Letters from Norman Griffiths Ellsworth to his Mother, 1916 - Part 24 of 28

1^st Australian Divⁿ Artillery Base Details 
Army Post Office S17. B. E.F 
France. October 1^st 1916 
Dearest Mother & All at Home, 
I am afraid that  
there is quite no news to tell you this week, except  
that I am still in the best of health, & waiting to  
get up to the front as soon as possible. 
I have got  
2 more letters from you, & one from Charl, & 2 from Ruby 
Davidson, I was very pleased to get them too, &  
it is so nice to know that you are still in good 
health, & the news of George getting the Govt contract is very  
satisfactory, & hope that he gets more. - Charl 
too, seems to be much better off. 
I am terribly sorry  
about poor Amy Ellsworth -- it came as a great 
shock to me. Convey my deep regrets to Fanny & Co 
please.  
I hope that Floss is in employment by now. 
Thank her for the beautiful sox: - They are fine 
-also the gloves that you sent me. I hope that  
dear Mab, & Rupert are well, & of course, also  
your dear self, so apologising for the brief 
letter 
I am  
Your loving Son 
Norman

1^st Australian Division Artillery Base Details 
Army Post Office S.17. B.E.F. 
France. October 10^th 1916 
  
My Dearest Mother, & all at Home,  
Just a  
brief note to let you know that I am still  
in the best of health, & not yet back at  
the firing line, altho' I hope to be so  
next week. 
I got one or two letters from 
you yesterday (both August) & was glad  
to know that you are all well.  Ruby 
Davidson still writes to me, & she seems 
to be having a good time, & has recently  
had a proposal of marriage which she  
declined, & now she says that she has 
another suitor, but it looks as if he  
is going to meet with a similar fate. 
I
notice, Mum, that you still seem to think  
that I will bring a wife home to Australia 
with me, - now let me dispel any  
doubts on that subject; - you can rest 
assured that I have no intention whatever 
of getting married, & have quite 
made up my mind on that point.
I  
have had several good opportunities

2 
of getting married in England & Scotland, 
& have come thro' it all unscathed, & when  
I get back in Australia, I will be more  
than content with home sweet home. 
I have  
had several letters from my old boys, & they  
still want me back there, & I would gladly  
forfeit my back pay to be with them 
again. 
Conradi (one of my former brother Sgts) 
who is with Major Phillips (my former B.C) 
in the 5^th Division, writes & tells me that  
Phillips is always enquiring after & about  
me, & my health, & where I am, so it looks 
as if he thinks better of me after all. It  
was Dowsett who tried to put him against  
me. 
I am dreadfully sorry about poor 
Amy, but she is better off, poor girl 
Beatrice Miller too, has my deepest  
sympathy, also Mrs Miller. 
You are  
telling me of the comforts o for the troops etc, 
there is none at the Base here, - not  
so much as a news paper, so goodness 
only knows where it all goes to; as I  
did not see any amount at the hospital  
either, & we seldom get the parcels

3 
that are sent to us by mail. I haven't  
got any parcels from home, except one  
with sox & gloves in, so some one gets 
them. 
Give my love to dear Aunt Hannah 
& tell her that I'm sorry that I'm sorry 
that I didn't get the rabbit skin vest that 
she so kindly sent me, - better luck next time. 
Mab Tilton is in England now, &  
she seems to think that I've not written to her,  
& rouses me at times. 
I am glad that Charlie  
& George & dear Mab, Rupert & Floss are  
getting on so well, also Elsie, - give  
my love to them all, thank them for  
their letters etc. 
Now Mother dear, I must  
close as there is no news to tell you, 
so hoping you are all as well as I  
am, & that is "just" it", & with my  
fondest love to you all  
I remain  
Your loving Son 
Norman.

1^st Austn Divn Artillery Base Details 
Army P. O. S17. B.E.F. 
France. 16^th October. 

My Dearest Mother & all at Home,  
Just a few lines to let 
you know that I am still  
in the best of health, and  
expect get up to the firing 
line any day now, & I have  
at last exacted a promise 
that I am to go with the  
next Draft, so I am intensely 
happy as you can well imagine. 
Major Churchers has 
applied for me, but I have  
my doubts as to whether they  
will stand me going back  
to England to join up there 
again, altho' I should like

2 
to make a start as S.M,  
with a new crowd, & the 3^rd  
Divn look a likely lot, but 
if I can only get to the front  
soon, I do not mind who I  
am with. 
I am still at the 
"Bull ring" bawling my voice  
away, whilst the other instructors 
guzzle whiskey, & pole 
on me all day long, & try  
to make out why I am so  
anxious to get away to the  
front. - They make me  
ill, the stinking, drunken 
cows. 
Oh! yes, Mum, - I am  
a stauncher teetotaler than  
ever, & thats why I cant  
get on in the army.

43 
None of the parcels have turned  
up so far, that you & the  
others have so kindly sent  
me, so in future, address  
all correspondence to the  
4^th Battery (Abroad) & the  
boys up there know where 
I am, & re-address them on  
to me. 
I still hear from them. 
The dear kids, & they are  
always wanting to know  
when I am coming back 
to them, & I am, of course 
dying to be with them again. 
I had a letter recently  
from Gravesend, & all are  
well there, & send their 
love to you all, & hope  
you are in the best of health.

4 
Poor old Julia is not too 
well since she fell down. 
I have had several  
letters from Ruby Davidson 
lately (mostly back date) 
& she is very good to think  
so much of me to write so  
many letters to me, as she  
has thousands of chums who  
write to her every week. 
Well 
dears, I hope you are  
all well. - Give my love 
to everybody and extra  
rations to those at home  
& not forgetting yourself. 
I am 
Your loving Son 
Norman. 
Tell Rupert that I am  
going to tickle up "Fritz" with an 
18 pounder soon.