Letters from George Leslie Makin to his family, 1916 - Part 9

Westham Camp
2/6/1916
Dear Harry

I have received your letter dated 18/4/16 &
have noted the new address. I hope that your new 

quarters are as comfortable as you would wish. 

I have just written to Jim to tell him that some

of his letters & his diary had been received fr at

home.

I was up in London last week, on a course of
instruction in Lewis Machine Gunning & when I
got back there were two letters from Jim waiting

for me.
He is in good health, but pretty sick of training

for so long. He is anxious to get up to the
firing line, but ^I can't but think that he will

be disappointed when he does get there.
We all had that feeling in Egypt. Dying to

get to the front, but after a week or two, it

gradually came to your mind, that if you

had been kept training it would not have

been so bad after all.

While in London, I met quite a lot of chaps

I knew, on leave from France. They all

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^agree that life in France is a paradise to Gallipoli.
One fellow I met I asked "Well how do you
like France. He replied "It's a home for old
men & little boys."
Several of them were pals of the earlier days
before I got my commission. One of them, a real
good lad, who I recommended for the D.C.M
& promotion, I met in Picadilly. I could
not believe my eyes for the moment & I had
to walk past him again to make sure.
I then stepped up to him & said "Hullo Ted".
He looked at me for a moment, then grabbed
my hand & said "Good God, George I thought
you were well home in Australia". He
then told me that I was several sorts
of a lunatic for not going home when
I had the chance.
I met several others as well & some of them
almost cried with joy at seeing me again.
I was deeply touched by their affection & it makes
one think the war has done good in some
ways. It has earned me the friendship of
some of the bravest & truest lads that ever
drew breath, although they may be a trifle

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rough or high spirited. But the men who are
left of the original exp. force, now take life
more seriously than they did 2 years ago.

A man cannot see the death, misery & suffering

that we have seen & still be the same.

The silly & senseless horseplay indulged in by
men of the new divisions does not appeal to
us at all.
You would hardly believe that a lot of bad
feeling exists between our divisions.
The later ones think that we have swelled
head & when any of our lads attempt to

tell them anything they simply will not

listen. In consequence, when we handed
over to them at Lone Pine, they would not

listen to men who had had 5 months
experience & they used to answer "What you

can do, so can we." That is quite true, but in

warfare, such as ours was, there are things
that do not come under any heading in the

training of our soldiers & need cunning,

courage & resource to carry through.

The Turks soon found out that they had new
chums to deal with & for a while our boys

4
were "stafed". Till they learned by experience
what we could have told them in an hour

or two, they got beans.
Well Harry, I have no real news to tell. When

I started I did not intend to ramble on as I
have done.

I am quite well & the date of my return to

the front is still indefinite

Love to all

from Les
P.S. You said that Essie was not too well, when

you wrote. I trust she has now completely

recovered.
Les

Weymouth
6/6/1916

Dearest Mother
I'm not sure, whether I answered
your last letter or not, but I'm writing to say that

I am returning to the front at last.

I received orders this morning, to hold myself in
readiness & I'm now waiting with all my gear

ready.

There is a draft leaving at midnight to-night;

but I don't know whether I am leaving with

that one or a later one.
I am quite fit, & happy at having the prospect of
some more work, for work means promotion for me

for I know my job through & through.
I expect to get my second star at once & then my

next promotion will be to captain. Can you

fancy me a captain. Why, I never thought I
would get up as high as that.
I am hoping to see Jim across there. I may find

him before his 20^th birthday. If I do we will
celebrate it in Champagne which is very cheap across

in France. (I don't suppose Jim would drink even that)

Well dearest Mother, I cannot think of anything else to
say, as I'm far too excited to think properly.
I will write as soon as I am landed somewhere.
Goodbye with fondest love from Les.

France
15/6/1916

Dearest Mother

I have arrived in France safely & am

at the same place Jim was.

Unfortunately he left here before I arrived. I was
looking forward to seeing him before his 20^th birthday
so you can judge how disappointed I was.
I expect he has joined the battalion up the line, so

I will see him up there.

I left England last Thursday & arrived at Havre

early next morning. We then came on to this

camp via Rouen. I am not at liberty to say
exactly where I am, but it is some distance from

the firing line.
The weather has been pretty bad these last few days, &

if this is a sample of French Summer, well I don't

want to see the winter.

I was very pleased to meet a lot of the old boys
here, waiting their turn to go up to the firing

line. Some of them I had not seen since the

landing.

I am feeling very fit & expect to rejoin the 5^th Batt.

in a week or two.

Best love to all
from Les.

France

23/6/1916

Dearest Mother

As the mail for Australia closes

in a day or so, I am writing to say that I

am well. I have absolutely no news to tell you.
In my last letter I told you how I missed Jim.

I was bitterly disappointed, as I am in the
very camp that he was in.

However I trust that I will see him before long

up in the trenches.
The weather this week has been a great improvement
& I have taken several walks about the country

& along the beach.

The country is indeed a wonderful sight and

its no wonder the French are so enthusiastic

about it.

The thing I noticed most on my arrival in France

was the number of women in mourning.

Of course they wear deep mourning for a relation

of any sort, but still it is evidence of the war,
which is absent in England.
One would hardly know that England was

at war by outward appearances.

The amusements are the same & the theatres &

music halls are packed.
Long before their opening time you can see
crowds of people waiting to get in & as regards
booked seats at a good show, why you have

always to book some days ahead.

A lot of working people are now employed in

making munitions of war. They are earning
more money than they ever dreamt of & they

are spending it all. They make no secret
of the fact, that they hope the war will last as

it is so profitable to them. But as the French

say "Aprês le guerre", they will be thrown out
of work, after living like Kings for the last two

years.

With the French it is different. They don't think

of money. Their hearts are full of love for their

country & they only live to see their enemies

beaten.

Best love to all

from Les.

P S. Did I tell you I met N. Spence in London
the day before I left. He is well & working in

H. Quarters offices

Les

France
1/7/1916

Dear Jim
I suppose you have been anxiously
awaiting news of me, as I have been for word
of you.

My excuse is that I expected to be sent up
every day, as I am still expecting, without
much hope as far as I can see.

There are so many reinforcement officers here

that one has to fight one's way over them.
I am at the same place as you were, but
of course with the first division.

Unfortunately my old company commander
is in charge of the base, and he wants

to keep me here instructing in bombing
& Lewis gun.
I have been here nearly three weeks, but
thank goodness I am exempt from the
"bull ring".
Chas Trewatha was over in your camp. He

arrived the same night that you went
away. Bad luck wasn't it.
You will be surprised to here that I was

up near the firing line this week.

I took a draft up, but I had orders to
return to the base.
Thinking I could trick them I took all my

kit & my batman up with me, intending

to find the 5^th & rejoining
However when I got up to the place where
Divisional H.Q were, I found that my
brigade had been shifted a long way
off, so I just had to come back.

Before I left however I tried to get permission

to try & find you, but a staff major sat
on me straight away.
I have had no letters from home or from

you since some time before I left England
so I have no news for you.

I may be sent up any day now & I will
look you up at once. I was bitterly

disappointed at missing you here.

God keep you safe old boy, till I see you

is my very earnest prayer.
Love from Les.