Letters relating to service of Harry Hodgman

"Orvielo"  24th Nov

Off Aden.

 

Dear Mother,

I am sorry that after all I missed

the mail at Colombo, but we were not allowed

to write any letters after we got there, & in fact

only stayed a couple of days there. We didn't

go ashore there needless to say tho' I would dearly

have liked to. We were anchored outside the

breakwater, & didn't even get inside. What we could

see from there was interesting enough, especially the

natives in their quaint dresses & calamarans. Of

course in the latter they wear mighty little in the

way of clothing. These calamarans have a whopping

sail in comparison to the boat, which is just

wide enough for a man to sit in. They carry

four or five people generally & move very quickly

thro' the water. We sighted land about nine in

the morning & got to Colombo at one. We were

met about twelve by a big fleet of these things, I

should say some couple of hundred & they did

look queer. They seem safe enough, but I wouldn't care

to cross the Atlantic in one of them. There seems

to be a big amount of shipping in Colombo, much

more than I thought there would be, as there were

five or six large steamers in or out each of

(2)

the two days we were there. Of course, we had 40 

odd book there ourselves but among the others was

the Russian warship Adskold which escaped

from Port Arthur when the Japs chased her. She

had been dodging the Emden for a couple of

weeks & was lucky to get into Colombo. By this

time you will have a fuller account perhaps 

than I can give of the taking of the Emden by

the "Sydney". We were very excited ourselves as

we knew early that the Sydney had engaged some

German ship, & that there was another one there

Of course we didn't know that the other was a

Collier. However, we heard at dinner time that

the "Emden" was beaten & on shore. We were to

get most of the prisoners on board, but they didn't

come, altho' everything was got ready for them.

However we saw the "Empress of Russia" the next

day & she was a picture. A big three funnelled

armoured merchantman doing about 25 knots

& I should say about 25,000 tons. She was

some size I can tell you. At first we thought

she was a foreign warship, as she came

straight for us almost as soon as we

saw her, but the "Ibuki" our Jap escourt

went out to meet her & then they both changed

courses so we knew everything was all right.

(3)

We got 50 German prisoners on board at

Colombo including the Kaizer's nephew, who

was the second Torpedo Lieut on the "Emden"

The fight only lasted an hour & forty minutes

but they say it was the hottest thing out. Our

prisoners seem to have a very good time, & are a

younger set of men than we are, & were young

enough. Of course there are all kinds of yarns

about the ship supposed to have come from the

these men, but the one which has the biggest 

circulation is that the Prince had to be

tied to his gun,as he tried to jump overboard.

Of course it is hard to believe, but the men all

swear to it. They are making a harvest & sell 

anything that has "Emden" on it. The tokens

from the Canteen, which are pieces of tin, varying

in size according to the value represented, &

they bring as much as £1 each. In fact

one of our men bought some & sold 4 of them

for £4 , & then gave two away for 30/-, as a

great favour. Hatbands from the Germans are

worth a young fortune, one officer giving as

much as £5/1- for one. Of course they are

very scarce, but it is simply wicked the way

things are. It isn't as if there were plenty of

money on board as we have been allowed

(4)

one amount of 7/- & another of 10/- since

we came on board & a sovereign on board

now is worth £2 ashore. Cigarettes are very

short, & they issue one hundred boxes a day

among 1500 of us, so you see we can't

smoke much. There is no chocolate, or very

little, & no notepaper Matches are nearly

done, & everything is the same. It appears

that the ship was supplied with enough

canteen stores to last the same number of

English soldiers 12 weeks & before we had been

a month away everything had to be cut down,

& only a limited amount issued daily. We

are just off the Is of Sokobra, & expect to be

in Aden on the day after tomorrow. It

has seemed a long line, but now the days

are fairly flying. Of course we had had no

mail yet & are all hoping for some here

which is another thing which makes it seem

so long. The heat has been nothing yet. We

had one hot day & night, but otherwise it has

been lovely. No rough weather & just gentle

breezes every day. We only wear a singlet, open

as much as possible, a short pair of trousers

the shorter the better & a white cricketing hat.

We don't do much work, 2½ hours in the morn

(5)

and one in the afternoon. All lights are

out except below, & it gets dark almost as

soon as the sun sets, so we just lie about

on deck & talk & smoke when we can.

The sunsets & the sunrises are something to

talk about, but to see is to remember for

always. I have seen some at home which I

thought could not be improved on but these

are glorious. They only last a minute or so,

but the colours fairly seem to jump into being.

They are so vivid & dazzling. Everything from

a pure gold to a dark red & from a white

heat to a pink with the clouds which seem

to lend themselves to the picture it is lovely

I forgot to mention that at the time when the

"Sydney" & "Emden" were scrapping we were

some 70 miles away & if we had gone

on in the usual course would have

run slap bang into the Emden, as she

had no idea we were anywhere in the 

vicinity & thought we had gone via the

Cape. There is not much news to tell.

We are all very well & I am getting

fat, for a wonder. Our food still continues

good, & everything is the same everyday.

Day before yesterday I was on guard

(6)

over the prisoners, which brought home

how much in earnest we were more than

anything we have done yet. I had a good

post, right over the stern to see that no

signalling was done & also to watch for

boats approaching, but as we were at sea

of course there was nothing to do.

