Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 12 of 12

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Jan 31
Feb 25

3rd AUST.INF.5DE.FIELD P.O.   3AP.15  

Miss E.W. Champion
Cortoon Omar Place
Unley Park
South Australia

Reply to Adelaide Y. M. C. A. Army Department
No Coy.
England.

C7 

Good Friday
April 2 1915
My Dear Eileen
I shall have to apply for
permission to alter my birthday until to
April 1^st never dreamt of getting such a mail
in my life. It arrived the night before last
& yesterday I got the pile. There were your
84 pages covering from Jan 31^st to Feb 25^th (perfect
letters every one) two from mother one each
from Lex, pa, Linda, Tom, Freda, Feo, Mr Richardson
(my old schoolmaster) & Mr Follen Bishop. Then there
were those very welcome knitted flannels, the Register
& a Mail from Feo. Of course the most surprising
news of all was Feo enlisting I don't know
what to think of it at any rate I am glad in a
way. It is quite possible I may see him
in a short while.
I don't think the mail that closes to-day
will find a connecting one at Port Said
until the 14^th so I am leaving replying
to the budget until next week. It takes
me a couple of hours to read through
yours alone.

It must have been a shock to hear of Phil Robin's alleged
death. There was never anything wrong with him
It looks as if you had the same trouble with rumours
in Adelaide as we have here.
The knitted flannels are the most useful things
you could have sent. I have been reduced to
using handkerchiefs which are no where near as 
satisfactory. You can assure Miss Bentley the
scarf has been most useful. When it is not
needed for what it is intended, it comes in
for an ideal hip cushion when sleeping on anything
hard.
There has absolutely nothing happened of any
consequence since I last wrote.  We are still
going on in the same way. The crew is still
going & when the weather is too rough we have a
holiday.
Land & Water of Feb 27 contains a very good article
by Belloc on the duration of the war. It is the first
of a series.
We are getting fresh meat now & a little jam so 
things are beginning to look brighter
The censorship is still as severe as ever though
it seems ridiculous in the face of information
we have heard of being published in papers in
neutral countries Love to all
Yours ever
Tom

H. M. T. Ionian
off Dardanelles
April 24, 1915
My Dear Sweetheart,
No. 19 has just been completed
& the book has been delivered for posting. I thought
of writing this in case I went under suddenly,
and partly because I did not like to include what
I wanted to say nowin the book. not that at present I
have any thought of not seeing you again but
in case of accidents.
I want to let you know by this means, that ever
since I first commenced to love you I have always
loved you fondly. I think it was in Sydney when
I received your letter with 6s on the back that it
began to dawn on me that you were more to me
than anybody. Ever since then my love for you
has grown stronger & stronger, until now I feel
that I love you more than I ever dreamt was possible
for any man to love. You have been the one great 
thought in my life. It has come home to me
more than ever since I left Australia how impossible
life would be to me without you. I can't realise
myself how thoughts of you have completely
obsessed every waking minute for the past month
Every step, every action has been preceded by the
 

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thought 'How will this strike Eileen' Oh God! I
love you. As this will is only intended to reach
you in the event of my death you will know
that my thoughts will have been of you right until
the end. Of this I feel absolutely certain
You can't imagine how it hurts to write this
letter. The one thing I cant bear to think of is the possibility
of not being able to see you, to marry you, to live the
happiest of lives with you. May this letter never
be necessary. But the thought that hurts worst
of all is of you & your sorrow. For me, (as you know
I believe) just oblivion. It is you that will suffer.
The thought of that will be the hard part of crossing
the bar. We have no means of comparison but this
is a cruel world sust just you think of the misery you
can see everywhere. If there is a controlling God
what a cruel God he must be The one thing that
makes the cruellest sorrow bearable is that healer
of all things 'Time'. So look forward to that one
silver lining. The chief thought in human nature
when suffering great sorrow is to do pennance. This
to my mind appears wrong. The world seems upside
down. I think we should do our best to heal the
wound & not to keep it open as the natural tendency 
seems. Darling I want you to grieve as little as
possible Just think of me as non existent in

To Nicholas Schmidt.
A rather remarkable letter -
Moving, poignant, even noble.
Andrew Adamson
 

The crossing out on last page
could only have been done
by my mother. The short hand
would be hers too.

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spirit, blotted out completely. It would soften
the last thoughts if I knew you would be
really happy again. I want you to marry
again when the opportunity comes. If it is not to
be me, may it be someone much worthier. That
is not written for mere form. 
love.
I have
endeavoured to make you as happy as I could.
We have had some wonderful times and it is better
to have loved & lost than never to have loved at all.
You have always been my ideal woman & to make
you happy would have been my sole ambition.
Goodbye my love, may you get all the happiness
you deserve, will be my last wish
Your loving husband
Tom

No 2. General. Hospital
Gheyireh Palace
Cairo
26- 1-16.
My dear Miss Champion.
I do remember
Private Tom. Whyte. very well. The
poor man came on the Gaseon
during the morning. He had an
abdominal wound, and was
taken to the operation room almost
at once. and every thing possible
was done for him. He was very
anxious that a packet should be

given to a friend of his. whose
name I have unfortunately forgotten.
Late that night I went to the poor
man and stayed with him til
he died - Really I don't think he
suffered very much pain, but was
glad to have some woman there,
he died between 12 m.n. and 1 a.m.
I was with him at the time & for
some time before. The only thing he
was worried over was some package
being delivered to his friend, & I'm
fairly certain it was sent.

The Colonel was very good &
did his best to carry out such
requests. I feel certain that there
must have been some message
for you in it. He was a brave
man and died as a man ought.
I'm more sorry for you than I can
tell you - and it was knowing
he was engaged made me stay on
duty a little longer. to be what
comfort I could to him. It was
a terrible day for us all
and I saw so much that
 

was awful that Day. I'm sorry
I can't tell you more poor girl, but
I would be only too thankful to
answer any questions. The package
was sewn up. and he did not
as far as I know see any Photograph
but I'm sure it was what he was
so anxious about. You may rest
he did not suffer very long and
was not disfigured in any way.
and I was with him to the very last
I wish I could tell you more poor
girl.
Yours sincerely
Katherine M. Porter

No2   A.G.H.
Marseilles
21-5-16

My dear Miss Champion.
I'm sorry
not to have answered your letter by the
last mail. I only got it about a
week ago, I do wish I could tell
you more of your man, I would
willingly if I could, only 85 men
came into my ward that day
& I was the only sister in it, the
Dr and four Orderlies and I
had tolook after all those men
they came straight from the shore
to us tho, and your man came on

in his uniform, and was
washed and put into a pair
of light coloured Pyjamas -
he was in a swinging cot, &
it was properly made up
with sheets and white Blankets,
I told you before I think he 
was operated on, and really
I don't think he had very 
much pain - I'm more than
sorry for you, and I wish I
could do more for you, please
try and understand, that tho
I do remember him perfectly
there were was so much to do
and it was all very terrible

We were in the midst of all the battle ships
and the shots & shell were all round us,
the men were more than fine, & I feel
proud to belong to the same nation - Itoo have
a man in the firing line and he is big
and fair - and I do understand what your 
feelings are-
Yours Sincerely.
Katherine Porter