Letters from Norman Griffiths Ellsworth to his Mother, 1916 - Part 3 of 28

Ward "M" 
County of London War Hospital  
Epsom, Surrey. 
England. Feb 1^st 1916. 
  
My Dearest Mother, and all at Home. 
Just a few lines 
to let you all know that I am still getting on fine, and 
am able to get about pretty freely now. 
We expect to be here 
some little time yet, as the Medical people have raised 
the tests for Enterics, from 3, to 6, with Ten days between 
each test, and I have only been thro' one up till now, and 
this showed negative results, so it will be in the spring, 
that I will get my 6 weeks furlough, & then I expect to have an 
enjoyable holiday. 
I have been for two or three motor 'bus 
rides around here, and I really enjoyed the scenery 
en route: Splendid old country mansions & manors Etc 
with fine grounds adjoining, & plenty of cultivated grounds 
and enormous vegetable gardens: Very old churches 
with moss & green weed growing all over the roof and 
walls, and all the tombstones in the church yard,  
and the dates on some go back some hundreds of 
years, and the wording is of the old English style like 
this " Here lies my mortal remains" Etc.  Churches are

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in abundance, and like the quaint old Inns, of which 
each as a different sign, from the "Marquis of Granby", to 
the "Bunch of Grapes", and other such peculiar names, one 
marvels how they manage to get sufficient to live on. I 
have only been in one or two of these Inns, and what struck 
me rather forcibly, was the numbers of women, who are 
to be seen in the bars, and side rooms, having their 
pints of beer, or porter, with the best of them, and  
appear to be thoroughly at Home there, too. 
In company 
with a fellow patient, I went for a 'bus ride (on top) to  
Clapham Junction, a distance of some 10 or 11 miles, and 
we passed thro' the smaller, but very picturesque towns 
of Cheam, Sutton, & Tooting, and at the end of an  
hour and a half's journey, arrived at our destination 
Clapham is a very big and busy town, and here 
one can change on to 'buses or electric trams going to 
different parts of London, or elsewhere, and they seem 
to be going in all directions, and each has its full 
complement of passengers, & they are coming and  
going all the time. The trams are all two deckers, 
and the upper part is enclosed in glass windows. 
The shops are of a very mixed class, from the 
Old Curiosity Shops, with their extraordinary outdoor

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displays of almost every kind of household articles, from  
secondhand bedchambers, to the famous Str adivarius  
Violin, recently played on by Jan Kubelik, etc, and crazy 
looking old furniture, which seem to be in the last stages 
of Paralysis, & can scarcely stand upon rheumaticy old 
legs, with the infamous lie on the label "Almost new", to 
the better class of business in Drapery, Haberdashery, 
and in fact, shops of all kinds. 
We spent the latter part 
of the afternoon in a "Moving Picture Palace", and here 
we saw our first cinema show since leaving Cairo, 
after which, we purchased our Tea at a "Eat house", and 
then took the 'bus back again to Epsom, and the 'bus 
had some alarmingly narrow squeaks in the very  
dark streets, with the rest of the traffic, however we 
arrived home safely. 
On Sunday, I went for another 
'bus ride out to Box-hill, passing en route through the 
small town of Leatherhead, this time at the invitation 
of one of our Australian Army Nursing Sisters, who 
simply insisted on paying for all fares & expenses, 
which was much against my will of course. We 
dined at a delightful old fashioned, but beautifully 
kept Inn, right out in the country, & we were waited

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on by waiters dressed in full breeches & stockings, like 
butlers, who walk about with extremely "bored to death" 
expressions on their very ugly faces. After a tasty meal, 
we adjourned to a comfortable lounge, in which we saw 
many old fashioned pictures etc, and there was a very 
cheery fire, & we sat down in comfort while I enjoyed a 
cigarette, as did most of the lady & gentlemen visitors, these 
being rather well off, judging by their motor cars which 
were in no small numbers. It is interesting to note, that 
several Australian soldiers made their appearance whilst 
we were at tea, each with a young lady, and seemed to 
be as much at home as any of the fashionable people present. 
No matter where one goes about here, even miles out in 
the country, or in the busyiest towns, one will always find 
the Anzac boys somewhere about. 
I must now change the 
subject, for the Sister has just this minute brought me in 
some Australian letters, this first news of home since I left 
the Peninsular on September 25^th, and my joy knows no 
bounds as you can well imagine. One from dear Mother 
dated October 31^st: "Two from Charl, dated October 31^st and 
November 15^th respectively, & one from Nellie Wheeler dtd 10^th Oct, 
and a small parcel containing a pair of beautiful sox 
and some fine bootlaces from Mrs, and Ruby Davidson.

