Letters from Wilbert Berg to his family, 1915-1918 - Part 16

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are no rivers surf etc around here so that
we could have a swim. It hurts to get the
old pack up again after having it off for
twelve months, we went for a route march the
other day with the full pack up & my leg was
very groggy on it, but it is quite OK. again now
but I am very doubtful about it when we
get on to the cobble stones in France on an
18 mile march I am afraid I will breakdown
but "a faint heart never won a fat turkey" (is'nt
that what Mum says about the bookies).
If Mart has not had his  furlough by the time

I get back I will be able to give him some
advice where to go, I am going to get him to
go th to Ireland because you can get to Dublin
from London in about 12 hours & he could
have a few days in Scotland also Wales
on his way back, I know the run of the
ropes now after being away so long and if
ever I get over here again I will have a
far better time that I did before. We had
a real good boxing  tournament here in camp

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last night & there were some very good
contests, it passed away a few hours nicely
Young Frankie Neil from the Glebe is
having a big fight in London to-morrow
he is up against one of England's best
hope he wins for good old Glebe's sake,
Have not seen any of the other Glebe boys
lately, Joe Tait has got a job in the Aust
Flying Corps, lucky devil. I could have
got another staff job here yesterday, but
being so close to going away & after being
away so long I would not take it on. They
are always  blowing the "Australians" up
about one thing & another in the papers over
here & I am enclosing a cutting out of one
of the daily papers over here. There has not 
been any air raids lately, Lloyd George & Gen
Smuts have made a lot of improvements
since the big raid & I am afraid Fritz is
a little bit cocky now. I will be quite

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a Dinkum Tommy by the time I get home

in fact I use quite a lot of their sayings

now, it is funny how the different counties

have different languages over here, some of

them I cannot understand even now when

they are speaking to me. Oh well “Narpoo”

English news, let’s get on to Aust. Hope

all old friends are O.K. also yourselves. I

see by the papers that another referendum

is likely to come off again, mind if it does

don't do like you did last time & vote for

conscription, it might be alright for you to

vote for it when you do not know both sides

of the question, just think of the soldiers vote

(the men who have been fighting etc I mean)

last time nearly 90% voted against them conscript

so when the soldiers do not want to other boys

to come over to help them "nuff said". Run out of

more news now so will have to close now so

with fondest love & kisses Cheerio XXX

XXX

X Your loving son

XXX Will XXX

XXXXXX

France

4/8/17

My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,

I am back once again

in France. I have been here nearly two weeks

now at the Base going through a course of

training but we are finished now & will be

going up to the trenches any day now. The first

day I landed here someone came up & hit me

on the back & when I looked around it was

Herb. Really, my word he looks well, said that

he has had a good time since he left home

especially in England, but I think that he

would rather be back in Sydney again, he left

for the trenches about a week ago & he was

going to keep a look out for Mart & tell him I

would be coming up soon, I got another big

surprise a couple days ago, I heard someone

sing out "Hullo Billy" & when I looked around

it was old Doctor, it seemed like old times

again, he is just the same as ever, we are both

in the same tent & studying alongside of each

other & we have had some good old yarns about

the good times we used to have when we were

(2)
all together at Liverpool, he asked kindly after

you all & asked to apologise to you for him

not writing to you but he said that as soon

as he gets a few minutes to spare he will drop 

you a few lines. The big push has started over

here again but the bad weather has put things

back a lot, but as soon as the fine weather

comes along you can look forward to hearing

lots of good news. The Russians seem to have

gone to pieces altogether & now they have retreated

into their own country & are still going back I

don't know how things will end up with them.

I got a few letters the other day but none from

you I got one addressed to Mart from the Bank

saying that his money had arrived so I am 

keeping it to give to him when I go up. I think

that he has been waiting on it to go on leave.

