Letters from Norman Griffiths Ellsworth to his Family, 1917 - Part 3 of 7

[*Oh! Harriet Cole got your & Aunt Hannahs 
£ thanks, I send her one now 
& then. 
N.G.E*] 

116^th Howitzer Bty. A.F.A.
N : 1 Boyton Camp
Codford. Wilts.
England.
4/3/17.

My Dearest Mother, & all at Home, 
Well I am still
here & am in the best of health, but I doubt
very much whether we will be here next week,
as we have been warned by the War Office
to hold ourselves in readiness to proceed overseas,  
so we are getting ready to move off.
There is some doubt about who is really
going, as the War Office letter says that only
complete sections are to go, & that means
only guns, wagons, horses, gunners & drivers, &
we senior Non-coms are wondering what is
to become of us, & we fear details again, & I am
terribly disappointed after working up a battery
to concert pitch, & without the assistance of
the Officers?, so I really am to be pitied.
On the other hand, The Australian Head
quarters say that the complete battery is to go,
if so then I may have a chance of getting
with a battery, or at least to go into that
rotten hole Etaples.
The N.C.Os & men are cutting up very
rough at the battery "breaking up", as they
have quite "knuckled down", & have mated
quite chummy with each other, so it is hard luck
for them as well as for me.
Major Harris has not done a single thing
for the battery, & has left it all to me to "wet
nurse" these "bloomin" so-called officers, & he
has only been on two mounted parades since we
formed 

He does not expect to go to France with the
battery, but back to Australia, & so he does
not care a damn how we get on, but all
the same, even if he compliments me, & all
that rot, he hasn't given me a decent spin.
I suppose I always will have rotten luck
If I go back to Details, I will probably
be put as an Instructor in an Artillery
Training Depot, & goodness only knows
when I will get to France.
I got a letter from my old gunner Tiny
yesterday, & he informs me that Yardley
blew back to the 4^th Bty in France, but they
wont recognise the swine, & I have since
found out that he got "chucked out" of Engl.
and, as everybody was "fed up" with him, &
unless he wins a V.C. he should never look
his parents in the face again.
I got 2 back letters from you dated
3^rd & 10^th January & was glad to know that
all was well then. I also got a letter from
Dave Watson, the first from him for months,
so please drop him a line for me, as I'm too
busy packing up.
I only get home letters now, as the
mail address other than Gravesend, generally
goes astray, so please address all mail
c/o 28 Cobham St Gravesend. Ruby Davidson
& Nellie Wheeler have quite turned me down,
as I haven't heard from either for months.
Well Mother dear, I hope you are
all well. Give my love to all, & an extra
ration for your dear self from 
Your loving son
Norman 
[*Alice Cutter wrote me some 
time ago & said she had another 
boy thank goodness*]

[* 4 Small photo's inside*]
116^th Howitzer Battery 
11 MAR. 1917
1^st DIVL. ARTILLERY, AUS
N^o 1 Boyton Camp
Codford. Wilts.
England.

My Dearest Mother, & all at Home.
I have been waiting
for the last few days for some letters from home,
but none have turned up, so I will pen you
a few lines in case there is a mail going out, to
let you know that I am still O.K, since you
said that you were miserable because I did not
say that I was alright in my last letter. If
There ever s anything wrong with me I would
soon let you know, so if I don't mention anything
about health, you must please take it for
granted that everything is well, as I never think
of such trumpery nonsense as that.
The weather here now is not very bright as
it has snowed very heavily during the week, &
this being the month of the year for the renowned
March winds, we are priveliged to have ones hats
blown off our heads at least a hundred times a
day, to say nothing of trees being blown down,
& nearly being blown off ones feet on reaching a
street corner, but I went thro' it all last year
in Epsom, & so knew what to expect. 
I have to confirm what I said in my
previous letter about the battery being broken
in two, & for myself, with the Q.M.S., & Farrier
Sergeant, & other odds & such to be sent back to
Details after the sections have gone to France.
- I often feel that its not really worth my
while to try any more to get back to the front, as
I am foiled everytime, but I really must get
back somehow, for I can't resist the call of the guns.

