Correspondence between Field Marshal Lord William Birdwood and Lady Janetta Birdwood, 1915 - Part 17

Churchill's brother, who is Sir Ian's Camp Commandant & 
who was with me for a short time in S. Africa - & is 
I should say a much better fellow than his brother W. 
always cheery ready to help. But it all seems a regular 
pic-nic - one lives in tents with no fear of shells & walk about 
anywhere with no idea of bullets. I am dining with Admiral  
de Robeck on his flagship "Triad" - he is such an awfully  
nice fellow & I am always glad to see him. I have brought  
Angebey here with me as even though he has lately been on 
a hospital ship I felt he wanted a change next - as he says  
he has never really got out of having grown to 6.3 1/2 & looks so 
very difficult. He is a particularly nice fellow & I like 
him much. He was telling me yesterday about his matrimonial 
troubles at the bottom of which apparently is his mother in 
law and though he is quite prepared to live with his wife again 
it is only on condition that her mother does not come into the 
house! He tells me that the dirt alone of the 'Souls' is awful 
& that- he doesn't suppose the Duchess has had her hair properly 
brushed out for years !! He was telling me too about 
Princess Patricia -the old King apparently once wrote 
to his brother giving them his blessing and saying she would 
have to ditch the Royal rank on marriage. When his brother 
had to write to say there was nothing in it & that there  
was no engagement. Enormous riches must have their 
drawbacks some can see how he has been pushed

3) for his - and he is so nice about it. The amount of 
money, such they have was rather brought home to me when 
we were discussing the "Triad" which the Admiralty recently 
bought, for the Admiral here for £80,000- she was an American 
millionaires yacht. & Angelsey said he had only pd £55,000 
for his, which was a much better one! 
Genl. Peyton came over to see me the other day as did 
Maher. The former told me he had heard how Cole was very 
bad from his wound & at one time was not expected to live. It 
is however so impossible to hear anything authentic regarding 
the wounded once they leave here, that one can believe nothing. 
Poor Gurney Sheppard - Aileen Clives husband- was killed - you 
might write to her if you haven't done so. Skeen I hear has 
been landed at Malta & I fear he has enteric there.  I 
have tried to find out, & if he is to be away a long time 
I am to have Col. McMunn sent me in his place, but I 
much hope this may not be necessary. 
I was rather pleased at getting a very nice wire 
of happy returns of the day from the General Head Quarters 
here on my birthday, which Gnl. Braithwaite had 
apparently happened to look up in the birthday army list! 
I see some of the papers have been publishing rather 
good accounts of all our fighting here in August- 
& the doings of "Anzac". We shall have to go down 
to France I fancy geographically as well as historically.

When my Army Corps was first formed, I was asked to 
settle on a telegraphic code word &  selected "Anzac" 
Then after we had landed here I was asked what I 
wished the little bay in beach to be called, as all 
the different beaches are constantly to be referred 
to in order & I selected "Anzac Cove", & as such I see it 
now marked in maps & as part of this peninsula is 
referred to as "Anzac". & as such will have to figure in 
future maps! 
I am wondering so much if you have ever got all my 
letters - as in your last of 22^nd Aug, I see that there are 
several things you haven't heard of & about which I have 
written. Did you ever get my letter about the flower 
seeds? I mean the original one I wrote a long time 
ago asking you to send some to Isabel Vaughan-Hughes? 
And did you get one telling you all about old Col Ryan? 
He is such a dear kind old man & I hope you may 
perhaps see more of him- if you are in London again be sure 
to ask him to tea or something if he is still there. He 
told me he expected to return to my staff but I understand  
there is no chance of his being strong enough 
ever to be able to do that or to stand the knocking about, 
though he will probably be all right in Egypt. 
I have been most awfully sorry to hear of poor old

4)   Genl. Broome's death. He had been over to Australia 
on some [[?warrant]] duty work & died at Colombo of 
heart on his way back- I fancy he had been bad for a 
long time - he was such a dear nice fellow. 
Just got a letter from Nancy of 29th- While your last is 22nd- 
but one can never tell what happens to them- I have 
letters from Bob & Edie of 9th July & 20th August arriving 
the same day, & some which have taken exactly two months 
to reach me here from Egypt - only 3 days journey! I 
forget if I sent you a copy of Sir Ian's special order 
about the fighting of my Army Corps last month - I don't 
think I did, but I sent them some time ago to Nancy & Chris 
& enclose one for you now - your father will like to see it. 
I don't think I am any thinner now little one. I was- 
but have got fatter again - I take lunch if I am in, but 
with so much to be seen I am generally out as once one 
starts off round the trenches it is impossible to get back 
under several hours & I am sure it is much the best thing 
for me too. Certainly if I didn't go round every day, talking 
to the men & finding out if things were all right on my 
own, I shouldn't be able to gain their confidence to anything 
like this extent. I hope I have done - and I now have four 
Divisions in place of two - 2 Australian. 1 mixed 
Australian & New Zealand and 1 Territorial - who are 
absolute children beside the Australians. I'm sorry you

weren't able to see little Gabriel when he was over, as 
he would have been interesting & I don't suppose he will be back 
again for some time. I have been seeing something of the 
Italian military attache here & he seems quite optimistic. 
I am so sorry to hear of poor Wally's wound, as though not serious 
it is probably most painful & anything on the jaw must be bad. 
I hope he will be right again soon. I'm sure you will have 
been quite sorry to leave Hansfield & all the Australians who 
seem to have appreciated you so much & I'm so glad you 
were always able to see so much of them. 
Your letter came just right - or as near as possible - 2 days only 
after my birthday & I was so glad to get it little one. The 
short bread & air pillow will be most welcome & you 
couldn't possibly have thought of anything I would so much 
have liked to have - they should turn up ere long. 
I'm afraid I don't see much chance of a move on 
from here yet awhile, but it is not easy to foresee the 
situation for anytime ahead. 
Goodbye my own little sweetheart - All my love to you 
Ever your very loving old. 
Will. 
  
