned till late at night.

Poor old Ivor has had

rotten luck, if he had

his due he would be

an officer. - such are

the fortunes of war.

I am getting a pretty

hot revolver shot, can't

miss a jam tin at

twenty or thirty yards.

Not bad! What?

My name has been

sent in for "Blighty" leave,

It is none too early, be

because my charm - if

you don't mind me

calling it so, - is just

about worn out, and

if I don't - as you suggest

get a silver cover for

it, very soon, it will be

"Mafish"

With my usual

carefullness, I lost Dr Gill's

address, and so I will

have to postpone my visit

to him until next leave.

I say Dad, I wonder if

you could arrange with

Dammonds to have a

half pound tin of Imperial

Crown Tobacco sent across

to me every fortnight. A

chap can't get anything

to touch it in these parts.

I will stand the cost, on

twenty one shillings a

day, not a bad screw for

a lad. Is it?

I have inherited one of

your failings, Dad - mind

you I don't regret it -

it is the ability to spend

money on nothing, at least

that is what it ammounts

to. I have no more idea

of putting money aside than

I have of flying.

I started my career in

this Battery as a corporal.

I am now third from the

top, and have my heart

and soul in its welfare.

There is not one blackleg

among all the men, and

the officers are all of them

fine fellows, "Cockey", i.e.

Geo Cockrill, - whose father

rang you up the other

day - is my pal, he is. 

as good as a tonic. You

Know the Kind of chap I

mean.

We make the men as

comfortable as possible,

and that is more comfy

than most, Each man

when he comes of out

of the trenches for his weeks

rest, - they do week in

week out - has a wire -

netting bed to sleep on,

You laugh, but I can

tell you they are very

comfortable, I have one

my self.

At present they are all

in their bunks, swinging like

so many school boys. Its

grand to hear them, even

when they are in the line

going like blazes. They

Keep up their boisterous

spirits. A Padre once

remarked to us, "I have

been right along the line,

an everyone is down in the

mouth, except your boys."

It was some complement

I can tell you, for the

smiling face is our aim.

Our Battery has been

more active than any

of the Batteries in the Division

in fact, we have fired

about twice as many shells.

An inspecting ge General

passing through our lines

remarked on the battered

down appearance of  Fritzs

lines. In fact every piece

of new work we he puts up,

we Kindly Knock it down.

Our work is often mentioned

in Army Communique's.

I am sorry Dad, but I 

seem to be in a boasting

mood, anyhow, this will

let you Know what Kind

of a concern I am in.

I am as fit as a fiddle,

so there is no need to worry,

even if I do forget to write

sometimes.

Ever your loving son

Wally

France

23^rd - September '16

My Dear old Mum.

I presume

or at least I hope that

you and Mrs Cockerill are

friends. For if such is

the case it will make things

much easier, - I mean

for "Cockey" and myself.

As you Know, Cockey and

I are officers of the Trench

Mortar Battery, and as

we were both gun commanders

at the Start, we

Know what the work is

like. Vis - hard - at

times Strenuous, - exciting - 

but on the whole it is

rather enjoyable. Knowing

as you do, that you

are keeping Fritz in a

state of unrest, both in

body and in mind. 

Our men work well,

without grumbling, so

much so, that while talking

things over one evening,

we thought or at least

wondered, whether you you

could arrange with

some of your lady friends

who will probably be

Sending presents to

the fellows for Christmas.

Of course I mean by

this, that they are not

Sending presents to any

particular soldier.

We wondered whether

you and "Cockey's" mother

could get a party of

the such lady friends

and instead of sending