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I can hardly express my joy and gratitude for the most 
wonderful kindness that everyone has so liberally bestowed on 
me, because somehow I feel that I have not deserved it, and 
not being in the firing line at present, thro' this unfortunate 
attack of Enteric, has made me feel all the more keenly 
about it, but let me say this "that I have not finished 
"with Kaiser Bill and Co, by a long chalk, & I hope to 
"make up for lost time, with interest, when I get back with 
the boys". 
Concerning the rest of the Parcels, & Medicine chest, and 
the Rabbit skin coat from Aunt Hannah etc, I expect that 
if they are not at the bottom of the Mediterranean, that they 
will reach me alright, but the "U" boats were pretty busy 
there for some time, & have sunk several steamers with  
mail on. 
I do thank you all from a full heart for your 
thoughtful gifts, and altho' I am being so well looked 
after, and fed, nevertheless your kindness is not the 
less appreciated by me, and I hope you will specially 
thank dear Aunt Hannah for the coat, & tell her 
"that if I do not get it, that probably some chap in the 
"trenches, more worthy & in need of it than I, has got it, & 
"if so, in the circumstances, I do not begrudge him it", 
nevertheless I fully expect it will turn up with the rest of things

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Mr, Mrs & Ruby Davidson have been extremely kind to me, & 
I can never thank them enough, & I am simply up to my 
neck in debt for their generosity. 
As we are not allowed to draw 
any money whilst in hospital, I was quite unable to make 
any purchases & gifts for the Xmas season, but we will 
make up for it all on my return home.  Thank George 
for sending the Electric torch, which I hope to receive with 
the rest of the things, as this will be most useful here, 
as the streets are pitch dark at night on account of 
Zeppelin raids, & only last night they passed within 
4 miles of this place, & on receipt on the news by 
telephone, every light was extinguished in the building. 
At a lantern lecture last night, in our concert hall 
on the British Navy, past & present, I filled in a very 
good night, and saw & heard about the work & ships 
right up to the present time, & in the course of his (the 
lecturer) remarks, where the picture of "Queen Elizabeth" 
was shown, he told us that quite recently no fewer than 
16 new battleships, with bigger & more powerful guns 
than the "Queen Elizabeth" had joined the Fleet in the 
North Sea. (Tremendous cheers) 
His remarks at times were punctuated 
with very heated hopes for Von Tirpitzs "stop-at-homes" 

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destruction, & wished that the "Kaiser might be on board 
when the "Queen Elizabeths" 15inch guns were telling the 
fortune of the German Navy. 
He was rather a choleric old 
gentleman, and his criticism on the German nation as a  
whole, was hardly in their favour, & he said that if he 
was in power, he would guarantee that there would be 
a far greater exodus of Germans out of this world, and 
their subsequent entry into Hell, (providing the Devil would 
have them, of course) & (he believed that that individual 
even, had no times for Germans,) than there was at present. 
So altogether, we spent an amusing evening. 
Well Mother dear, I am very glad to say that I am 
enjoying the best of health, and all traces of my illness 
have quite disappeared, & am now looking forward to 
my furlough. The people at Gravesend still write to me, 
& I to them, & they are all well, I am pleased to say. 
I hope that your cold is better & that you are all 
well. Give my kindest regards to all enquirers, & 
affection to relatives, & my fondest love to yourself, 
dear Mab, Chas, George, Rupert & Floss, and again 
thanking you all  Believe me to be, 
Your affectionate Son, 
Norman.

Ward "M" 
Country of London War Hospl 
Epsom, Surrey. 
England, Feb 7^th. 
  
Dearest Mother & all at Home, 
Just a short note this 
week as there is very little or no news to write about, & 
the weather has been so dull & wet that I have not 
been out for six or seven days, but it has improved 
today, & the sun is making strenuous efforts to rule 
the day. 
I have only had the 3 letters from you that I 
told you of in my last letter, but this weeks mail 
has not been delivered yet, & I have hopes for a  
budget of news, when it is delivered. 
I got a great 
surprise tho', yesterday, when I received a letter  
from May Tilton at Suez, & she inclosed one of 
Mabs letters for me to read, & also the dear Girl was 
so kind enough to send me £1 for a Christmas Box, & 
she told me not to argue the point about it; - but it 
was very acceptable as I am rather short of cash, because 
they (the Govt) won't allow us any whilst in hospital, 
but it is accumulating for us to go on furlough, so it 
does not do us any harm, but a little money is

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handy for 'bus rides etc, but we never want any for 
eatables, as we get all our want in this respect at the  
hospital. 
Jack Tilton is somewhere down on the Canal, 
but Braithwaite says that the 4^th Battery are all in 
Camp outside Cairo (all that is left of the 4^th, I/should say) 
There is very big talk of a terrific move in Belgium 
soon, and all the hospitals are being cleared (which is a 
sure sign of "something doing") & we Australians are all  
expecting to be shifted into an Australian Hospital 
nearer London, by the 1^st of March: -- and we hear strong 
rumours that the British are going to drive the Germans 
right out of Belgium, but the casualties expected, arewill be 
stupendous. 
The British have been pouring troops into 
France, etc this last few weeks, & they are still pouring 
in & Kitchener is likely to go over there to assume command 
in conjunction with Joffre. 
Well Mother dear, I have no more news at  
present so hope you will exeti  excuse the brevity. 
I hope you are all well. Give my love to Mab, Chas 
George, Rupert, Floss, & accept extra rations for your  
dear self    from 
Your - loving son,   
Norman. 
PS. I am simply splendid in health now, thanks, altho' my bowels are a little unsteady yet. N.