Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 7 of 24

France 
June 13^th 1916 
Dear Mother 
Letters from Father Isabel 
& Yourself dated April 2^nd duly to hand. 
Many thanks for your congratulations 
on my promotion. As you say 
it was a long time coming but "mieux  
vaut tard que jamais". Isabel can 
have a go at translating that bit. 
What's all this nonsense about 
your feeling old. You must get 
rid of that idea. It won't do at all. 
Let's hope your holiday at Easter 
has changed all that.  I trust you  
had a nice quiet time. 
Congrats to Isabel on getting  
the "baksheesh" from H.A & Sons. &  
they parted up with a good grace after 
all.  The age of miracles hasn't passed! 
I got word from Hollis this 
week about his engagement.  I wonder 
how he managed to work up to the  
point.  I have written to Jean today

(2) 
assuring her of my brotherly interest 
& love. I am very pleased about it. 
She is a jolly nice girl, & he's very  
lucky & I've told him so. 
Here's hoping the war will finish  
in time for my distinguished presence 
at the wedding. 
I told Jean a lot of our fellows 
are going to get married when they 
get back especially one Doc Whitford. 
We've told him we're all going to the 
wedding. If were invited we'll go  
& get drunk. If we're not invited 
we'll go drunk. 
Of course I told her this just to 
show how interested I am in weddings. 
I hope you're pleased. Hollis 
could go a lot further & not fare as 
well. 
I've given her a few tips on 
how to make him "fetch & carry" & 
"eat out of her hand".  I hope she 
appreciates my solicitude. 
Very kind of me, isn't it.

(3) 
We took part in a bit of a "strafe" 
yesterday last night. We helped to  
smash the Hun trenches up & then a 
party of 60 infantry rushed them for 
prisoners, information & spoil. 
It was a great success. & they got 
7 prisoners & a machine gun. 
We (our 'fiet) had two slight casualties 
only. It went like clockwork.  Our men 
were only 4 minutes in the Hun trench 
& setted all the survivors or took them 
prisoner. 
Quick work & pretty exciting too! 
It would do your heart good to see the 
team that did the job. 
There were 700 volunteers for the job 
in the battalion but only 60 were wanted. 
They were trained like a first class  
team of footballers & were as hard as  
nails. 
To day we got "congrats" to all concerned 
from General Birdwood. 
These things are great for keeping 
the men in good heart & for depressing

4     
the Hun. 
This morning the Hun parapets 
looked a bit silly & we've been 
tickling up their repairing parties. 
What do you think the bayonet 
men have fixed to their rifles? 
Electric torches! They press the 
button & so see where to stick the  
bayonet it in. Great isn't it? 
We haven't had any losses 
so far in the battery but of course 
we're in a pretty easy part of the  
line. 
Its been raining for the last 
3 days & the mud is awful, but we 
don't get our feet wet. The boots  
issued are O.K. 
By the way the list of the various 
jobs the officers you know have got 
wants revising. 
Byrne is adjutant of this brigade. 
Manton, Dodd, & Strachan are captains 
commanding batteries. 
These four & myself are the only

5 
officers of the 2^nd Bde who were in 
it when we left Australia. 
The others were scattered far & wide. 
Well you know what the censorship 
is & one gets frightfully stumped 
for news which doesn't come under 
the ban. 
I hope Father, Isabel & Bruce 
& Noel are well. 
By the way has Bruce left yet? 
Best wishes to the Berrington folk & 
also Ivy Bank, Kentora, Czs Fred & 
Sarah & all the little Smiths with the 
new additions. 
I hope Uncle Walter is pulling 
round & for your own dear self I 
send my best love. 
Your affets  son 
Fred

13-6-16

Sunday 25.6.16 
Dear Mother. 
Letters of April 18^th duly 
to hand. 
Many thanks for your congratulations 
on my promotion.  Am looking for the next 
one now. 
This A.I.F. is a funny show.  You 
know we sent a lot of officers from the  
1^st Div Art & 2^nd Art. Divn to the two new 
divisions formed in Egypt. 
Well now we hear (in part know) that 
subalterns very junior & with no knowledge 
& experience are in command of batteries 
& senior to the better men we had to keep 
with us.  For instance a Sgt Major who was 
promoted 2^nd Lt at Anzac is now a Major. 
A captain junior to me is a Lieut. Colonel. 
We're all satisfied it is a mistake to 
be in the 1^st Division at all, so far as 
promotion goes.  We wouldn't be out of it,  
for personal reasons, but it's pretty obvious 
that the way to promotion is to stay

(2) 
behind till all seniors are absorbed & 
then get a job senior to the lot of them. 
I'm happy here with my own show, 
but what about the subalterns who are  
superseded. Fellows who are not fit to be 
batmen to some we have, are now senior 
to them. 
Its a "rummy" show. 
I am very glad to find you enjoyed 
your holiday at Queenscliff but why 
didn't you stay longer. You could have 
kept Isabel there with you & it would 
have been well worth it. 
By the way I mustn't forget that 
your birthday has just passed & wish 
you many very happy returns. I will 
be a bit late but better late than never. 
I suppose you're thinking of counting 
backwards now. 
Please give my congratulations to  
Linda & tell her I hope she will be  
very happy.  She sent me a letter congratulating 
me on my "step".  Please give  
her my best thanks. What is her name now?

(3) 
By jove you're living in the thick 
of engagements & marriages lately. 
I suppose Hollis has a grin like 
a cat that has just stolen a chop now. 
Father says he didn't get the Times 
with Genl Hamilton's despatches so I 
am sending a copy to him in pamphlet 
form. 
I hope Father has enjoyed his spell 
but also hope it wont be too long for 
comfort. 
Glad to hear Uncle Walter is 
much better & has 6 mos leave, but what 
a stupid thing to tell the doctor his 
eyesight was gone.  I trust he is picking 
up well. 
Well you know the old saying that 
no news is good news. We can't say|much 
but this is a very genteel war just at 
present & an occasional raid on the Hun 
trenches is the most important operation 
about here. 
What do you think of the Russian 
advance? I hope we make a start

(4) 
soon & get past trench work for a  
while. 
It would be great to advance into 
action at a gallop, instead of crawling 
about by night & the eternal digging 
would be a thing of the past. 
I wonder when we are going to make 
a move. 
I don't think the Hun would stand 
up to a big show for long. 
Best wishes to all friends & love 
to all at home. 
Your affectionate son 
Fred