One of the letters was from Mart & he is still O.K.

but seems a bit lonely now that Bluey Lee has

left him, but I will cheer him up when I see

him. No more news for this mail so will have

to close now so with tons of love & kisses XXX

XXX From XXX

XXX
X Your loving Son X
XXX Will XXXX

XXX

[*Remember me kindly to
all old friends*]

 France
24/8/17
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister
Just a few more lines to
let you know that I am still going strong. We 
are still out of the trenches & do not know when
we are likely to be going in. Have not been down
to see Mart for a few evenings, as I have been
pretty busy, but I am going to try to get down to
see him to-morrow afternoon. Had a few letters
from you by the last mail, but they were pretty
old ones. We have had lovely weather over here
lately, & the boys have been making full use
of it in the line, they have been pushing Fritz
back on the Ypres front & also down around
Leus, I also saw by the paper a couple of days
where the Italians are at it again & doing good
work. I was very sorry indeed to hear the
sad news about George Bowen, he was a
real nice fellow too, him & I used to be
to-gether a lot on the Peninsula, & when he
left there I did not think that there was
very much wrong with him, his poor mother
must feel it very much now being all alone

(2)
My word Harry Wallace has had a lot of trips
to Hospital since the came away. I must be
over twelve months now since I saw him last. I
am pretty close to Mart again we shifted from
the last villiage we were in back near the
place we were before. We are getting another Band
in the Batt, they already have several instruments
but they are not all here yet, they should be
pretty good when they get going but I don't think
that they will be anything like the old band.
How is the big stike affecting you? it is
a pretty big & serious one judging by what has
appeared in the papers over there about it, we
will have to wait till we get the Sydney papers
to read all about it. I heard the other day
that Dave Webster was on his way home,
don't forget to look him up when you get a
chance, he got pretty badly wounded too, I had
only just left him when he got it, has Ern
Coulon or Ned been out to see you yet, so Ern
said he is coming back, but take it from
me he won't do that as I know Ern has
seen enough & he is not going to come back
for more. Old Doc Brown has not joined us
up yet, I believe they gave him leave to England

from the base, I know that he was trying
to get leave to go over, you know a lot of his
people live in England. It will be rotten
if they ceul cut out the mail service, because
it is the only thing we look forward to is
getting our mail from home, but surely they
will find some way of getting our letters over
let us hope so anyway. This time two years
ago we were getting our first experience
of what war was like, do if they still hold

the memorial ^service in Sydney for the 18^th. Have
not seen any of the Glebe boys about here
lately, I think that Jack O'Sullivan is still
in England. Well Dad & Mum news has
just about run out now for this mail
so will have to close so with fondest love
& kisses From
Your loving Son XX
Will XXXXXX

France
3/9/17
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,
Just a few more
lines to let you know that I am still
jogging along quite O.K. over this part of
the Globe & I sincerely trust that you are
all first rate. I went done to see Mart
yesterday he is A1, we went to Church just
near his camp so instead of coming home
& going down again in the afternoon, I
went straight from Church & had dinner &
tea with him, he is still a blessed, hard
case, I gave him 20 Francs for his birthday
we were going to go out for tea, & have a good
tuck in but he was on Picquet last night
so we could not go. I got a letter during the
week from the Com. Bank saying they had
£10 there for me, but I knew it was Mart's
as he told me that he had sent home for
the money. I have not had any letters so far
from you this mail, Mart got his, I suppose
mine will come along later on. Saw Herb 

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Kelly out on a route march during the

week but was not talking to him, just
had a few words as he was passing.
He goes around to see Mart nearly every
evening as he is real close to him. Things
very much the same over this side, although
we have been getting a fair share of rain
& I believe where the big fighting is going on
the wind is worse than what it was on
the "Somme", I don't think it will be many
more days before we will be at the huns
again. Had a big review during the week

by Sir Doug Haig, he inspected the 2^nd Div
& was very pleased with the turnout. It
is a pity poor Auntie Maggie has to break
her home up now that she has just got
it together, but in the long run I think they
will be better off in the Country. Poor Mrs
Harry seems to be having a very bad
time of it, but I hope that she is quite
her old self again by this, next time you
see any of them remember me kindly to all
I was surprised when I read Mart's letter