Papers of Edgar Sydney Worrall - Wallet 2 - Part 6

Received

1AT Sea

12th May 1916

AT Sea

25 March '16

My Dear Harry

Just a line in 

haste. I hope to be within a

few hundred miles of you as

soon as this trip is finished

We have had a good voyage

and submarines have

kept well out of way

Best of luck old man we

may need before very long

I love your loving brother

Edgar

PC In future address

your letters to Sergeant [[?]]

E.

[[DRAWING SEE ORIGINAL DOCUEMENTS]]

NO SURRENDER

Received

Monday 29th May

(47 days in [[?]])

th Battalion

Inf Brigade

(Australia)

[[?]] [[?]]

Supports

Somewhere in

France

Tuesday 11.4.16

Mother Mine

I am writing this by a

cosy  coke fire behind our lines. "Somewhere

in France" Life has passed very pleasantly

 with me the last few weeks. I must 

try and give you my impressions of 

La Belle France after journeying

from South to North.

This country has fairly enchanted

me from the moment I first set eyes

on the rugged cliffs of the Southern

coast. We first saw land appear early

on Monday morning a couple of weeks

back, and later we passed the island

prison of the Count of Monte Cristo, and

entered the magnificent harbour of Marseilles.

With band playing we pulled

into the quay and soon after dinner

disembarked, marched to the station

and cheer applaud of the populist

and entrained. I shall never forget that

trip from South to North, should I live to be

a hundred. In duration it was sixty hours

but it passed all too soon. Through [[?]]

and vineyard, with [[gleaning?]] while [[roads?]]

dividing and subdividing [[?]] then on

through towns where we received welcome

worthy of the royal Family, then on through

a snow storm which made the surrounding

country appear like a page out of a [[?]]

book. Fair wenches [[?]] and passed [[?]]

to us, soldiers saluted boys cheered, old men

and women - probably remembering [[1070 -?]]

turned to the North and shook their fists [[?]] the direction they supposed the Kaiser was,

and then waved us on [[?]] occasional

priest took off his hat and blessed us

and so the journey went on.

The last night of the journey - just as

night was falling - we ran into a snow

storm. The lights were just beginning to

beam through the windows of the rural

homes, and with the ground all covered in

snow it gave the appearance of a winter

scene on an illuminated Xmas Card.

But now about myself. We are now

in supports just behind as advanced

position. The afternoon we have had

some reminders of Gallipoli. Our old

friends - high explosive shells - have

been passing overhead. Instead of living

like rabbits as on the peninsula, we

are billeted in villages or farmhouses

when out of the actual firing line

I cannot imagine condition as bad

as we had [[then?]] over yonder, and am

looking forward to a good time or as

near one as possible.

Best of love

Edgar

P.S. Have just got your very welcome

letter and trust you are keeping in the best

of health of spirits. God bless you.

[[?]] future address

6th Aust. Inf Brigade

A.I.F.

[[initial?]] of [[merely?]]

6th Brigade

Rest as before. A.I.F.

[[DRAWING SEE ORIGINAL DOCUEMENT]]

NO SURRENDER

Received

10-6-16

24th Battalion

6th. Inf Brigade

(Australia)

EGYPT

The Trenches

Flanders 

18th April

1916

My Dear Dad

I am writing this in the

trenches in Flanders. It is 8 P.M. and

I have just come off duty. Gun dug

out measures 6' by 6' and is 6' high.

It is marvellous what we [[?]]

our "home". Above our heads hang our

our rifles and equipment. A shelf

is let into the wall and contains

out tucker box and [[?]]. At the

bottom where our feet reach is a

small grate burning [[coke?]]. This provides

our oven and heating apparatus. A

few pictures from illustrated paper

decorate the sand - bag wall and

here we reside and call it "home".

