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

Poor little "Toss" Schuh who 
used to be a pal of Mick Knapps 
& who often came to our place, was 
killed over here recently. 
I met him outside Bapaume one day. 
  
France. 
12^th June 1917. 
  
My Dearest Mother, & all at Home. 
Well! we are 
still out of the line & have been indulging in 
all kinds of competitions for both sport & our 
daily routine, & turned out Gun teams & Harness 
& all that kind of work, & you will be pleased  
to know that the 102^nd Horse Bty has surprised 
everybody & came out on top in this Brigade, & 
was robbed in the Divisional Competition by a 
Battery who had Officers Horses in their Gun & 
Wagon teams; & the fact of our boys having 
only recently arrived from England ( that is, the 
116^th boys) went against us too,— but my 
word I was pleased at their turn out. 
Every body admits that we were easily  
first as our harness fairly sparkled like  
jewellry in the sun, & our vehicles were very  
clean & the gear neatly packed on the foot 
boards, & each man wore his steel helmet 
properly cleaned & oiled, & we presented 
a very fine turn out: 
Ever since the show, we have been 
visited by Generals & other dignitaries who 
have come especially to see our equipment, 
& these visits have not been bestowed on 
the battery that robbed us, & today the G.O.C. 
& all the "top-dogs" visited our lines & saw 
us at work, & said afterwards "How pleased 
they were at our show, & that the wonderful 
improvement of the 102^nd in the last two months 
was the talk of the whole division," —  so 
you see we are "some class", & and we take a 
lot of beating, & my 116^th boys have shown 
all the rest of the battery a fine example. 
by their very good work.

I went into Amiens yesterday, on leave 
& spent the day viewing that big city. I, with 
Bob McLaren, (one of my Sgts) rode in on our 
Horses, & stabled them in a Livery Stable while 
we went on our perigrinations. It is a 
distance of 11 miles (15 kilometers) from where 
we are billeted, so it was just a nice ride. 
Amiens was the furthest town the Germans 
reached in 1914, & then only some Uhlans got 
that far.   It is a busy place & principally  
factories (clothing) & munition works, & girls 
simply predominate there as most of the  
men are in the Army.  I saw nothing in the 
shape of beauty, except an Australian Nurse 
who was the cynosure of all female eyes. (and males) 
It being a meatless day, we had sardines 
for our first course at dinner; - fish omelette for 
the second; fish fried for our third, and fish  
boiled for our fourth, & when the woman brought 
us salmon for the next, I got up & walked up 
& paid my bill & cleared out. 
I went into the Cathedral there, and it is considered 
one of the finest in the world but it is  
all Roman Catholic "tommy rot" & candles & all 
that stinking insense business which rather put 
me against the show. — Of course, the architecture 
is just wonderful & the interior as well, 
but I think I admire Salisbury Cathedral as 
well as any. 
We had a solemn requiem for Frances 
dead soldiers in this village the other day, & 
we had the same ridiculous nonsense that 
the R.C priests go on with, & altogether it was 
just like a "Gippo" show in Egypt. 
I am in good health, and hope you are all 
the same. The last mail from Australia has 
been sunk by enemy action (bad luck) 
My best love to you all at Home 
hoping to see you in the next 12 months I am 
your loving son Norman

I won't know what to do with  
£100 in deferred pay, & £100 in the Bank, 
so you had better start & spend it 
N. 
France 
24/6/17 
  
My Dearest Mother, and all at Home. 
Many thanks for 
your letter which I have just received, & I can 
tell you that I was looking forward for it, too  
- however I'm glad to know that you are all 
well, & can assure you that I am in magnificent 
health & condition, & can last out another ten 
years of this life, providing of course, I can dodge 
the "Dingle Dells" (as the boys call them.) 
Naturally, I am longing to get Home again, & 
there is never a day or night passes but what 
my thoughts are of Home, & Home faces, but 
I hope to be able to see this business thro' before 
returning, & the more that enlist, then the 
sooner the 'bloomin' thing will be over. 
We are back again in the firing line in 
our previous position, & all is well. I am, (like 
all other BS.Ms) left at the wagon line to look after 
men & horses, & send up ammunition & rations 
& all that sort of thing, & miss the usual 
excitement of the gunners, — however we 
get shelled now & then, or Fritz aeroplanes 
fly over us & drop bombs now & again, just 
to let us know that there is a war on, and to keep 
us from getting too "dopy". 
We took over from a "Tommy" battery 
who left us plenty of mess & filth to clean 
up, & we have been at it all day shifting 
manure & rubbish & all the conglommeration 
that is characteristic of all artillery camps, 
— nevertheless, when we hand over a camp, 
it must be spotless, but it is always our 
luck to march into a dirty camp &, dirty  
billets, & get roused up if we don't have it clean soon.

2 
The country where we are is looking splendid 
& there is very little fighting going on at present, 
but they are "at it" further up the line, & are 
going "hammer & tongs" 
Isn't it a pity that Russia turned "dog" 
on us, & we are now facing practically the 
whole German army on the Western Front 
at present — just when we needed 
Russia's help most, & now I fully expect 
it will prolong the war another 12 months, 
so next year, with Americas help, we will 
make things more than unhealthy for  
Fritz, — it surely can't last out the 
whole of next year, but it will be willing 
enough while it lasts. 
Bill Moon (who is in the 5^th Divn now) came 
over to see me to-day, & is looking well, — he 
was recently "turned down" for promotion to 
R.S.M. (1st Class W.O.).    R.S.M. is the  
only promotion I want, and that is the next step 
to my present rank, & I hope to get this in 
another 12 months time. It means a couple more "bob" 
 a day.  I wouldn't have the commissioned rank 
at any price, as it is too expensive to keep 
up to the job. I am thoroughly enjoying 
myself as B.S.M. (2^nd Class W.O.) I have a fine 
lot of boys in the battery.     Oh! by the way 
were you ever officially informed of my promotion 
to B.S.M.? 
Mab Tilton sent me a parcel to-day, of shirt; 
socks; handkerchiefs, & Keatings powder: fine 
of her, isn't it? 
Braithwaite is back again with us, & has 
turned over "a new leaf". 
I hope you are all well. 
My best love to you all from 
Your loving son 
Norman. 
  
