Letters from Wilbert Berg to his family, 1915-1918 - Part 8
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us up again & he had not been with us five minutes when he got
hit with shrapnel in the legs. How are things back in old Sydney
pretty dry I suppose. Mart was first class when I left him I had
a German rifle, two bayonets, & a German helmet for him but I dont
know whether he got them or not Well Dad I think I will
bring this letter to a close now as I cannot write at all, (my
head still has bursting shells inside of it) it is a very scrambling
letter but you might be able to understand it, so I will close
now hoping that you are all in the best of health etc
I am
Your loving Son
Will XXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
P.S. I might mention that the good old 2nd Div (besides taking two
lines of German trenches) took over 1,000 prisoners. Address my
letters the same as usual WSB
I will send you my diary home as soon as I come out of
Hospital it will give you all the news from where I left off
in the other uptil now.
Ward C3
War Hospital
Bradford
Yorkshire, Eng
20/8/16
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,
Just a few more lines to let you know
that I am getting along first class over here & I hope to be out
of Hospital in another couple of weeks. The wound on the outside
of my leg is beginning to heal already but the one on the inside
is still bleeding but still it is looking lovely. I have written
Mart a couple of letters but so far I have not heard from him
I sent him a card yesterday for his birthday. Did you get the
Cable that I sent you, why I asked you to send the money is
because when we are better they send all Australians to London
to the Convalascent Camp so if a fellow wants to have a look
around he wants a few pounds in his pocket. I think that I
deserve a bit of a good time because I have not had one since
I left Sydney. The English people around this part are real nice
they come to see us every Wednesday & Saturday (visiting days) & they
always bring along a lot of nice things with them, then again the
people of Bradford supply tea for everyone in Hospital three
times a week (Mon Wed & Friday) & I can tell you that we have a real
good feed on those days. Another Hospital train came in this morning
but I dont think that there were any Australians amongst them I
heard to-day that they were going to send all the Aust. away from
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from here to an Australian Hospital I would not like to leave here
now that I have settled down & just getting used to things. They
will soon have to recall the Aust. Army or else there will be none of it
left, our casualties in France have been very heavy & you know that
we are only a handful compared with the others. I see by the
papers that the Turks tried after all to reach the Suez Canal but
they did not succeed I heard that we were going back to Egypt
again, the winter will soon be coming on again in France & the
Australians would never stand a winter over there so I would not
be at all surprised if we landed back again in that rotten
place. How are all old friends back in Sydney? quite well I hope
I wrote nearly everyone a few lines last Sunday & I am writing
to them again to-day it passes the time away over here writing
letters. I sent into the Aust. Red Cross to send me out some
Aust. papers but so far they have not come to hand. Well I
think that this is all the news that I have for you this week
so I will have to close now so with heaps of love & kisses
XXXX I am XXX
Your loving son XXX
XXX
XXXXWill XXXX
Remember me to all.
[* in his
letter whether
the got the german
rifle bayonets helmet,
etc that I left for him
I dont think that he could
have got them or else he
would have said something
about them. Going to be a
big smash up in Salonika
soon what do you say eh?
I am run out of news
again so I will have to
close again now so with X
heaps of love & kisses XX
XX I am XXX
XX Your loving son XXX
XX Will
XXX
XXXX
XXX*]
How is
Kassies Ginger
headed soldier*]
Ward C3
War hospital
Bradford
Yorkshire 27/8/16
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,
Just another couple of lines to
let you know that I am getting along first class, I am
getting up to-day for good I have been up a couple of
times during the week. I had a letter from Mart last
Friday & I was pleased to get it, he said that he was quite
well etc There has been a lot of changes in the Batt.
Since I left, they only went out for a few days rest & now
they are back in the trenches again. It has been raining
here for the most part of the week. So far I have not had
an answer to the cable I sent you but I suppose it will
come along soon now, they will not pay us while in Hospital
& the few bob I had on me when I arrived here is nearly
gone now. We had a terrible explosion here during the week
a munition works about 3 miles from here caught
fire & blew up we felt the concussion here quite plain, a
lot of people at first thought that the Zeppo had come.
I had another letter during the week from one of the Bombers
he was wounded before me & he thought that I was O.K.
he was in Hospital at Cardiff but he left on the 12th Aug.
for fourteen days furlough to London. Mart did not say
Ward C3
War Hospital
Bradford
Yorkshire 2/9/16
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,
I suppose you will be pleased to hear that
I have been been out this week. I got up last Monday & went
down town on the crutches but they made my arms that tired
that I have not been out since & I am not going out again until
I can walk without them. It does not seem to be healing up at
all although the wound is looking lovely I had two letters from
Mart during the week also five from Aust. including your letter
of June last so I had quite a lot of letters during the week. I
have not had any answer to my cable that I sent you on the 19th
August last I have written into our Hdqrs asking them to make
enquiries for me & if they have not received an answer yet to
send you a cat another cable asking whether you received my
first cable & to send the money straightaway I am badly in
need of the money because while in Hospital you are not allowed
to draw any pay & the few shillings that I had when I arrived
here are just about run out & if the £10 that I cabled to you for
does not soon come along I will not be able to write to you
until I get some money, we have to stamp all our letters &
how am I to do any writing etc when I have no money to
buy stamps & then just imagine going down town without any
(2)
money in your pocket. It is the first time I have been this way
since I left Aust. & I dont mind telling you that it is not
very nice. I cannot make out what is causing the delay. I
know that as soon as you got my cable asking for the money
you would send it immediately because you have said in
your letters that if I wanted any money to send you a cable
Martie has also asked me to send a cable home for him
for £10 so if he ever gets across here he will have a few
shillings to have a look around. What I saw of Bradford
it is a very nice place I think it is a lot bigger than
Sydney, the trains are funny over here, there are a lot of
double deckers all & all the conductors are women. We
had a nice concert here during the week a lot of actors
& actresses from the Bradford Theatre came up to entertain
us for a few hours. A lot of the boys went for a motor
ride during the week but I did not go. Martie said
that he had the Hun rifle etc that I left for him but he
thought it would be a hard job trying to hang on to them.
