Letters from Wilbert Berg to his family, 1915-1918 - Part 14

back to the good old 18th again, We called for

the names of all N.C.O's who have seen service on

Gallipoli & who wish to rejoin their old units so

of course I did not hesitate to put my name in

Your letters must have gone astray again last

week as I did not get any although there was

a big Aust. mail in. The big explosion in the

munition works was a terrible thing, I suppose

you have seen full details of it. Have not seen

any of the Glebe boys over this way lately, I

have lost the news of George Avon since I found

my way into the 61st Batt. How are all old friends

back in Sydney? Quite well I hope, do you still

have your usual game of 500 of a night now, I

have not had a game for some time now & when

I do play it is always bridge. I like it better

than 500. I suppose you will be seeing my name

in the paper as returned to duty on account of

going into the new Div. Will Dad & Mum this

is about all the news I can think of this

time now so I will have to close now & with

heaps of love & kisses to all XXXXXXXX

I am XXXXXX

Your loving Son. XXXX

WillXXXXXX

Remember me kindly to all.

Wareham

Dorset  22/4/17

 

My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,

Just a couple more lines to

let you know that I am still quite well & in the

best of health etc & I sincerely hope that you are

the same. I dont think it will be very long now

before the war will be over, good news comes

to hand everyday from the Western front, the

British & French are pushing them back a couple

of miles everyday & capturing lots of prisoners

guns & a lot of other booty also several villages

& I saw by to-days papers that the Russians

are just about to come with another big offensive

& the Italians are talking about making a move

too so things seem very bright indeed. Austria

seems to be in a very pitiful plight & it said

in to-days paper that the Austrian soldiers

are refusing to fight & the Turks are getting more

than they want over Mespopatamia way.

There is also a big strike going on in Germany

amongst the munition workers, so I think that

in about a months time we will all have a

pretty good idea when we will be back in good

old Sunny New South again. The Australians have

been well to the fore in the big push lately in

some of, if not all, the Divisions got pretty roughly

handled the 4th Div suffered most, as they have

called on all their men that are over here &

they left yesterday for Pesham Downs others from

there back to France. I put in to go back to

the 18th again & have got orders to hold myself

in readiness to go away at a moments notice

so I dont suppose it will be long before I am

into it again. I did not get any letters last

week, I can't make out why I have not got

a letter from Mark, he should be able to drop me

a few lines. We are having glorious weather over

here just now, just like the Sydney weather, it

is quite a treat too after all the rotten weather

we have had. I am going out this afternoon for

a stroll so I had better go & get cleaned now, so

will have to close now so with heaps of love &

kisses

XXX

XX I am XXXXX

XYour loving Son XX

XXXX     XX

Remember me

kindly to all old pals. XXX Will. XXXXX

61st Battalion

England. 

May 1917

 

My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,

I received three most

welcome letters from you this week for which

many thanks. It seems funny to read your letters

mentioning about things that have happened ages

ago, & I suppose it is the same with my letters

Mark has not written to me yet I cannot make 

things out, you said in one of your letters that you

had a letter from him, saying that he was O.K.

there is no need to worry about Mark now that

he is in the A.S.C. because they very seldom

go into the danger zone so he will be alright. I

am still hanging out over this side, but I don't

know how long I am going to stop as I am likely

to go to the front at any time. Things are beginning

to get serious here in England now with the U

boats, we have already been cut down with our

rations & we expect them to be cut down a lot

more yet, & the prices of things is very high.

The papers have been talking a lot lately about

big strikes in Germany & Austria but I think

it is all a lot of talk. But the boys are giving

Fritz all he wants out on the Somme, he is putting

all his reserves in now but still that does not

stop our boys from pushing ahead. To-day's papers

over here are all full of news about the Australian

Transport "Ballarat" being torpedoed, they talk a 

lot about the bravery of the boys as the ship was

sinking. I am up on Salisbury Plain just at present

going through a School of Instruction for bombing

& I expect to be here for a few weeks, anything

to stop this side of the water. We are having

beautiful weather over here now & I only wish that

we had a little bit of Aust. turf over here, I went

down to Bournemouth last Sunday for a dip, but

I did not enjoy it a bit. All the boys have been

voting this week for the Federal Elections

Billy Hughes is strong favourite with them, as

nearly every one voted for him, we will hear the

result about next Monday. Well Dad & Mum this

is about all the news now for this mail now

so will have to close so with heaps of love & kisses

XX I am X XXX

X Your loving Son XX

XXXX Will. XXXXX

XXXXXXXXX

Remember me kindly to

All.

                                           61st Battalion

                                           England.