2
I have had another letter from Tiny at the
Front (one of my old Gunners) & he tells me that there
have been great changes over there, & a lot of sorting
out of Non-coms, etc. - one piece of news he
told me was, that Yardley had turned up in
France, & went up to the 4^th Battery to try & get
with them again, but officers, N.C.Os & men
with one accord, told him to clear to Halifax
out of it. I have since found out that he
was "chucked out" of his "cold footed" job at
Weymouth, thro' neglect of duty, & he tried to
get an Instructors job in Artillery Details
at Lark Hill, but they would have none of
him there, & bunged him in the first draft
for France - He is a miserable skunk.
Tiny tells me that there is practically
no-one in the 4^th Battery that I know, so you
see how badly men are needed. Does is not
occur to the people who noted "No" how very
much strain is placed on men at the front,
who are in their 3^rd year of modem warfare,
& the loss of sleep & rest, as well as tremendous
hard work, for chaps to have to turn out at
once for action, night & day, & at all times
& in all weathers, & in horrible conditions. &
for people to say that they shall not have
re-inforcements, & vote "No". - Why if it
was only told how hard it is to lay a gun
correctly, & how absurdly easy it is to make
a mistake, & how a mistake will probably
kill some of our own Infantry, just because
a tiny bubble is not level, - & this has to
be done with enemy artillery knocking
your gun pit to pieces with all sorts of shells.

3 
The average person thinks that all the present
day artilleryman has to do, is to sit behind
a shield, somebody opens the breech, & another
puts the shell in & then the breech is closed.
the gun fired, & off goes the shell, & you
keep repeating the performance. - Well it
is altogether wrong, as every man of the detachment  
has an important job to do, & cooperation
is the whole success of the business.
Really, when we read the Melbourne papers
& see the squabbling that is going on with the
damned so called politicians, – it just makes
our blood boil. - Why can't you people
put that cursed labour? party in gaol? & blow
Trades hall to the devil. When they did have
a clever man at the head of them, they did
not know how to treat him. I honestly believe  
that Anstey & his crowd (catholics all)
are emissaries of the Kaiser. Oh! I am
glad I never voted labour & that I took poor
Dads advice, - & I'll never vote for them as
long as I live. Dad told me once that
They would prove traitors to the country, - & 
so they have. Independent Wasters of the
World.  Oh! I would like to tell you what
we think of them.
If these people could only see our fine
Infantry go into Action, & the spirit in which
they go, & the awful machine gun, & artillery
barrage fire they have to face, & here are
these "things" of politicians saying all kinds
of rotten things about Haig having more
men than what he knows what to do with,
& the Govt are sending Chows to marry our sisters, etc

4
Its the Catholic way all over to undermine the women
& that's exactly what this crowd are doing
You drew my attention to some letters in the
"Herald" about Anzacs marrying English girls.
Well! here is my opinion on the subject. - It
is a fact that the English girls think more of the Anzac
than the Australian girl; - the average English
girl is trained better, in her school days, & teens, as
to what she should be, than our girls. - Our
average girl finishes school when she is 14 (say) &
then she goes to work, - & earns a few "bob", & meets
silly bank clerks on the block who take them to
tea, & to the pictures or theatre afterwards, & the
consequence is, she gets self opiniated, & thinks she
will marry a chap with £10 a week & a motor car.
They do not like house work do they? - and
ask them to play a piano, - or sing, & its always
the same "Oh! I can't & shan't", but if this
question is asked the average English girl, she will
say "Oh! very well," & she'll go & do it. She is
trained in domestic duties when she is young,
& altho' she has less sport than the Australian
girl, she is none the worse for that. - The
English girl certainly has more talent & ability,
- & yes, more appreciation than our girls.
Now don't take offence at what I have
said, because all Australian girls are not like
the one I have just described (thank goodness), &
I have a sister who is the best in the world.
We certainly want more English blood in
our race, otherwise there will be no holding us,
& the Australian is a peculiar creature now-a-days, 
isn't he?
Love to all, from
"Yake"

116^th Howitzer Battery 
22 MAR. 1917
1^st DIVL. ARTILLERY, AUS
N^o 1 Boyton Camp
Codford; Wilts.

