Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 16 of 24

France 
10. 12. 16 
  
Dear Mother 
Letters Oct 16^th & 17^th safely 
to hand. By jove Father spread 
himself when he wrote an eight page 
letter, didn't he? 
Some of father's queries are 
answered by the special letter I 
sent you some time ago. 
Hollis seems to have a lot  
of trouble in getting a passport. 
Of course ordinary business firms do  
things in a business - like way, but 
you may always be sure that Govt. 
Depts will take the longest way round. 
The idea of the system is always to 
keep some-one in a nice fat job. 
I have been expecting to get a 
letter from Hollis any day. He must 
have reached England by now. 
I sent a short note to reach him

(2) 
in London. 
Your cable arrived yesterday. 
Many thanks for it. & I am replying 
with a cable to-day, which will have 
to go to England by post & then be 
sent on so that about 10 days will 
elapse at least before you get it. 
I also received a cable from Mr 
Andrews & staff. 
I am sorry to find from father's 
letter that you are again not too well 
I sincerely hope you have been  
able to get a maid, & one that will 
work, so that you will be able to 
take it easy. 
The winter weather has set 
in properly now in France, & it's 
a bit of a change from Australia 
& Egypt. The worst thing of all is 
the mud caused by the constant traffic, 
but really we are getting on very well 
despite the cold & wet. 
(over)

3.   
We have heard great news of Geoff 
Strahan. Dodd is just back from 
leave & says he has made a wonderful 
recovery. The right eye is out & 
he has been fitted with an artificial 
jaw, but his wounds have cleaned 
up & he is able to sit up in bed 
& talk in great style. I suppose 
you have read how the dental specialists 
patch up broken jaws these days, & 
probably Geoff will be "as good as 
new" in that direction. It's just his 
splendid constitution & fighting spirit 
that pulled him through & he is now 
certain of recovery. There has been 
quite a batch of our fellows in the 
same hospital together. 
McDonald our vet. (broken ankle) 
Gavan Duffy (broken leg) 
Hodgson wounded since 28^th Apl 1915

4 
Strahan wounded as I have told you 
Kerr - wounded in leg at same time as Strahan 
Major McLaughlin wounded in thigh. 
So they have quite a family  
gathering especially as all except 
Strahan are now out of bed. 
Byrne has been in England on 
leave & is staying on for a couple of 
weeks to do a Bty Cdr's course of 
gunnery. Hollis may run against 
him in London. 
I have had letters from Cissie 
& Edmund Bardwell this week. The 
former wrote just about the first 
anniversary of her marriage & seemed 
very depressed. She has taken her husband's 
death very much to heart. 
The latter wrote to congratulate me  
on getting the D.S.O. I've often heard 
Father speak of him.

5 
I also received a letter from Coz 
Clara which I must try & find 
time to answer next mail. 
Many thanks for the parcels 
which I expect by the next mail. 
I am sure I'll enjoy the contents 
whatever they may be. 
Father asks about Caddy & others. 
Well I saw Caddy this week for the  
first time since leaving Egypt. He 
is out in rest a couple of miles from 
us & looks well. 
I hope something has turned up 
for Father before this reaches you. 
Love to all relatives & best wishes 
to all friends. 
Best of love to all at home & your 
own dear self. 
Your affcte son 
Fred 

France 
24.12.16 
  
Dear Mother 
Letters 31^st Oct to hand but 
the parcels have not yet arrived for Xmas. 
However we have just come in again 
after the usual rest, & so I brought a  
"plum duff" in with me & will do my best 
to imagine it one of your own tomorrow. 
I also have the remains of a bottle of 
Benedictine left by the previous occupant & 
so will make merry with wine & song. 
Talking about song I have just been 
listening to a gramaphone record over the phone 
& some "bright bird" playing carols on a 
mouth organ. Don't know who it was, but 
it probably got on our lines through induction. 
Anyhow it sounded very well. 
Tomorrow we'll endeavour to bring "peace 
on earth" by giving the Bosche a little  
extra "strafing". 
I was not surprised to find that Mary 
Ikin was married. I remember she was

2 
practically engaged before I left Australia. 
I suppose it's the same fellow, but one 
never knows.  Three officers in this brigade 
alone, have had their engagements broken 
off by the girls they left behind; & in one 
case the lady has married a fellow who 
hasn't the slightest intention of coming over 
here. Of course the fellows are lucky 
to have missed them, but it doesn't  
say much for the girls, does it? 
I say what has come over Isabel 
that she missed the guinea. Doesn't 
seem a bit like her. 
We are all delighted that the I.W.W. 
has been stirred up but why weren't 
the men hanged like Casement or any 
other traitor? 
Things are very dull here including 
the weather. Of course the usual "some 
artillery activity" is in full swing but 
we have to think specially of it to notice 
it. What we can't forget is the mud & 
the rain, especially the former

3. 
Horses get bogged in shell holes on the 
roads & some have to be shot, as they 
cannot be pulled out. 
However I am remarkably fit. The open 
air life for 2 years is very hardening & 
rations are good & plentiful. 
I had a letter from Lyon from Hollis 
telling me he would be in Paris for 5 
days, but it didn't reach me till after he 
had left. If I had received it earlier 
I think I could have got leave for 2 
or 3 days to Paris as we were then out 
of the line. 
I don't know when I will get over. 
People here seem to think that getting 
"whanged" is leave, but as I missed in 
May & June when all other B.C.'s had leave, 
I tell them the argument is rotten & am 
hoping to get over before the end of 
January. If I don't get over to see Hollis, 
I think I'll realise that a fellow is a  
mug to rush back before he need. 
At present my headquarters are located

4 
in one of the German dug-outs you will 
have heard about. We are 30 ft underground 
& very comfortable when we are in it. 
I am in temporary command of a group 
of 2 brigades, but it is no use to me so 
far as promotion goes, as owing to a new 
organisation coming out, we will have 
a Lieut Col. to spare. The experience is 
good & will no doubt be very useful. 
Well I'm stuck for news so will 
conclude with best love to all at home 
& your own dear self. 
Your affcte son 
Fred