Letters of John William Axtens, 1917 - 1918 - Part 11

34

Rambures

France

2.11.18

My dear Father & Mother,

Quite a lot 
has happened since I wrote last, but 
not a great deal that you don’t know 
from the papers.

Our division was one of those 
selected to form the Army of Occupation 
in Germany, but we believe 
that owing to the chaos in Germany, 
one Army - the 4th, to which we 
belong - will not be needed there. 
We have received a warning order 
to move to Bohain on or about 
Monday next, so I guess we'll 
be salvaging or clearing things up 
a bit. The demobilisation of the 
A.I.F. will be going on from now 
so we ought not to be here very 
long.

The censorship regulations have 

2

been relaxed & we are allowed to 
mention names of places and units, & 
also to carry cameras. I have my 

V.P.K. so I ought to get some good 
snaps.

I had a letter from home dated 
1.9.18 a few days ago. The Base 
Post Office notified me of a parcel 
which arrived in such a battered 
state that it could not be repacked 
& had to be destroyed. I hope it was 
not one from home.

Now that the fighting is finished 
we are going strong on ceremonial 
drill etc. Tomorrow we have 
a review & march past the Divisional 
Commander. This morning 
all Battalion & Company Commanders 
had a rehearsal on the ground. 
We were giving orders to imaginary 
men & marching past imaginary 
Generals - quite amusing. 

It is very cold but beautiful weather, 
hard frosts & bright sunshine.

3

Ray is still on H.Q. & seems quite 
content. Frank is with the 8^th. 
We have a lot to be thankful for 
as all the crowd who came away 
with the 30^th M.G.Sect together are 
all O.K. still. Frank & Norm Winn 
Reg Webb, Arthur Treloar & myself - 
also Ray & Reg’s brother Sid.

Am sending you a copy of our 
Corps News Sheet & a Special Order 
of the day - you may find 
them interesting.

No more news just now.

Much love to yourselves & to all 
the kids.

Your Son.

Jack

35

Maurois.

France.

1.12.18

My dear Father & Mother,

We have just 
completed the first stage of our move 
to the Rhine & are now at
a place called Maurois. We 
move again at 0900 tomorrow - 
about 8 or 9 miles. How long 
we will stop there I don’t know. 
The village we are going to has been 
very badly knocked about by 
shell fire. It is not far from 
Le Cateau & the Bosche made 
his last stand just about there. 
Today three of us went for a 
bike ride to Busigny to see 
some captured Fritz guns. 
There were about 300 guns of 
all sizes, & mortars & m.guns 
galore. I took a few snaps but 
the light was not very good.

2.

Lieut-General Monash has left 
the Australian Corps & is now 
engaged in the demobilisation 
scheme - our Divisional Commander 
Gen. Hobbs now has 
the Corps & the brigadier of 
the 8^th. Bde Gen. Tivey has 
the division. I think the demobilisation 
will go on very quickly 
from now on.

Did I mention getting a home 
letter dated 1.9.18 last mail. No 
letters have come lately as we 
have been on the move so 
much.

The people in this place are
very good to us - they had 
Fritz here for 4 years & had a 
cruel time. When the Bosche 
left he took all their livestock, 
clothing, machinery & countless 
other things with him. If 
the people of German-occupied

3.

French towns have any say in 
the peace proceedings, there will 
not be any foolish leniency.

We expect to be in Belgium 
in a few days & in Germany 
early in the month. Our corps 
is going near Cologne I believe. 
Andy Ewing - one of the old 
8^th. officers, rejoined yesterday. His 
people live at Burringham or 
somewhere thereabouts. He has been 
in England some time since 
being gassed at Villers Brettoneux.

We passed through Villers Bret. 
on our way up here - they 
have started rebuilding already. 
In Amiens & Corbie the ordinary 
civil life is being resumed 
& also in quite a number of 
the freed towns.

Frank Winn is temporarily 
in command of the 8^th. while 

4

the O.C. is on leave.

I haven’t seen Ray for a few 
days but guess he’s still O.K.

How is business these days?

I have been wondering which is 
the best thing to take on when 
I get home - pigs or bananas.

No more news just now. I will 
write again when we get further 
towards the Rhine.

Fondest love to yourselves and 
all the kids.

Your Son

Jack.

I’m enclosing the menu 
of the 30^th. Bn anniversary 
dinner of Nov 9.

36

St Remy.

France.

19.12.18.

My dear Father & Mother, 

Quite a bunch 
of home mail to answer this time; 
most of them came yesterday including 
a parcel, which I should 
think was sent some time ago 
as it had in it a Sydney Mail 
of July. The cake was O.K. quite 
the best I’ve tasted for a long time; 
the rest of the mess reckoned it 
was ‘bon’, damfine, & various other 
adjectives of approval. The letters 
are dated 15.9.18, 28.9.18, 6.10.18, 20,10.18.
I intended starting to write an hour 
ago but have been struggling to 
light a stove with a Sydney Mail, 
a candle & some wet coal. She’s 
going fine now - red-hot.

