Letters from George Leslie Makin to his family, 1916 - Part 8

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with a matinee at Her Majesty's Theatre.

When we arrived back in camp we were

footsore, but happy, & proud indeed to be

an Australians & particularly Australian

soldiers.

As you say Mr. Hughes is making a name

for himself over here.

All the papers are full of Hughes & he

has made Asquith & his party very sick.

These last few days, he has been the quest

of their Majesties at Windsor Castle.

By the last mail I received photos of Gertie

& Ruby & I am very proud of my sisters.

I never realized what a lovely girl Ruby

is. I have shown it round the Mess

& she has been much admired.

Gertie seems to have grown, but has

not altered at all.

I have got photos now of Mother, Jim, Ruby

& Gertie & am looking forward to having

the complete set of the whole family

including you Essie & the baby.

Love to all 

from Les.

 

 

Westham Camp 

Weymouth

11/5/1916

Dearest Mother

Your letter of 29/3/16 to hand,

& strangely enough, by the same mail

came a letter from Jim. Last time

it was the same.

It is a great pleasure to me to get your

letters & Jims by the same mail. It

seems to link the family together,

although we are far away.

Jim is well & wants for nothing, except

letters from home sweet home.

He expects to get them in a few days

now. I have answered his letter

already. I write to him every few days

as I know how a soldier looks forward

to letters from his own people.

You will see that my address is again

altered, but don't you alter it till you

hear from me.

I am now passed for service & expect
 

 

to be over with Jim soon.

I don't think I have any chance of getting

back to the 5^th, but I'll get a job somewhere.

I am at present in charge of two small

companies at this camp. The men here

are not quite fit for service, but they are

well enough to give trouble & my time

is taken up trying cases & handing

out C.B. & giving fatherly lectures

to naughty boys.

By last mail I received a photo of

Harry's baby. She has her mouth open,

but I think she's very like Harry.

C. Trewartha & E. Tully are here in this

camp & I had them here in my room

yesterday. We had a good old yarn

about old times & our experiences on

the Peninsula.

They are both well & will be going

back about the same time as myself.

The bugle has just gone for mess & I dare

not be late. I will just catch the mail

now. Best Love to all

from Les.
 

 

Westham Camp

Weymouth

16/5/1916

Dear Harry

I have received your letter of 28/3/16

also photo of baby. Although she looks a

bit startled I can see a great resemblance

to you.

You will see by the address that I have

shifted again. I am now passed fit

for service at the front & am waiting

for a draft to go.

I don't know long I shall be waiting

but I ought to be in France within

a month. It might be much quicker

& of course longer.

You don't know how anxious I am to get

over & see Jim. I think he is a great

boy & I want to give him my thanks

for the way he has looked after things

in general.

He is the apple of his mother's eye & I hate
to think of anything happening to
 

him. I had a letter from him a few
days back. We are not 24 hrs journey

from one another & our letters only take

a few days.

He is quite well & does not want for

anything. He is near Boulogne & has

not yet seen any fighting. They have

a training camp there for reinforcements

& Jim has not been drafted

into his battalion.

I have met dozens of chaps over here

on leave from France, but have not

met any of my own battalion yet,

although I know they are near Loos.

I am trying to get back to the 5^th

but don't know If I will manage

it.

Weymouth is rather a pretty seaside town

but very slow as regards amusements.

I am rather stumped for news just

now so will close with love to all

from Les.
 

P.S Je voudrais joindre mon botalion, et vider un

differend en se battant encore.

J'ia J'ai difficulté.

(Can you make sense of

this, for I can't

do it any better)

Weymouth

28/5/1916

Dear Perce

I received your letter last week

& am glad to hear you are making

good progress at school.

I have been at school lately too, but

of course learing how to kill men

instead of learning French & Latin

like you.

 I see you are learing French, and

trying to work it off on me.

Well as a reward I am sending you

a French 5 franc note, direct from

the trenches & I hope you will always

keep it as a souvenir.

I had a couple of letters from Jim

last week. He's still hanging together

& tired of waiting for a go at our

dear friends the Germans.

There is a German prisoner's camp

quite close to us here & I do feel

annoyed when I see them playing

[*football & laughing & waving their hands impudently

at anyone passing, & our own prisoners in Germany

are being ill treated & starved. How would you

like to get a good kick at a fat Hun. Love from Les*]
 

 

Weymouth

29/5/1916

Dearest Mother

I have been very busy lately

and I'm afraid I missed the last mail

home.

I have been up at the Chelsea Barracks

London, undergoing a course of Machine

Gunning & have been kept at it all

the time.

The instruction lasts from 9 to 5 with an

interval for lunch, and after that

there are notes to write up & diagrams

to draw, which kept me going till

about midnight each night.

However, I had the satisfaction of

passing my exam with a good

percentage, so I'm sure you will

forgive me, as I don't often miss

a mail, do I?.

When I arrived back here yesterday

there were two letters waiting for me

from Jim. He is quite all right &
 

 

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very sick at being kept back training

all this time.

The weather over there is fine & Jim

is in good health & spirits.

Dr. Gibson writes to him very often &

Jim tells me his letters are most

interesting & amusing.

During last week, I met quite a lot of

our boys in London, over on leave from

France.

Some of them were old pals & when I

walked up to one in Picadilly the

other day & said "Hullo Ted", he nearly

fainted.

He said "I thought you were home in

Australia & called me all sorts of

a fool for not going when I had the

chance.

Poor old boy, he nearly cried with joy

at seeing me, for he was always a 

good worker & a man you could

always rely on & when we we at
 

 

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Lemnos, I recommended him for his

promotion, which he got.

And, this morning another boy from

old No 1 section, came down all the

way from London to see me, & he's only

got 8 days leave from the trenches.

It makes one think that the war is

worth while, when you make friends

like those boys.

The lads that have seen the whole thing

through, are fine well behaved lads,

who have learned to play the game,

& now take life too seriously to act

the goat, like some of the new arrivals.

Do you know that the boys that have

just arrived after almost two years of

the war are have passed, are most arrogant

& they know everything about

soldiering. You dare not offer them

advice for fear of insulting them.

It is a slow & wear^ying business, trying

to get back to the front, but I think
 

 

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my turn is really coming very soon now.

I have not wasted my time in England

for I have attended every school of

instruction possible.

I am a qualified grenade instructor

& expect to get my certificate for

the Lewis machine gun within the

next few days.

One thing I have wasted, although

it was necessary, that is money.

I could sit down & cry when I

think of what I have spent, living

in this country.

Of course I have had a good time &

travelled over most of England &

Scotland, but when I think that

my expenses here are creeping towards

£300, I begin to wish that I had

never come here at all.

Well, dear Mother, I have written quite

a lot, but don't know that it is very

interesting 

Best love to all

from Les.