Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 9 of 24

12 
we have the guns in special 
cupola pits that are practically 
shell proof for this trench 
warfare but when a battery 
is doing nothing & they begin 
to drop around we dont keep 
the men hanging about merely 
for pride's sake. 
We have special funk 
pits into which everybody clears. 
Of course if we were working 
on an attack we would 
just stick it whilst a man 
could stand to serve the guns. 
Well next & last day we 
had the fire as I have 
already described & Pat 
went home fully convinced 
that there are more delightful

13 
holiday resorts than a 
battery in action. 
I was very sorry he had  
the bad luck to lose his 
belongings, but there was  
an element of the ludicrous 
in it & it's considered a  
huge joke. 
Probably this all reads 
to you far more terrible  
than it was. As a matter  
of fact we get used to it 
& generally know perfectly  
well when its merely "looking  
dangerous" as distinct from 
decidedly so. 
Well we're all looking 
forward to doing real field 
work very soon & the show

14 
is not in the same part of 
the country as it was. 
The news from the front  
is glorious & we're told off 
for some very nice work 
when the time is ripe, & by 
reports reaching us it wont 
be long. 
I cannot tell you anything 
about what we are waiting for 
but you'll probably know by 
the papers long before this  
reaches you, where we are. 
The battery is absolutely 
fit & in great heart, & so 
am I. 
I have scribbled this 
letter at great speed as I 
have so little time & the mail

15 
is closing in a few minutes. 
I hope you are feeling a 
great deal better now. Was 
very sorry to read in Father's 
letter that you were still far 
from well. 
Take great care of yourself 
& please don't worry. 
The gunner's life here is  
more luxurious than I ever 
imagined any campaigning 
could be. 
Best wishes to all friends 
especially the Stanesly's. I 
got a note from Mr Stanesly 
today bearing congrats on 
my step & enclosing a letter 
of introduction to his sister

16 
in London.  I hope to use 
it one of these days. 
Please thank him for me. 
Love to all the relations & 
best love to Father, Isabel 
Hollis (& the future sisters) Noel  
& your own dear self.  
Your affcte son 
Fred 
P.S. 
The blots are due to a  
leaky pen & no blotting paper. 
Please "excoos"

1^st London General Hosp. 
Camberwell 
9.8.16 
Dear Mother, 
A mail closes tomorrow for 
Australia, so here goes for all about it. 
I suppose the first thing you want 
to know is all about my wound. 
Well, as you Know, the Australians were 
sent to the Somme & we were put on the job 
of taking Pozieres. 
I was up just behind the attack as 
"liaison" officer for artillery attached to the Brig Genl 
Smythe whose brigade had the job of taking 
the village itself. 
Everything went O.K. so far as taking 
the objective was concerned & the Prussians 
put up a very poor show. 
The only trouble was keeping touch 
with the rear & flanks as all wires 
were continually cut or blown away. 
We had to depend on runners and pigeons.

2 
However I was up there about 2½ days 
before I got a "whang" in the head. 
The Huns had put up a strong barrage 
near where a place had been scooped out 
for the general & his small staff & I suppose 
whilst I was there that at least 3000 HE. 
shell (5.9") fell in a space of 200 yds square. 
I happened to be 5 yds off one of them 
squatting on my heels. The only thing I 
knew about it was that there was a  
tremendous flash & report & that I was 
momentarily stunned. 
I put my hand to my head & found 
I was wounded. 
It felt as if my forehead had been 
cut open & the flesh laid across my 
eyes. 
However what I got was a V shaped 
cut to the bone between the eyebrows & two 
beautiful black eyes. 
I got a fellow to put my field 
dressing on & Genl Smythe sat me down 
& told me to keep quiet.

3 
This was at 9 pm on 25^th July. After about 
an hour I felt pretty OK & my head was 
not aching very much so I wanted to carry 
on but at about 11 pm there seemed to 
be a slight pause & the Genl insisted on 
my going back with a couple of runners. 
Well they got my by an arm each & 
we ran top speed 800 yds back through 
the barrage. It was pretty exciting & I 
was all out when we reach an old German 
artillery dug out, where I found some French 
mortar fellows I knew. 
I got my head painted by a stretcher 
bearer & turned in for a most satisfactory 
sleep in a most comfortable d bunk. 
In the morning I got back to the Colonel 
made my report & strolled round to the battery 
after having the wound probed by the doctor. 
I was feeling O.K. but all doctors have 
strict orders to take no risks with head 
wounds, so I was packed off to the clearing 
station & finally landed in Rouen. 
There I was chloroformed & had the 

4 
wound cleaned & the bone scraped. 
I was done at 6 pm, awoke at 8 pm & 
dropped off into natural sleep at once 
& was out of bed next day after assuring 
the doctor & the sister that I was feeling 
O.K. There was no fracture. 
Then I was put in a hospital boat at 
Rouen & we came here through 
Southampton. 
I have been X rayed again here to 
make sure there is nothing in the wound. 
The cuts are already healed up but at 
Rouen a lump of "sluffing" flesh had to 
be taken away so that I have a round hole 
in my forehead & the bone is exposed. 
I have now to wait for the hole to fill 
in which it is rapidly doing. 
I have been allowed out every day 
since a week ago & have been buzzing 
round London a bit, but have not 
yet looked up the Bethells. 
Am feeling perfectly fit & the wound 
is no more discomfort than a badly cut

5 
finger.  I just have to be careful  
how I walk down stairs or laugh as 
naturally jars & strains are felt in the head. 
Meantime I am having a great loaf, 
but will be glad to get back to the  
battery. 
I am not wonderfully keen on London 
but have been getting about a good deal 
by myself, which may account for it. 
There are stacks of loafers about who 
ought to be on the job. 
Well, sister, is waiting to dress the 
hole in my napper so will close & send 
you more news by the mail which closes 
the day after this one. 
Love to all 
Fred