Soon I am expecting my brother [[sergeant?]]

and dugout mate to some off and

turn in. We shall have a modest

[[supper-toast, butter and cocoa. Perhaps

[[DRAWING SEE ORGINAL DOCUEMENT]]

NO SURRENDER

24th. Battalion

6th. Inf Brigade

(Australia)

EGYPT

we shall have a short yarn of home

and then turn over and sleep the sleep

of one content with a hard day's

toil. About two I shall be awakened

to go out on patrol and examine some

new [[?]] Fritz has been working

at all day. It has been rain,

[[?]] [[?]], [[?]] the last three days

and things are consequently just a

little miserable but the promise of a

[[?]] in the morning has brightened

things up considerable. This life is 

nothing to Gallipoli. One can always

procure eggs etc in billets and

we never expected to see such hardship

as we witnessed over yonder

Best of love to all

Edgar

[[DRAWING SEE ORIGINAL DOCUEMENT]]

 

NO SURRENDER

24th. Battalion

6th Inf Brigade

(Australia)

France.

14th May 1916

EGYPT

My Dear Father,

Your letter has just come to

hand, and very welcome it was too.

Rather bad [[luck?]] being beaten for the

sec but as you say it should be your

turn next year. It is raining hard outside,

but the last fortnight has been delightful

weather, and all around the

the woods and pastures are green

and beautiful.

I am glad my diary interested

you. You are quite right in my not

wanting a single word of it published

in any form. The same applies

to all my letters. Some chaps have

been trying to make a name for

themselves & writing some pretty tall

yarns home. Their letters are sometimes

published and they are made to look

ridiculous in the extreme. Whatever else

you do don't blow a chap up these

 

[[IN MARGIN]]

are men who have done untold things and

never a word heard of them. These other things

fade into insignificance before them. Everyone of

us [[abhors?]] to see anything in [[?]] concerning us

you understand don't [[?]]. If anything is done [[?]]

mentioned Hedd Ors do so in official

despatches. I have just written a long letter

to Norman & Isabel & one to Harry. I hear

from both of them regularly.

I am sending a school Xmas Card in

this. I have carried it a long way & am

sending it home for safety. Put it away

 amongst my treasures to decorate

my room after the war.

No far from where I am now

writing is a small [[shrine?]] containing

an effigy of the cruxfix & Holy Trinity

A shell has passed right through the

wall & caused great damage. But

strange to say that [[?]] the [[?]]

the figures stand all intact. It

[[makes?]] even the most thoughtful

pause & think.

The very best of love to all.

Edgar

[[DRAWING SEE ORIGINAL DOCUEMENT]]

NO SURRENDER

24th Battalion

6th Inf Brigade

(Australia)

France

27th May 1916

 

Mother Mine,

There is little to [[?]] since

last mail, and as no home mail has

reached us, there is no home news to

comment on. The weather generally

is beautiful and I am even as happy

as Larry. Indeed it would be difficult

to be otherwise in the company of each

lads as we have about us. In [[?]]

of hard fatigue and risks there is

seldom a dull moment in our [[?]]

and easy and glorious life.

Wen in billets we put our

 heads and incidentally our purses together and

then [[?]] the countryside for palatable

edibles. The results. Eggs & ham for breakfast

coffee, cream, salads and everything

that a rural district produce.

A river close by provides excellent

bathing, and a large factory not far

away, turned into a hot baths and laundry provides for our cleaniness. No this is not hundreds of miles

from the big [[?]] but right up against all firing

line. At last a proof copy of the "Anzac

Magazine" has been sent round and we can see

everyday incidents of Gallipoli dipicted on paper.

When copies are available I shall post one home.

The English mail has just come in and according

to his letter Harry is as enthusiastic as ever with his

work I may have the chance of seeing him soon 

Five of the Battalion (over 1000 [[?]]) have been

recommended

to attend a school of instruction at London

I am one of the five. When we are going I do

not know but if it is "dinkum" it should not

be long. It may blow over however and nothing

come of it. If it is a success - well anything

may happen You need not say anything about

it, for it may end in [[?]]

Best of love to all

Your loving son.

Edgar