My Dearest Mother, & all at Home,
Well! the battery, -
or the two sections I should say, have gone to
France, & I have been left with Major Harris,
& the Q.M. Sgt, Farrier Sgt; saddlers, & one or two
others, to await further instructions. - I must
say that I was very pleased to see them go away
as I have just had to run the whole show, (with
the assistance of my Q.M. Sgt,) & have had to simply
"wet nurse" them so to speak, the whole time.
I could not have had a poorer lot of N.C.Os.
if I had searched the whole of Australia, and
during this last week it has just been the limit,
with the damned Sergeants. They had lost
a lot of harness, & other gear, & didn't know
where this, or that was, & had it not been that
I took the law into my own hands, they would
never have got away. - Oh! you can say
what you like about your Light Horse men, but
let me tell you this, "they will never make
Artillerymen". - they might be good horsemen,  
& all that sort of thing, but that is the
end of it. I have quite made up my mind
that I will never try to run a battery of guns
with Light Horsemen as N.C.Os, again.
And the Officers, too, - Major Harris
has only been on two mounted parades, & each
of these were for Mrs Harris, & mother-in -law,
& baby Harris, who came out in the car. He
has never given the battery 5 minutes instruction,  
so I haven't much to thank him for.

2
& there is Lieut Dyke - a big, fat, bald,
useless individual, who is just over from
Australia, & knows nothing of Artillery work.
I have had to teach him as well, & what
a time I have had too. - Oh! Mum,
I am a fool, really I have just "bogged
in" & worked like a trojan since I came
over here, & what have I got for it? -
Some times when I am getting undressed of
a night, I say to myself "Well what's the
use of me trying any more to get back to the
front when they treat a man like this" but
I just crawl in between the blankets & sleep
it off.
If you only saw the battery the night
before they moved out, - it was wonderful.
There were the 4 Sergeants strolling about
as if in a trance. Oh! didn't I go for them
I called them everything; I cursed & swore
& called them every name that applied to
them, until I was exhausted, & then Mr
Groves (the wild Queensland Officer) came on
the scene, & he took up where I left off,
but instead of it curing them, they only got
more confused, & he ordered them off the
parade, so he & I each took charge of
two subsections & & we soon had things
to rights, - but dear me, what a night
The Drivers & Gunners are quite alright
& work like the dickens, & only need a
little decent supervision, but their N.C.Os
are rotten to the core, & I shouldn't be
surprised if they get relieved of their subs
when they go to their respective batteries.

3
There was one Sgt (Cooper), every time I caught
sight of him, he was lighting his pipe, so I simply
screamed at him, threatened to place him
under close arrest, & altogether relieve him of
his subsection if he didn't get a move on, &
throw that damned pipe away. I asked him
if all his vehicles were packed, & he told me
he didn't know, - well I just felt as if
I could have torn up all the paper in the W.C.
or climed every tree in Codford. A little
while after this he & the Q.M Sgt were having
a go, & the Q.M. was telling him that he was
the dopiest - that ever put a uniform on,
so I asked Ben (my Q.M.) what was up, & he
said "Oh! he has only lost the mens rations,
thats all" & Ben went & locked him self in
his store & refused take further part in the
fiasco.
Ben & I heaved a great sigh of relief
when they had gone, & then we took our coats
off to clear up the mess, & the first thing we
found was, that Sgt Cooper had left his
Horse rugs (33) behind, also a box of ammunition,  
& harness in galore, to say nothing
of nose bags & grooming kits, & we just sat
down & smoked a cigarette by way of consolation.
Oh! you have no Idea what I have
had to put up with, but now they are
away, lets say no more about them.
we have a weeks work ahead clearing up
the mess, & its raining like the deuce, &
the mud & slush around stables is the
limit, but the place looks dreadful.

4 
I don't know what is to become of me as yet,
but there is a strong rumour in Headquarters
that I am going to the 102^nd How Bty, & a letter
from Braithwaite this week supports the rumour,
but Major Harris says he is going to take me
with him to the 1^st Battery (N.S.W.) 18 pounder,
& Lieut Knight wants me to go with him to
his battery, but I expect to wind up in Details
either in Lark Hill or Etaples, but I'm getting
the darned "fed up" feeling getting me in its
clutches, & I haven't the energy to shake it
off, so I don't care very much either. - One gets
no thanks for the work he does nowadays.
Braithwaite writes that Yardley has been
reduced to the ranks, & is in the D.A.C now.
A "glorious" career he has had, the dirty dog
Braithwaite also writes that Jack Tilton
is well, & has plenty to do with telephones etc.
I cannot get any mail thro' from Melb
& a letter from you is the only one I have
had for several weeks. I can't remember
when I last heard from Mab or Charlie,
or George. Ruby Davidson, I think, has
quite given up writing to me, as it is 4 months
nearly since I last heard from her, so I don't
expect any more from her, but she has been
very kind to write for such a long time.
I am in the best of health, & as hard
as nails, & I hope you are all in the
same good health.
My love to you all, & all relations
Your Loving son
Norman