I suppose this will reach you about

Christmas time, so I wish you all dear

a very Merry Christmas & a bright &

prosperous New Year, tho' I will be

in England I will be thinking of

you all in Australia, down under.

I hope Arndell will be able to get over

to see you all, & I would like you

to send this on to him if he does not

come. I have forgotten his address. I

hope Nancy & he are both well again

& little Jim is to have a kiss from

me. Dad will be busy again with the

B.J.C. Meet I suppose & I hope the

war won't affect it very much.

Goodnight Mother dear. Give my love to

all the family & with much to Dad &

yourself from

Your loving son Harry.

580 Pte H Hodgman

5th Battn

 

1 DRL 354

[Front of envelope]

 

Mrs J.C. Hodgman,

corner Park St & Bay Road

New Town

Hobart

Tasmania

Australia

Orvieto in Red Sea

9-11-14.

 

My dear Mother,

In a few hours I suppose we

will be landing at Port Said, as our

latest instructions are that we proceed to Cairo

for the winter, & that there is just a possibility

of our having a scrap with the Turks.

There is practically no news. We have left the

fleet & are some hours ahead of them & are

doing about 18 knots, so it is quite cool

as we have a slight head wind. We had

two hot days & one night in the Red Sea,

but otherwise it was lovely. Aden is a

hole, with hills nearly 1000 feet high all

round it & solid rock into the bargain.

Everyone is very excited & it is practically

impossible to write, so will write you again

as soon as we get to Cairo. I had to

be vaccinated a second time, as the first

lot didn't take, & this won't either.

Give my love to all & with much to yourself

from your loving son  Harry.

Mena, Egypt,

4th April '15

 

My dear Mother,

Just a few lines to let you know I

am very well, & keeping as fit as ever. I weighed

myself this week & went 11.4. not bad for me,

seeing I was under 10 stone when we went into

camp at the Meadows.

Everything is turmoil here, & this will

be my last letter to you from Egypt, for  perhaps

for some time to come. I will write however

every time I get a chance, but that I am

afraid that will not be very often.

I am pleased to be able to tell

you that the Skipper has hoisted my first

bar, & is also very pleased with my work

here, & has promised me as speedy promotion

as possible, so that I will be able to take the

2.M. S's job should it fall vacant. Our

2.M.S. has got a commission in the

British Army & I thought I had a good

chance to get the job, but the Major objected

very strongly, & said he wouldn't see the

other senior men passed over, so the Capt.

is doing what he can in the other direction

Dick gave me a very decent reference to the

2.

skip. before he left, but it had no immediate

effect.

I am enclosing this to Muriel, as I can only

find one envelope, & have some things to send her,

photoes, which she will probably send on to you.

Goodnight Mother, dear, give my love to all at

home, & with much to yourself

Your loving son

Harry

 

When Muriel sends you the photoes please have

them copied at Ashes's & send a copy to Dookie.

I only got them today & no time to get an extra copy.

Harry

FHI/EFM.    

W 11697

D 1728

 

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE.

BASE RECORDS OFFICE.

VICTORIA BARRACKS.

MELBOURNE. 28th December, 1915.

 

BR  34 862

 

Dear Sir,

I am in receipt of a communication from the

Office of the High Commissioner for Australia, London, in

respect to the regrettable death in action at the Dardanelles

of your son, No. 580 Private H. Hodgman, 5th Battalion, and

am instructed to convey to you the following extract of a

report made by No. 594 Private G. H. Earp, 5th Battalion,

upon the death of the former, which has been received from

the Secretary, British Red Cross Society:-

 

"Private Brownell was shot beside me on April

"25th, 1915, about 4.30 p.m. after landing. He made the

"last advance with us and we formed a firing line. We

"lay in the open and snipers got on us . . . . 

"Hodgman was shot almost immediately afterwards through

"the head - he died without a murmur. He fought without

"fear all day.

 

"As far as I know I was the only one left

"of our little group and as the others on the right had

"passed the word down to retire, doing so at the same

"time, I was forced to go. I could not get identification

"discs or anything as the fire was too hot.

 

(Sgd) Private G.A. Earp, 594,

5 A.I.F. ("D" Company),

Cairo,  15/10/15."

 

Yours faithfully,

Capt.

Officer i/c Base Records

 

Mr. T. C. Hodgman,

New Town,

Hobart, Tas.

[Front of Envelope]

 

O.H.M.S.

 

Mrs R. Hodgman,

"Werribee"

Bay Road,

New Town. TAS.

 

Officer in Charge, Base Records,

Victoria Barracks, Melbourne.

 

To open this letter cut along the edge.

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE.

BASE RECORDS OFFICE,

VICTORIA BARRACKS,

MELBOURNE,  2nd August,  1918.

 

26204

 

Dear Madam,

I have to acknowledge receipt

of your communication regarding your son,

the late No. 580 Private Harry Hodgman, 5th

Battalion, and I am forwarding you a certificate

of report of his death showing the

correct date of same, namely, 25-4-15.

 

There is no record of Pte.

Hodgman, having held the rank of Lance

Corporal, at any time. 

 

Yours faithfully,

Major,

Officer i/c Base Records.

 

Mrs R. Hodgman

"Werribee"

Bay Road,

New Town, TAS.    (ENCLOSURE)