Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 3 of 24

56.2.16 
Dear Mother, 
Letters from Father Isabel Noel & 
yourself dated 28/12/15 safely to hand. 
I am glad my Xmas cards arrived OK as 
a barge with portion of our Xmas mails was sunk  
close to the beach & also that you received my letter  
on Xmas Day. 
So you have had a big fire in Melbourne. 
Well you'll remember what you said at the time 
of the Flinders Lane fire. "It's an ill wind etc". 
Don't forget I've a fair balance lying with the 
Paymaster & can remit you £100 or £150 at any time. 
If you can find any use for it you might just 
as well have it as let it lie idle here. 
You know Cottage property is always a good investment 
for instance.  Part down & the rent more than pays the 
balance with interest very quickly. 
So don't forget to let me know. 
We are still in the desert & the only thing I have  
to report is that I played football with the  
battery today (Sunday) & got on fairly well altho' 
towards the last my "the spirit was willing but 
my wind & legs wouldn't let me".

2 
Probably by tomorrow evening I will be very  
stiff, but one must have exercise 
It was the hardest work I've done since we  
left Australia. 
Tell Isabel I'm looking out for the "billy" 
Being separated from the battery in the evacuation 
I missed the distribution & they were all gone 
when I arrived on the scene. 
By jove!  What a "whopping" harvest it is. 
It ought to help pay for our share in the war. 
Tell Noel I was pleased to get his letter & 
congratulate him on his success at RR & Co. 
I'm sure he'll soon be General Manager (of the 
empty box dept.) 
Bruce seems to be unlucky.  He'll have to go 
into the reinforcements & may be months before he is 
posted to a battery. 
Give Uncle Walter my sympathy in his bad health 
I hope he is "merry & bright" again now also Hollis  
who no doubt has added 100% to the returns since he 
went back to Adelaide 
Best wishes to everybody & love to all at home 
from   Your affcte son 
Fred 

27.2.16 
Dear Mother, 
Letters from Father &  Isabel 
& yourself dated Jan 19^th &  20^th duly arrived, 
& needless to say I was very glad to get them. 
I missed writing last Sunday as I 
was up to my ears in work. 
Two new divisions of artillery are 
being formed here out of existing units & 
reinforcements & the 1^st Division are being  
heavily drawn upon for Officers, NCO's, & 
men.  Quite a lot of men are being given 
commissions & I HAVE GOT COMMAND OF 
THE 4TH AT LAST. 
My step will be published in a few days 
Needless to tell you how delighted I am. 
Have lost a good many tp top NCO's 
& men in transfers, but am still left 
with a top-hole lot of NCO's & sufficient 
old gunners & drivers to set a standard  
for the men drafted from "columns" & reinfts. 
The value of the all round training 
is now showing up & except for 3 or 4 men

2 
every gunner in the battery is fit to carry 
"stripes" with credit to any unit. 
In fact I parted with a lot of good 
men simply to do justice to them & give get 
them the "stripes" elsewhere that I couldn't 
give them. 
I hated to see them go.  We've been 
through such a lot together that it's 
hard to separate. 
Take them all round they're a great 
lot of fellows, the very "cream" of Australians 
& they're "stickers", no matter how dirty a 
job we have to take on.   
It's a great thing for an O.C. to know 
that his men will keep the guns in action, 
while they can there's still a couple standing. 
You can imagine the puzzling & worry 
of thinking out who to promote & still do 
justice to everybody, re-organizing the 
gun detachments, signallers, telephonists 
drivers &c, so as to give the "machine" 
a chance to run smoothly again 
But I've broken the back of the 
job now & it's a case of hard solid graft 

3 
for a little while getting up to standard 
again. 
Mjr Harris has been transferred to  
comand the 1^st Bty. 
Phillips is a Brigade Comdr in the 
5^th Divn, Anderson transfer from Brigade 
Major 1^st Divn, to command of 1^st Bde. 
Byrne has a battery with rank of Captain 
in 4^th Division 
Gatliff has a battery with same rank 
in the 5^th Divn. 
Manton is to be my captain, Strahan 
Caddy's captain, Dodd will be same 
for Stevenson with 6^th Bty. 
Dozens of others have got promotion & 
by the way McCormack has gone to  
be Capt & Adjutant to Phillips, who of 
course will be a Lieut Colonel. 
Lt Cols Christian & Rosenthal have the 
5^th & 4^th Divisions respectively & will 
eventually become Brigadier Generals. 
The 3^rd Division of artillery is to be 
made in Australia.  Heavens alone knows 
how they expect to officer it.

