Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Family, 1914-1915 - Part 15 of 19

Gallipoli 
14.10.15 

Dear Mother 
Yours, Father's & Isabel's letters of 
August 23^rd & 31^st duly to hand a few days ago. 
Father says in his letter of 23^rd that he 
hopes by this time that we have captured the whole 
of the Peninsula.  Well there's no sign of that yet. 
We might do it with 500000 men but by all the 
laws of tactics war, we should all be in the sea. 
Of course that will never happen, but the country  
is so difficult that no description can picture it to you 
Of course we have obtained a big moral ascendency 
over the Turks & the thing that will end the job 
here will be sheer exhaustion of their resources. 
There are plenty of signs that their men have 
had enough, & deserters who keep dribbling in all 
say they fear the winter campaign;  but their leaders 
tell them we are very weak & that the Russians 
are making peace with them. 
So they are kept to it. 
In ordinary country we should go through 
them like a hot knife through butter, but this is 
far from ordinary country. 
I heard that the Athens correspondent of

( 2 ) 
the Argus says that the Suvla landing was the 
most wonderful bit of work done on the Peninsula. 
Well I'll tell you the true tale one of these days 
perhaps & open your eyes for you. 
As you know, the things we are permitted to 
say are very limited & so I cannot give many details. 
We get the War Office & French official telegrams 
published every day, & things are looking O.K. on 
the Western Front & good except in one part of the  
Eastern. 
I think the Russians are good enough still. 
So Bulgaria has been pushed off the fence & is 
having a go at poor little Servia. 
We are waiting to see what the Roumanians & 
Greeks do but we don't fancy the latter. 
They're a mongrel crowd I'm afraid. 
I hear that Grimwade, Ryrie, & Cohen are to 
command Brigades not batteries so am wondering 
who the Bty Comdrs will be. 
Probably fellows who were 2^nd Lts when we left. 
I can clearly see (as do all of us) that if you want 
promotion it pays to hang back to the last. 
The parcel for the winter that you refer to in 
yours of 31^st Aug. has not yet arrived but we get 
used to delays.& I suppose it will be allright.

(3) 
I was sorry to see that the Hospital will close 
down in about 4 mos. but perhaps the Govt will 
keep it going to prevent unemployment. 
It will have to be finished sooner or later & 
is the sort of work to keep going on. 
Do you think there is any likelihood of anything 
else coming along?  I am afraid you will have an 
anxious time. 
Don't hesitate to call on me if necessary. 
I have a lot of money to my credit with the Paymaster 
& can send you out a remittance of £100 without 
missing it. at all, & without the slightest difficulty, as 
it is a regular thing. 
Things continue ev very quiet here & one 
would scarcely realise that a war was on, but 
for the occasional fusilade at night. 
How long we will keep it up I don't know. 
One of these nights the show will suddenly open up 
in the old old way I suppose & we'll go for all 
we're worth for a day or two. 
The men right through are simply praying for the 
Turks to come on, or to get out after "Johnny". 
Thats the great thing about our fellows, they always 
are ready for it. 

(4) 
Os Caddy came back a few days ago & "bang" 
went my chance of a step. 
Capt. Harris had temporary command of the 5^th, & 
came here when Caddy returned to take command of 
his own battery. 
Harris is a few months senior to me, & so got 
the majority. 
He has been sent back to Alex. to take charge of 
the details (same job that I had) & so I am left in 
temporary command of the 4^th but without the "crown". 
However my turn next. 
I expect before this letter reaches you the 
bold & dashing Gen Morgan will be either here or  
in Egypt. 
The sooner the better, as I should think 
when the new batteries come along we will be 
withdrawn to refit & reorganise. 
Herb Byrne is away with a "weak heart".  We 
get a number of these cases.  Its really just general 
exhaustion, & the heart picks up again to normal after 
a decent spell. 
All the original men are getting three weeks 
spell at Lemnos in batches, & they come back all 
the better for the change. 
Nights are pretty sharp nowadays, & we are 

5. 
getting a first taste of winter much to the discomfort 
of our pets the flies. 
There are very few about now I am glad to say. 
McCormack is looking very fit & well, but I pushed 
him off for a three weeks holiday. 
Col Johnston is temporarily in command of the 
3^rd Bde Infantry whilst the Brigadier is away. 
He will have command of all the new arty. being 
sent from Australia when it arrives. 
He has just come back from a short spell 
in Alex having arrived there about the day I left. 
  
I suppose Isabel is "hotstuff" at First Aid 
now.  Whom do they first-aid anyhow? 
She was enquiring about the song she sent me. 
Well it was specially sung at the smoke night we 
held at Alex on Aug 18^th to celebrate our anniversary.& 
went well.   Bit heroic though, isn't it? 
How's the bright Hilary Roche getting along. 
Tell him I can see him sitting with a wet towel 
round his head stewing up for exams. (I don't think!) 
Hope Isabel has had her trip to Adelaide & 
enjoyed it. 
I was tickled with Isabel's a/c of Bruce going 
out to see his "girl".  And people say the Australian

(6) 
climate makes us much more precocious than 
English youngsters! 
There's no truth in it.  That young man knew 
more about catching a nice girl's eye when he first 
arrived than I'd learn in a lifetime. 
He's got an eye to the main chance too, the 
young devil! 
Noel isn't far behind him either. 
However now that he's a bold & dashing "sub", 
he's much more serious, I don't suppose. 
Well, I'm all right except for "Barcoo Rot" 
on the hands. 
Every scratch one gets festers here, & spreads 
exactly like the Barcoo Rot the bushmen out back 
get from living on tinned foods. 
No doubt the flies assist also.  Anyway my 
hands are bound up & it makes writing difficult. 
However hot foments, & carbolic have got the 
best of it & they are nearly right now. 
At its worst, it's only a nuisance, but the sores 
take a long while to clear up unless looked after. 
We're living very well here now & get eggs 
fairly often as an issue. 
A canteen has also been started on Imbros Island 
(13 miles away) & we are allowed to send 2 days a week

(7) 
for anything the men want. 
So we are able to vary the food, & that is a  
welcome change. 
Give my kindest regards to the Kincaids, 
the Averys, Hills, Roches Dolly & all other friends. 
I intended to send a short note to the Averys 
but have forgotten the address. 
Tell Uncle Walter I will be able to tell 
him all about it when the war's over. 
Give my best wishes to all our relatives at 
Berrington, Ivy Bank &c. &c., & my best love to all 
at home & not the least to your own dear self 
from   your affcte son 
Fred.