[*1 DRL 251 266*]

Please send me a black sweater, & thro' the 
2^nd Aust Field Arty Brigade Comforts fund, as 
this is much safer. 
N. 
France. 
11/7/17 
  
My Dearest Mother, & all at Home, 
Just a 
word or two this week as we are on 
the trek, & writing & postal facilities 
are difficult as you can imagine, 
but nevertheless a little mail filters 
thro' to us even in these kind of 
journeys, — but it is a week or 
two since I received any mail from 
Melbourne, & that was a letter from 
Charlie written just before the 
Elections, for which I thank him 
so much for. It is good I can 
assure you, to receive Home letters. 
This treking business is very interesting 
in so much that we get a 
good opportunity of seeing the country 
at its best, but with Reveille at  
1 am., and move off at 4 am. it does 
not give us too much sleep, but 
we grab an hour or two of an 
afternoon, & refreshes us considerably

2 
You will surprised to know that 
Major Harris has left us & gone to 
another unit, & we are getting an 
officer from Div.A7/3.Hd.2rs as an O.C. 
I received a letter from May Tilton 
last week, & she is greatly relieved to 
get word from Jack. 
Our last battery position was very  
sweet & the boys had a good time 
both at the guns & at the wagon 
line.  All B.S.Ms are left at the 
wagon lines, but I am am asking our new 
O.C. to allow me up to the positions, 
-  nevertheless, we see plenty of life &  
activity, in air fights, & all that kind  
of things, but our airmen are very 
fine, & when they are being fired at 
over Fritz' lines, they start tumbling 
like pigeons, & doing all kinds of 
extra ordinary acrobatic events 
with their new xxx machine. We 
watched a good fight one day 
between two machines, and the

3 
principal thing is manoeuvering for 
the best position which is just below 
& to the rear of his opponent, & then 
"pop-pop-pop-pop" goes the machine gun 
bullets, leaving a trace of smoke to 
show their flight, & then the other 
machine starts to come down, & in 
gathering such speed, the wings brake 
off, & then comes the crash on the  
earth.   The other machine circles 
around descending all the time, & 
finally lands close up; - Out gets 
the victor & walks up to survey his 
work, looks at his two victims, 
then remarks "Got you at last my  
boys, after 5 weeks". — that's all. 
Bringing down a balloon is a 
very exciting thing. The aeroplane 
flies very high over the enemys lines, & 
after going a good distance over, 
returns & descends making straight 
for the balloon. Then the anti- 
aircraft guns put a tremendous 
barrage just in front of the balloon

4 
but this doesn't deter the airmen, & 
as soon as he is in range, he turns 
his machine gun on, & comes thro' 
a tornado of shells & bullets, but 
down comes the balloon, slowly at 
first, looking just the same, but 
then the top bursts into flames, & it 
gathers & increases. Out jumps 
the observer with his parachute & 
lands safely, & down comes the 
balloon a blazing mass, & the 
aeroplane is mounting higher & 
higher, apparently none the worse 
for his experience, & at the same  
time watching the balloon going 
down. By George, he was game. 
Well my dears I hope you are 
as well as I am. Accept my 
fondest love, please, & hoping  
to hear from you soon. 
I am 
Your loving son 
Norman.

Belgium
France 
23rd July 1917. 
  
My Dearest Mother, & all at Home, 
Just a brief 
note to let you know that I am still in the 
best of health, & now that our trek is at an  
end, we are getting on with the business again 
& it is very hot at times  I can assure you 
with his confounded gas & 5.9 shells which 
he continues to use with unabated vigour, & 
we owe our lives to our box respirators, but 
it is damnable uncomfortable & inconvenient 
to say the least of it; — still we give it 
all back to him with compound interest & 
our gas is worse than his. 
We are in the biggest battle that has 
ever taken place on earth, & the artillery 
duels are cruel. - Guns of every calibre 
are thundering night & day for supremacy, 
& aircraft are flying in scores to keep those 
of the enemy away, & when the push does 
come, we expect it to be the deciding 
issue of the war, ie "Win or draw", or 
wait for the 'Yanks" next year. 
I have had no letter from you or 
any Australian mail for some time, and

2 
we have heard that two mails have been 
sunk by enemy action, so this accounts 
for it. 
I got a letter from May Tilton two 
days ago, & she is quite well, but has 
not heard from Jack since his first 
news to her. 
How are you all at Home ? - I am 
always thinking of you all, & long to see 
you all again. It will be 3 years 
by the time you receive this letter since I 
enlisted & went into Camp, - however 
let us hope that this year will see the 
end of the war. 
Braithwaite is still with us, & has 
amended his ways, & doesn't drink, & he 
he is quite respectable now, thanks to my 
severe lectures. 
How is Aunt Hannah?, - and 
all other relatives.   Give my love to 
them all, & accept my fondest love 
to you all at Home, & believe me to 
be your loving son 
Norman.