4 
There are practically no officers of artillery 
fit for service left in Australia. 
I am afraid they are too ambitious. 
Artillery officers are not produced by 
turning a handle, especially officers to 
command units. 
Contrary to the work of infantry officers  
of subordinate ranks who in the new class 
of warfare require mainly personality & 
pluck alone, without technical qualifications, 
the work of artillery officers is increasingly 
technical. 
Well great things are doing & we're  
all up to our necks in it. 
There is no news of a move yet. 
I think the Canal job will fizzle out. 
Still to make sure some officers including 
myself are going down tomorrow to look 
the country over, & select positions &c, &c 
for our batteries in case they should 
be required. 
Goodness only knows where we 
will go eventually.

5 
Sorry to read the sad account of 
your trip down the Bay. 
It was certainly tl a case of "Oh 
the steamer, oh the sea". 
What a rotten time you must have had 
Better luck next time! 
I am quite sure by reading between  
the lines that you are by no means 
keeping well & that you are worrying 
yourself sick about Uncle Walter. 
It is no use your thinking about  
nursing him.  You are not strong enough 
to do it now & you must look after  
yourself first. 
I am very sorry indeed to get such 
bad news of the state of his health. 
Couldn't he manage to go into a  
nursing home for a little while where 
he could be properly looked after until 
he gets better. 
It would be much cheaper for him 
in the long run.  
He has his lodge money & Rly Benefit Society. 
which should help.

6 
So Isabel has had her first day 
at Clapps & likes it. 
Well that's O.K. & here's lots of luck to 
her. I'm sure she'll do well. 
She mustn't forget to let "Grace" know 
she sings.  The latter may be able to put 
Isabel on to some engagements. 
By jove the soldiers seem to have 
played up rather badly lately & I see  
by the papers that all sorts of excuses 
are being made for them instead of 
dealing out punishment hot & strong. 
75% of the crime we have among 
the troops is due to weak, sentimental 
handling in the beginning 
The men have taken an oath, & they 
know what they are taking on when they 
swear it. 
I can sympathise with you in the 
hot weather as we are finding it pretty warm 
also just now & it's getting hotter every 
day but by the time this reaches you the 
worst should be over. 
How did Father get on in his 

7 
enquiries after the remittances I sent. 
The delay is too bad altogether & I 
think there is no excuse for it. 
It went through the Pay Office in 
Cairo allright, because our pay books 
have been audited & compared with their 
ledgers & mine is in agreement. 
I enclose a photo, which is perhaps 
a rather mournful one. 
You will be able to see with a glass 
how one of the men carved a figure of 
a gun on the cross. 
The grave is overlooking the sea & 
"the Isles of Greece, the Isles of Greece, 
where burning Sappho lived & sang" , as 
Byron wrote. 
Copies have been sent to Mrs Wolfenden 
The "Age" seems to be making a big cry 
out about the slackness in recruiting. 
I hope it is looking up but recruiting 
always goes in fits & starts.  
Bruce seems to have no luck in 
getting away.  He'll miss the bus if he 
is kept much longer.

8 
If he were here now he'd have a great 
chance of promotion. 
I hope Father is feeling a bit "fitter" 
now & not suffering from the tired out 
feeling. 
As he says, he could do with a rest 
but let's hope it wont be unduly long. 
Please give my thanks to the Averys 
Kincaid's, Uncle Job, Aunt Fanny, Coz Clara 
& Fred Lade, the Quamby folk (I received 
a letter quite recently from Coz Sarah), 
Ivy Bank & all other relations & friends 
who have been kind enough to send 
good wishes. 
Tell them I heartily reciprocate. 
Also the Brittannia Lodge for good 
wishes.  I would like Father to tell 
Bro Hughes that I received the Masonic 
invitation which he sent some time ago & 
send him thanks & fraternal greetings. 
Best love to all at home from 
Your affcte son 
Fred