My Dear Dad Mum Sister,

                      No doubt you will be surprised

to hear that I am in Hospital again, but nor wounded

this time, I caught a skin rash that they call "Scabies" 

& they put me in isolation, it is nothing serious, I will

have a couple of weeks rest with it, the bomb School

was just getting on good too. Things are much the same,

over this side, the weather is getting very warm. No

news from Mart yet, I cannot make things out, but

I know that at times it is very hard to write letters

& at times they stop letter writing altogether, but I am

looking forward to getting a letter very soon now. Things

are pretty dear over this side now, our bread rations

were cut down again this week & I am afraid that they

will go down again shortly, cigarettes went up too, we

are now paying 5^d for a packet of 10 So you see that

things are not too good, but the civilians are worse

off than we are in a good many things. The boys are

still hard at it on the western front but they are

making very little headway lately, things are still very

grave in Russia, & the general opinion in England is

that she will get a separate peace with Germany & if

she does it will be the end of the Allies, they will

have to get peace terms with Germany too, & that

would be very hard after fighting all this time & them

have to give in. It is nearly two years since we left

Aust now, it seems ages to me since we left, I am

forgetting to know what Sydney look like, & I am sure

I would not know half the people I used to know,

I saw by the papers where America has bought in an

invention to stop the U boats & the sooner they get it to

work the better, it would stop the blockade on England 

then. So Billy Hughes party got in by a good majority, I

saw the result of the poll in the paper over here. I believe

that the Aust. Battalions over in France are very much

understrenght now after their recent very heavy fighting

but that it not going to encourage me to go back again

They have been sending a good lot home too lately, Aust

must be full of returned men now, I see where one of 

the returned men got into Parliament. I have lost all

trace of the Glebe boys lately, I have not seen any of 

them for a long time. Suppose things are very much

the same out on the old Glebe, hope that all old friends

are alright, remember me kindly to all them. Did you

ever get any little snapshots that I sent you, I sent them

some time ago now, I am thinking about buying a camera

& taking some photos, they will be nice to take home with

me. Well Dad & Mum my little stock of news has just

about run out now So will have to close, sot with heaps

of love & kisses XXX I am XXXXXX

                                               XXXXXXXX

                            X Your loving Son XX

                          XXXX

                          XXXX  Will  XXXXX

                                                61^st Batt.

                                                    England

My Dear Dad Mum Sister,

                     Just a few more lines to

let you know that I am still alive & kicking & Still

swinging the lead over this side of the water. Had

a couple of letter lately from Mart, he expects to be

coming over on leave very shortly now, it is about

time they let him get away. Guess who I met a 

couple of days ago. P Bluey M^cNeill, he came up & spoke to

me, he looks real well on it, but like the rest of us

fed up of the war, he met Lyndsay Wood over here &

they had a couple of days together in London. Bluey had

a good job up in London working in the War Chest

Club but he lost the job, they are putting all home

Service men on those jobs now So they classified Bluey

& marked him fit for Active Service So I suppose he

will be going back very shortly now. We have had 

a cool change this week & I can tell you it was quite

welcome after the very hot weather we have been

having. Holman was at our camp yesterday & anyone

who wanted to see him could go up, I was going to

go up & ask him for my ticket but I thought that

I had better wait till its all over. The war is still

plugging along just the same as ever, but from all

                            (2)

accounts we will be seeing the end in sight some

where about the end of this year, the German peoples

are just waking up to the fact that they cannot win

just at present things are only just so-so in Austria, 

the papers reports say that it is pretty serious & if

Austria goes down She will pull Bulgaria & Turkey with

her, but one never knows whether these things are

true we must only wait for developments & hope that

it is time. Spose Glebe is in the same old spot with

all old friends still jogging along. Remember me kindly

to them all. You seem to be a long time getting Cassie

off, it is two years now, Surely it does not take her

that long to find some one who will have her, if

she cannot find one out there I will have to bring

home one of the English "Chums" with me, for her.

Well did Clarrie Brown & Annie fire matters up 

again, Annie is a fool if she did, I waiting until

I get your next letter to see how they got on. The 

incoming & outgoing mail to Aust. have been very

irregular lately, once we not knew when an Aust

mail was going out but we never know now, just

have to take our chance. America is a bit slow on

getting over here, we are all waiting to hear what the

Yank thinks of things, I dont think that our boys

are going to be too friendly with them. I believe one

                          (3)

"Yank" told one of our t boys that they were

across to do what we could not do in 2 1/2 years 

but I believe the "Yank" that said that found out

that the Anzacs will not stand any of their skite

Well Dad & Mum I think that this is about all

the news I can think of for this mail So will have

to close now So with tons of love & kisses

                        XXX I am XXXXXX

                            X           XXXX
                           XXX Your loving Son X

                          XXXXX Will XXXXX