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Mediteranean Expdy Force. 
30 Sept 15 
My own darling little wife. 
28 today!! Just think of it - 30th September 
your birthday and 28. I am sure you don't feel older 
or look it - and it is all that, that counts for age - not 
actual years- & I have never known anyone remain such a real 
kid as you do. I am glad too to say I feel quite youthful 
again after having been rather old for a bit! You will I 
fancy be spending your birthday at Thurlby & Kates quietly 
with I fancy only your father & Judith there, as I imagine the 
others will all be away. Here we are having a quiet day of 
it too - or rather it has begun so, for one can never tell to what 
a state of "hate" the Turkish guns (which are all manned by 
Germans) may or may not work up to by the evening - Some days 
they are quiet - often they fire away a lot. I fancy it depends a 
good deal on how much ammunition they have in hand- The day 
before yesterday they put in over 200 rounds at one Battery of mine 
just above my headquarters in an hour or so, but did very little 
harm. Yesterday they got a shell right into Walker's dugout while 
he was there, wrecking the whole place & burying him, but luckily  
he was untouched! Another of my Generals - an Australian 
called Ryrie got a 75 gun shrapnel bullet in his throat. 
It just missed the artery & is still in his throat, but 
he is little the worse & it will be removed today.

A very nice fellow a Capt. Lloyd is going home today & may 
take this with him. If you are in town & he writes to  
arrange a meeting I hope you will see him. He was 
with Genl. Maxwell's staff all the time I was in Egypt 
when I saw a lot of him & he has always been fearfully 
keen on being on my staff instead of on Sir Ian's where 
he is. He is not a soldier - but a Warwickshire Yeoman & 
an M.P. - though he looks a boy & a subaltern! He has 
for a long time taken a great interest in Turkish affairs 
& speaking that language fairly well is used in intelligence 
& interpreting, and now goes home to see the war & foreign 
offices on such matters. He is I fancy a fairly rich 
man as his people are Lloyd's Bank. His wife was 
a maid of honor to Queen Alexandra & is consequently 
a great friend of dear old Sir Dightons & struck 
me as such a very nice woman when I saw her in 
Egypt for a short time- She only came there just 
before we left. I only tell you all this about 
him in case he arranges a meeting & he is such 
a very nice fellow. I'd like you to see him 
& he would give you latest news about me.

2) He is an able fellow too & gets on quite the 
right lines as regards political & intelligence 
matters here & I hope his visit home (it is only to be 
a very short one I believe) may do some real good in 
one or two matters which have been neglected. 
If you are in town soon, I want you to go & see a 
Brig-Gen McCay 10 Carlton Horse Terrace. He is one 
of my Australian, Brigadiers who did very well in all our 
early work here, Col. got hit in his  leg - came back & 
his leg went again, so he had to be told off & was operated 
on in Malta & is now in hospital recovering. When 
well enough he will go back to Australia before rejoining 
me here. I'd much like you to go & see him, but 
unless you are in town soon I fancy he will have 
been sent off back to Australia. If by any chance he 
has left. Carlton Ho. Terrace, Sir George Reid's office would 
be able to give out his address. He is a lawyer by trade. 
A nonplus fellow & member of the Australian Parliamente 
pronounces his name Mackie. 
You may like to see the enclosed form poor Lady Bridges 
to whom I wrote on her husband's death- she 
must be a nice woman. I have just got a letter 

of yours dated 15th Oct, but there are evidently 
others of previous dates to which you refer. You don't mention 
Lord K's speech in the House of Lords about me & my staff 
& Australians. Have you seen it? I haven't seen the papers 
yet - but Mrs Wagstaff sent him an extract of it which 
seemed very nice & I must say it is a great thing. As 
such things are not often said for nothing in Parliament. 
I must try & get hold of it later & you might keep a 
cutting of it, if you can find it. It should be about 
15th Sept. Percy I imagine may have been in this 
last big advance which seems to have been very successful  
but about which we have as yet no details. 
Goodbye my own little lamb. I close this advice  
as George Lloyd may be able to take it 
with him I fancy he will go with the King's 
messenger very fast. I'll be thinking of you so 
much all day of your birthday & with all 
my love to you. Ever your very loving old. 
Will. 
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3rd Series (15)

M.E.F. 
6 Oct 15- 
My own little girl. 
There is certainly something still very extraordinary 
with these posts. I got just a very short note of yours dated 15 
Sept saying you had written me earlier in the week. The only 
letter before that was of the 4th - so you are sure to have written 
in the interval, but nothing has come. It may still do so 
a week hence! and in the mean time I have just been very 
glad to get yours of 20th. I am glad Chris spent a few 
days at Packwood as the Bradshaws are so very nice & it is 
nice to think that he remembers them so kindly & is still 
glad to go there & be with them- it is a good trait. I 
am sure he is a dear good boy. I was writing to Mr 
Rintoul lately. Chris could I fancy go up for Sandhurst 
next July, but if he is still very young & unfussed. I am 
not at all sure that it would not be better for 
him to wait six months longer at Clifton & go up 
the following December. It is too early to decide 
now, as it must partially depend on how the 
war goes on, but I am not at all sure that 
this would not be best for him in the long 
run - I fancy J has selected an excellent 
place in Sherbourne- It is a school they love