Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 11 of 24

Salisbury Plain 
21.9.16 

Dear Mother, 
As you will see by the 
address I have left London & am now 
on my way back to France. 
I arrived here yesterday & expect to  
cross the Channel tomorrow or the next day 
The wound is completely healed, 
& I feel no effects whatever from it. 
I have had a great time in 
London, but am glad to be getting 
back to the battery. 
The Australians are now in a different 
part of the line than the Somme & are 
having a quiet time. I met some of 
our officers a few days ago, who are 
over on leave & they told me the 
Germans were scarcely firing a shot 
nowadays. 
The Somme is absorbing all their  
energy at present. 

2 
I stayed a couple of days with 
Jack & Lottie Bethell. They are good 
sorts & made me very welcome. 
I had the luck to run against 
some good fellows in hospital & 
we have had lots of fun together. 
It was quite an Empire show - English, 
Scotch, Irish, Welsh, Canadian & Australian. 
I have had a most annoying 
experience with my letters which had 
been re-addressed to me from the battery. 
When I left hospital I instructed 
them to send letters to the Commonwealth  
Bank, where I had arranged to call 
for them on my return from the country. 
The day before I returned to town 
the Bank sent all my letters back 
to Base Post Office so that it may 
be another couple of months before 
I get them. 
I have had no letters since I 
was hit. 
Hope you are all keeping well, 

3 
I am sorry to say that Bruce 
was not able to give me a very  
good account of your health. 
I did tell you in my last letter 
that he was at Kington for a couple 
of days didn't I? 
Well I'm writing against time & 
my hands are cold. 
It's very difficult to find out 
when mails cl close & I find I 
have a few mins minutes only. 
When I get back I'll start on 
my old system of writing every  
Sunday regardless of mail-days 
Waiting for mail days only seems 
to result in missing them or having 
no time to write much. 
Best love to all at home & to 
Hollis & Jean & to your own dear self 
Your affecto son 
Fred