My last letter was written from 
Maurois, since then we have trekked 
on to here via Rejet-de-Beaulieu, 
St Pierre, Petit Beart, arriving at 
St Remy about ten days ago. We stay 
here for a couple of months so we 
are making ourselves as comfortable 
as possible. We have a piano on 
loan from Bn H.Q. - one that 

2

Fritz looted from somewhere & left 
behind. There is a Cinema Hall in 
the town (no cinema) & we are forming 
a Bn Concert Party. The Debating 
Club has its first debate tonight. 
8 & 14 Coys : subject “Should 
Bachelors be taxed”. Concert on 
Saturday night. Football three times 
a week, one game in each Code, 
Rugby, Soccer & Aust Rules.

We played the 50^th. (British) Division 
at Rugby the other day - had an 
easy win; next day we beat 
another team at Soccer & were 
beginning to fancy ourselves. Two 
days later they brought along a 
Soccer team that just walked all 
over our crowd 12 goals to nil. 
We’re wondering now if they 
have a Rugby team “in the bag”.

The A.I.F. Education Scheme is 
now going ahead - they have 
started classes in Mathematics, 
Bookkeeping, English, a Farmer’s 
Discussion Club etc. Other classes 
will be formed very soon. The men 
are taking an interest in the 
scheme & it should be a success.

3

We are looking forward to a 
good feed at Christmas. The Expeditionary 
Force Canteen has an 
order from the Batt for over ₤200 worth 
of goods & I have an officer away in 
Charleroi buying Canteen & Officer’s 
Mess stuff in addition.

Colonel Marsden has been repatriated 
and is now in England. I don’t 
know whether we have any chance 
of getting him with us again, 
but hope so.

Frank Winn, another officer named 
Jeater & I have put in for leave to 
Paris on Jan 12. We expect to 
have a good time as the weather 
should be fine & the rains finished 
by then. I’m living the simple 
life now so as to have a decent 
wad by then. We get 10 days so 
should be able to see most of 
the sights.

What do you think of pineapple & 
banana growing on the N. Coast. I 
am finding out particulars of Govt. 
grants of land & terms of settlement 
etc. Ray & I ought to be able to work 
something of the kind I think.

Have not seen Ray for a few 
days - he is still with Batt. H.Q.

4

& lives a kilo or more away from 
us.

I think it will be quite six or eight 
months before I can expect to get home. 
Ray will probably leave sooner. The 
Demobilisation Category is fixed largely 
by the last date of leaving Aussie, 
also married men first etc; so I’ll 
have to wait a while yet.

I hope the boil epidemic has left 
the house & everyone is O.K. again. 
Did Geoff have a good time at Beverley? 
- Quite an unnecessary 
question I suppose.

I think I’ve exhausted all the news 
now so I’ll blow the whistle.

Much love to yourselves & to all the
kids.

Your Son,

Jack.

P.S. Please remember me to 
the G.G. & other Lismore friends.

Enclosed pamphlet is a Fritz 
propaganda stunt I picked up 
at St Pierre.

37

St Remy

France

9.1.19

Dear Geoff,

I’ll make yours 
the home letter this time, 
as there’s not enough copy 
to write more than one 
family letter. I had a letter 
from you also Gwen & 
Marg yesterday. Glad you 
had a good time at Beverley. 
There’s no doubt that 
the land is the best life; 
it beats pottering round in 
the towns by several lengths.

We are still carrying on 
in a quiet way & expect to 
stay here for some weeks yet; 
not much drill etc, mainly 
recreation & education. We 
have several classes going 
& football, tug-o’-war teams 
Concert Parties, Debating

Society & Cockie’s Club.

Demobilisation is going 
on fairly well & we are 
getting some of the earlier 
men away.

There is also a Rifle Comp 
between the various units 
of the division; we have a 
pretty good team & should 
shake them up a bit.

My Paris leave starts 
in a few days & if the 
weather keeps fine it should 
be O.K. Frank Winn is 
coming down as well & he 
has been before, so knows 
the ropes. Ray has put in 
for Paris also & may be 
going soon.

I expect to be able to get 
over to Blighty again if 
I can raise the money. 

I am nearly due for leave 
there again, & Paris leave 

does not affect it.

The only other item of news 
is that I have just received 
my captaincy.

The people in Aussie seem 
to have gone made when 
the armistice was signed. 
I think armistice night 
was one of the quietest 
we had spent - it was 
so hard to realise that 
it was all over.

Well Geoff I guess I’d 
better finish up now. 
Give my love to Dad & 
Mum & the kids, & thank 
Gwen & Mary for their 
letters.

Yours,

Jack