Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Family, 1914-1915 - Part 13 of 19

Zaherich Camp 
12-9-15 

Dear Mother 
Letters up to August 9^th from 
Father, Isabel, yourself duly arrived. 
I see you are still thinking I have been 
wounded slightly. Well I haven't even been 
scratched. Arthur Paterson also wrote me & referred 
to the same thing. I don't know where the rumour 
came from at all. 
I hope my cable did not frighten you. 
They ought to have a special envelope marked 
"Dont be alarmed etc". 
Good progress has been made lately at 
the Dardanelles & you wont be pleased to 
hear that I have my marching orders to return 
there in a few days time. 
But I'm very glad as I am absolutely 
sick of this place. I shall probably command 
the Battery in Major Phillips' absence. He is 
completely run down also Oz Caddy who is 
pretty badly broken up I hear (not literally but 
general breakdown from strong dysentery &c, 
Oz has gone to England & I think it will be 
some time before he returns.

2 
We are told that the whole of the 1^st Divn 
is to be withdrawn for a spell & refit except 
the Artillery which cannot be spared. 
After the big attack on July 7^th the G.O.C. 
issued a special order complementing the Gunners 
He could not possibly have said more than he did 
As I have explained to you before the work 
of the guns cannot be gone into very fully in 
the papers as it would give things away but 
no officer who knows good gunnery when he sees 
it but loudly expresses his admiration. 
We have received no battle honours yet as 
the recommendations went astray between here 
& London but duplicate recommendations have 
been forwarded I believe. 
I am told on good authority (in fact the best) 
that Genl Birdswood was very upset about it 
The men who have been there since the first day 
deserve a spell. 
Everybody is pretty run down & its no use 
keeping men till they drop. A short spell now will  
buck them up again. 
Troops are pouring in now & things should 
move. 
The 20000 recruits in 21 days is great.

3 
Do you know that is as much almost as the 
Germans can do. 
About 1000 Germans reach the age of 20  
every day. 
What ho! for Bill Littleton. He'll lose some 
of his fat. 
Hope Bruce is getting on well but suppose 
he has left Vic. ere this. 
I must tell you some of the work some of 
our Brigade Ammo Column boys have done. 
There is a party of about fifteen now called 
the "Flying squad." On the 6^th & 7^th July on the 
last big attack they made 17 trips up & back 
to 4^th & 8^th Btns in 24 hours covering 25 miles, 
(It has been officially measured since) each carrying 
shell weighing 50lbs & sometimes an extra one 
making it 75lb. It is almost incredible that 
they could have done it. The hills are fearfully 
steep & they were under fire a great deal. 
Genl Hobbs told me that if the same 
thing had been done in the S.A. War every 
one would have received a decoration. 
It's the same right through. Things that 
people need to have over are done as a matter 
of course. Just bear in mind that these men 

4 
were unarmed and without the satisfaction of 
personally having a go at the enemy. 
It's a long way pluckier than fighting hand-to- 
hand. One probably doesn't know one is fighting 
when the personal combat is on. 
Papers arrive O.K. also the Punch from the 
Averys. I also got the socks and soap. They are 
fine but do not send me any more as this lot 
just fills me up nicely. Of course, if you send 
more I can always pass them on to somebody who 
is short. 
I know you want to send things but for 
the life of me I cannot think of anything I 
want. At Anzac if socks are wanted you simply 
send to Ordnance Depot & get them. 
If you can send a bar or two of salt water 
soap it will be very useful. 
Chewing gum is good. It relieves the dryness of 
the throat when we are baking in the sun altho' I 
know it will be cold enough there shortly. 
Give Aunt Fanny my best love & thanks 
for the socks. They are beautifully knitted & so 
are Isabels to whom also best love & thanks. 
Tell the Lieut. that he cant be a soldier 
if he has influenza too often. Hope he is

5 
better now & going strong. 
Father refers to the picture of the "first gun 
ashore" in the Herald & marked 6^th Bty. 
As a matter of fact the picture was taken 
in Egypt with 2^nd Bde Fd. gunners on 4^th Bty 
guns for a little drill. 
Dozens of the photos in the paper are 
idiotic & some of the sketches nothing like it. 
Father is right about the amusement the 
letters in the paper cause. 
The dug-out warriors have a great time 
working from imagination, like the "bird" in the  
8^th Bty who wrote home & told his people that 
he had seen his pal disembowelled & that if 
he could have got hold of some Turks then 
what a price they'd have paid. 
He was never ashore & has been well ducked 
here in the horsetrough. He then thought it 
advisable to cable home & ask his people 
not to put his letters then on the way in the  
papers. So you can imagine his later efforts. 
Father says the 3 photos are interesting. 
I sent about 40. Perhaps he refers to a few 
odd ones I pushed in a letter. 
I sent a lot later with descriptions on the

