Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 5 of 24

France 
29.4.16 
Dear Mother, 
Have received during the last 
few days letters dated 7.2.16,-21.2.16 & 7.3.16. 
also various papers. 
This is the first mail I have had for 
some weeks, so you can guess I was glad 
to get it. 
So the £20 has arrived at last.  They 
took plenty of time over it, didn't they? 
I suppose the £15 will follow it very 
shortly. 
I am sorry to read that M Gillam 
is so bad.  I suppose there's no hope for her 
recovery. 
Dave Gillam is doing well isn't he? 
I like him very much & am glad he called to 
see you.  Although the cleverest musician of 
the family, he is by far the most common- 
sense. 
I've given up hope of ever seeing Bruce  
on the job.  He seems to be playing the silly

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ass a bit. 
He won't be able to keep his stripes 
when he "joins up" here.  All reinforcement 
NCO's go back to the ranks now on joining 
units, unless there is a vacancy & they are 
considered by their new C.O's to shine out 
above all the old men. 
Of course the fact of having held the 
stripes gives them a "leg in" when they have 
had some real experience. 
What a great reference Isabel got from 
Hick's!  As a matter of fact, it's an excellent 
one & she should never hesitate to show it. 
It proves they didn't want to lose sl her & 
everybody in the trade will take the "jar" at 
it's real worth. 
Glad to find Noel is still progressing. 
I'm getting afraid of the opposition.  He'll 
be bumping me out of the trade! 
Hope he doesn't sneak up after my 
job.  If he does I'm a "gone coon" 
I see by Father's letter that you are still 
up to your old games of doing too much work. 
Well it seems to be no good lecturing you, but

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don't let "Mickey Free" point on you. 
We meet plenty of her sort on this job, & 
we soon get tired of their funny ways & 
find them work to do.. 
So Isabel met Shields from Hawthorn 
College.  I remember him well, but I didn't 
think Isabel was good-looking enough to be 
thought like me.  How she must have 
improved since I left!  Bow-wow. 
Glad to hear of the Hills.  I am always 
going to write them but somehow don't manage 
it.  Please give them my special remembrances 
Well I suppose Noel has enlisted by 
now.  I hope he gets a commission.  He'll 
do well after a little experience.  He's game, 
& his head is screwed on right, so that the 
men will follow him all right. 
If an officer can command any respect 
they don't have to be told twice to do things. 
I see there has been a lot of trouble in 
Sydney & a soldier's strike. 
Its all the fault of the officers, & the 
idea of merely sacking the men is ridiculous 
They have penal battalions in the French

4 
army & we could well follow suit. 
Why, all half of them wanted was an excuse 
to get out of it & pose as "fair devils". 
The longer I'm at it, the more I think 
that when war breaks out all Parliaments 
should be automatically dissolved & a 
dictatorship established. 
The right man is always to be found, & 
even he made stacks of mistakes, he'd save 
money & time. 
The one great rule of war which means 
more than all the others is "Do something 
& do it vigorously" 
Why the Anzac landing broke every 
rule, which had ever been laid down for  
such a thing.  If we had landed at the sort 
of place laid down by the book, & formed up 
as laid down by the book, we wouldn't have 
landed at all, at all, "Begorra". 
It was the "Do something vigorously" attitude 
of the men which got us on to the top of the hills. 
It amuses us to read Asquith's speech 
about the "national disaster" if the Cabinet had 
a split.  We wouldn't care if he jumped off

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the roof of Parliament House & broke his neck & 
all the other members with him. 
They simply don't count in this show, but 
they seem physically & mentally incapable of 
realising it. 
I am sorry to read that Uncle Fred 
has died.  I was looking forward to meeting 
them all, when some leave comes along. 
I suppose they'll put us on the same 
system of leave as the B.E.F., so there 
ought to be something doing sooner or 
later. 
Hope Uncle Walter has picked up 
a bit, since you last wrote.  He has had 
a bad time of it.  Tell him from me to "get 
on the ball, 'Roy". 
Give my love to the Berrington folk.  also  
the Ivy Bank people.  I get the Punch regularly 
from the Avery's & they never forget to put in 
a few pressed flowers.  Please thank them for  
me & give them my best salutations. 
Kind regards to all friends & best love to 
all at home including your own dear self 
Your affcte son 
Fred 
[*P.S.  Nearly forgot to tell you I'm O.K. 
You understand that the censorship rules are very strict here, so cannot
say what we are doing.  But it's a picnic after Anzac.  Fred*]

14.5.16 
Dear Mother, 
Have had no letters from you 
since I last wrote. 
Some "Australasians" came to hand today 
so I expect letters soon.  Mails are still 
very much behind.  I suppose they go to 
Egypt first. 
We are still having a picnic so far 
as fighting goes.  We have been a month 
in action but have done very little shooting. 
We are now going into rest.  Some war 
this one!  It's a bit of a change from 
Gallipoli, isn't it? 
The weather has been beautiful lately 
but we have a little rain during the last few 
days.  Everything is green & the wheat is 
coming on well all around us. 
Of course you have read in the papers 
about the old men & women carrying on just 
as if there were no war. 
One sees it here every day. 
I hope to get 8 days leave before very

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long but one never knows when it will 
come along.  Everything depends on the "tactical" 
situation".  However I will employ all the tact  
at my disposal. 
Had a letter from Caddy today.  He 
says the new divisions of artillery in Egypt 
are coming on well, & hopes to be in France 
before very long. 
They are all very sick of Egypt, especially 
now that some of us are here. 
I have not seen anything of Genl Johnston 
since we arrived, but hear he is getting 
along in his usual style. 
I am sending Father the Anzac Book 
which was all prepared on the Peninsula & 
was to have been issued for Xmas after 
being printed in Greece. 
However all that was changed. 
We are disgusted to find that in the Melbourne 
papers it is offered for sales by booksellers. 
before we have even seen it ourselves. 
We have had to order ours in the dark 
without even seeing "proofs" 
Thousands & thousands of the men have

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ordered these books to be sent home as a 
special souvenir only to find that they are 
stale, before their copies reach Australia. 
We were promised that no copies would 
be put on sale until all requirements of 
the A.I.F. were satisfied 
Strafe somebody anyhow! 
I po hope you are all O.K at home 
especially yourself & that Uncle Walter 
has pulled round a bit. 
Best wishes to all relations & friends 
& love to all at home from 
Your affcte son 
Fred .