I hope that Mr Boyd has quite got over his operations
by now. News has just about run out again for
this mail so I will have to close now so with heaps
of love & kisses XXXXXX
XXX I am XXX
XX Your loving son X
XX Will XX X
XXXXXXX
Remember me to all.
Y.M.C.A
No. 1. Aust. Aux. Hospital
Harefield Park, Harefield 25/9/16
Middlesex
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,
I suppose you will be glad to know that I
am out of Hospital now & am here for a few days convalescence, I
left Bradford on Saturday morning in the 9.45 A.M. train & arrived
here at 5 P.M. the same day. We had a lovely trip down right through
England, this is a very nice place but terrible lonely, we are about
fifteen miles from London, but are only allowed one pass a week
into there. You will also be glad the hear that I got the
money you sent me alright. I got it on Saturday morning just
as I was leaving Bradford but I have not spent any of it
yet I am keeping it for my furlough so that I will be able
to have a good look around, as soon as I saw this place I
did not like it, so when the Doctor came around I asked him
for furlough & told him that I was alright & I think that I
will be going on furlough to-morrow, we get fourteen full days
furlough that is not too bad is it, you are quite free during
that time & you can get a railway pass to where ever you like
to go, I am going up to Bradford again for a few days.
(2)
There are about 1,000 of our boys here & there are quite a
number going back to Aust. but I am not one of the
lucky devils, a good lot of our boys have lost an arm or
a leg, it must be a pitiful sight to see them getting about
in Sydney. There are only about half a dozen boys here
from the 18th Batt. & I only know a couple of them. There
was another Zepp raid on London on Saturday night
& the guns succeeded in bringing two of them down, one
came down quite safe & all the crew (21) were taken
prisoners but the others met their proper fate, the Zepp
took fire & fell to the ground a mass of flame but
nearly all of the crew jumped out of her before she hit
the ground & the people found their bodies in a terrible
state embedded a couple of feet in the ground. As I
have some more letters to write I will have to close
now so with heaps of love & kisses XXXXXX
From XXXXX
Your Loving son XXX
XX Will XXXXXX
Still address my letters to the Batt. Mart is
sending them on to me O.K.
Remember me to all.
(2)
that disgusted with them that I came
back again & went to bed & left next
day for Salisbury. I stopped at the
Union Jack Club while I was there
I received that little medal in a
letter that you sent me & I am going
to wear it around ^my neck with the rest of them
About five or six hundred of us went
to Church here this morning and
it was lovely, we had to go about
two miles to the Church at Tidworth
but we had a band of bagpipes &
drums with us. There was an Archbishop
Clune there from West. Aust. (Perth)
he is a lovely speaker but he was
limited for time so he did not speak
for long but all the same he had
a good few of the boys shedding tears
I hope he is here again next Sunday
I have not been to Con & Com for a good
while now as I have not had the
opportunities but now that I have
every opportunity I am going to avail
myself of them. Jack O'Sullivan was
there with me. Since Jack has been
Perham Downs
Salisbury Plains
Sunday 10/10/16
My Dear Dad Mum & Sister,
Well I have finished
my furlough now & am back in camp
again getting ready for the front again
I arrived back here last Friday & went
before the Doctor & he marked me B/A
class, so I have to go before him every
week until he thinks that I am fit
for the front. The camp is very similar
to Liverpool only that we are a lot
better off than Liverpool in some cases
I spent my last night in London & was
glad to get away next day. I left Bradford
in the 1 o'clock express for London
last Thursday & got into London at
7-30 P.M. & by the time I got a room &
one thing & another it was too late
to go to any of the plays so I thought
I would go for a walk, but I did
not stop out long as you could not
walk along the street without every
girl you passed speaking to me & I got
(3)
here Jim has come up to see him,
Jim is in another camp about nine
miles away from here. I have not
seen Jim yet. I have met quite a
number of the 18th Batt. boys here
since I came back again & it was
so nice to have a yarn to them again
The money that you sent me lasted
me lovely for my furlough, & when
I was coming back here I called
into Aust. Hdqrs at Horseferry Rd
London & found out that I had over
£40 back pay due to me. I am
drawing Corporals pay from the
9th Feb. last so that is eight months
pay at 3/6 a day due to me, so it is
just over £40 not too bad eh?
I won't have to trouble you again
for money or Martie either. I am
drawing 10/6 a day now, as a Corporal
We have to get up early up here
revellie is at 6 A.M. & on parade at
6.30 & I tell you that it is pretty
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stiff get up so early these cold
mornings. It is a lot different
sleeping on the hard boards again
after being so long in a nice
feather bed. I hope that all out on
the Glebe & other old friends are
quite O.K. remember me kindly to
them all. Address my letters the
same as usual (to the Batt) Mart
is looking after them for me over
there & sends them on to me wherever
I am. Well Dad & Mum I think
that news for this mail has
just about run out now so I will
have to close I will write again next
Sunday. With heaps of love & kisses
XX I am XXX
Your loving Son, X
XXX Will XXXXX
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