6 
back. Kick up a row if you haven't got them. 
Fortunately I have duplicates of the larger one 
The small ones were taken by McCormack & if you 
do not get them write Miss Norah McCormack 
Railway Hotel Chapel St Windsor. I sent her 
the films & she will probably lend them to you 
to get prints taken. 
I got the cigarette supply that "Patty"  
sent & will write to thank him 
Magazines will be very useful especially 
the Storyteller. You know were not up to our 
necks in blood all the time. In fact it is a  
regular thing to go for days with nothing to do. 
Tell Mr Arthur Anderson that Cliff was 
O.K. last time I heard of him & is doing 
excellent work. I will see him in a few days 
time & tell him about the letters.  
Awfully sorry about his aunt sister especially on 
top of the worry of not hearing from his son. 
Glad you went to see Mr Andrews. I will 
write him a long letter soon. 
Swan is on the way to England on a business 
trip. I saw it in the "Traveller" here. Lucky dog! 
Well I must close. I have a terrible lot of  
letters to answer. I only hope all the people

7 
who write me do not expect prompt answers. 
I do my best but its one letter for them but a 
lot for me. 
Tell anybody you know that has written 
that I'm awfully glad to get the letters &  
it isn't always possible to answer promptly. 
Well all sorts of love to all including 
your own dear self. 
Your affcte son 
Fred

5.10.15 
Dear Mother, 
Have been back at the Battery 
for about 10 days & think its just about time 
I reported myself. 
I have been waiting for letters for some days 
but altho' 2 mails have come in, the only letter 
was from Hollis. I received 2 Australasians & 2 
Arguses also. 
Major P. is down with dysentery & strain & 
I am now in command & expect that, according 
to reglns for promotion, I will get a step. 
There is absolutely nothing doing here & 
the sound of a rifle is quite rare. 
Johnny Turk seems to have given up the 
idea of driving us into the sea & appears to 
be sitting down waiting for us to attack. 
We have been firing a regular morning & 
evening late at some Turkish trenches on a 
spot called the "Nek". They are about 30 to 50 
yards from our own & we enfilade them. 
We have apparently been making ourselves 
quite a nuisance to the Turks because he 
has to keep a large no. of troops in the trenches. 
Anyway a few mornings ago he suddenly opened

(2) 
a rain of H.E. shell on us. Quite 150 I should think. 
They fell all round but apart from a broken 
wheel we had no casualties either to personnel or 
material. 
Every time we fire now he has a punch at 
us but we play little deceiving tricks on him 
& in any case we get in first & having finished 
our hate get to ground where he can never 
reach us. 
The gun which was hit & required a new wheel 
has now had seven new wheels & all that remains 
of the original gun now is the trail (bent), the 
breech block & dial sight. All the rest is made up 
of new parts or secondhand parts from other guns. 
But she is a good gun even if she does look 
a bit battered. 
Oz Caddy has broken down with dysentery 
& strain & is in England. If he has any sense 
he'll stay there for a long spell, & get thoroughly 
fit before he comes back.
I am sending you programme of the  
memorial service for Australasians held in St. 
Paul's, London also an order by by Genl Hamilton 
which may interest you. 
I am afraid I cannot write any

3 
interesting news this time. 
Except for a slightly ulcerated throat 
I am O.K. 
The doc. asked me what I'd like for a 
gargle. I told him "beer" but he didn't have 
any on hand so gave me Condys & Alum in 
a Port Wine bottle. 
Its funny to see the other fellows' eyes 
glisten when they see the label. One or two have 
tried the drink & their language has been 
shameful. 
The flies are not so bad as they used 
to be, now that the weather is getting cooler. 
We are preparing Winter Quarters & I think 
we will be comparatively snug in the batteries. 
A pair of woollen gloves would be useful 
later on if you still have the knitting fever & 
my mouth waters at the thought of a genuine 
Xmas "duff." 
Apart from these things I am welll fitted out. 
I had 18 prs of knitted socks when I packed up to  
come m back here & had to give a lot away. 
Best wishes & kindest regards to all friends &  
heaps of love to all at home especially your 
own dear self. 
Your affcte son 
Fred.