Letters from John Wesley Hetherington to his Family, 1916-1918 - Part 10

All round its him.
And Bapaume. I’ve seen a few houses knocked
about by these beasts called Germans but never
anything so bad as Bapaume. I wish Tudor and
other milk and water anti-conscriptionists could
be deported to this country for awhile, we’d show them
what sort of a “Cobber” they have in Fritz.
I went into all sorts of holes & corners in the old town
and never struck a house that hadn't been partially
or wholly demolished by these devils in human form.
The beautiful old church is a terrible sight. I heard
they had a church parade there in the morning and
demolished it in the evening. They made a good
you of a devilish piece of work the two large stone
columns inside had fallen the full length of the
church smashing everything beneath them, including
the organ. and a hole in the floor laid open a
large crypt with dozens of a skulls in it. The great
carved stone altar had had the heads knocked off
the small images thereon and in the vestry behind all
the wax and plaster saints had their heads knocked
off. It was just as if someone had withdrawn the
foundations on which the walls stood and let
the whole lot collapse. I got one or two souvenirs
part of one of the organ pipes and keyboard of th for
Mr Wilson, which I hope to send him along with
some other small things for you. Not much value

 

except from a historical point of view.
I think Francis Wilson will appreciate the piece of organ
coming from such a source.
The country round Bapaume is just fine rather
like Hexham district at Home, and is a strange and
pleasing contrast to the ground from Albert up to Warlencourt.
This ground shows ^how hardly it was fought for and on the
top of the Butte (or Mound) of Warlencourt there is a big
cross to the men of the Durham Light Infantry.
Close to this place Fritz blew the road up to stop the British
pursuit, It didn't stop them much as they got over the difficulty
by leaving the hole like an island and making a temporary
road on both sides of it thus [diagram-see original] while they went on
filling in the hole with the odds and ends found about
his Camps. I was camped for a week on the
road to Fremicourt & Cambrai I put down our small
shop plant in a Marquee and laid it out on timber taken
from Fritzys deep dugouts. Beautiful 3” planking tenoned
and morticed together. I never imagined when l used to
struggle with Engines in my younger days that I would
one day erect machinery on the timber provided by the German
war machine. It is back in the Old town of Albert
again now, A commandeered French oil engine, shafting
pulleys etc, from the scrap heaps of Albert, mounted on
a German platform. We used to be very short of
firewood in Albert, there's firewood for all & sundry at
Bapaume. Still it is a bit of a heartshock to see
the dear little homes all wrecked, and I can quite
 

understand, the bitterness of the French people (and they
are bitter) to the Germans. A Britisher soon forgets that Fritz
is his enemy but a Frenchman, never does.
I saw them bring a lot of Fritzys in last week and
watched the process of making them turn out their pockets
etc, they seem quite content to be prisoners, but they
don't look ill fed nor ill clothed when they come in.
They had them clearing up some of the places in Bapaume
and quite right too. They ought to put them anywhere
that shows signs of being mined.
That reminds one of a joke some of the boys worked at
Bapaume when they wished to secure a good cellar as
a dugout. Boards were put up by the Authorities at
different places when they were suspected of being
mined DANGEROUS. KEEP OUT, MINED. 
Well, when the boys spotted a decent looking cellar they
“booked it” By putting up one of these boards at the
entrance, and those not in the know gave it a good
wide berth. The 2^nd Battn did great work in the
taking of Hermies (hope you’ve got a MAP) and they hit
Fritz to leg pretty badly. We lost some good men too, one
very decent chap just lately promoted Lieut from Sergeant
Malcolm Patterson, a general favourite.
I saw Bill Shipper the other night he looks big & hearty and
has got his first stripe, just missed his second by a chap
returning to the Battn. I didn't get anything further
in the way of promotion yet. I am still Staff Sergt and
taking little hurt at that. Still at the Army Corp
 

Workshops but am asking to be returned to the 2^nd
again as the workshops are seen by the chap I came
away with as Armed Sergt and what he knows about
running a workshop isn't worth bothering about.
He does it in Australian rag time. Our He increased
the work hours last week because some were late. We are
supposed to be fighting for freedom and as a help up
on the way he expects us now to work from 8 am
to 6 pm. and he’s a DINKUM Australian. If it had
been a “Tommie" or Pommie Officer who had ordered that
there would have been some nasty remarks passed by
other DINKUMS. I haven’t followed the new hours yet
as I took a few day off SICK suffering from “Disinclination
to work long hours”, and have asked the Battn to call me
back as quick as they like. He’s a little man suffering
from a big head, that’s all, and he thinks I’m screwed
and bolted to his job. Anyway I’m taking not the slightest
hurt, and suffer from nothing worse than a bad cold.
When is the war going to be over? Well I haven't seen the
Sydney “Sun" for quite a while now, never had a paper
nor a letter for weeks but I guess it will finish this
year and I don't hope so, not ‘arf.
I got the picnic photo ok, and while I was shivering and
sneezing I tried to imaging what a girl in a white summer dress
looked like, and men in thin white shirts. Ghee! Whiz!
and here’s our boys suffering from trench feet in April.
and we had hail & snow last week.
 

People are returning to Albert fast now and the
civilians are busy planting their small gardens.
Some of last years battlefield is under cultivation
but it will be long before the scenes of the harder
battles are restored to their normal conditions. And
I don't envy a ploughman his job if a few stray
bombs & shells happen to be in the way of his furrow.
The country won back doesn't look much on the
snap perhaps but it is a great piece of ground to
look back on from Bapaume & if the British
succeed in driving him past Cambrai, Donai, etc,
then I think Fritz is “gone a Million".
I’m sorry I haven’t yet fulfilled my promise to write
Mr Wilson & others, it arises from the feeling of “Fed up”
with war & all belonging to it.
Could do with a pair of socks now & again, that’s all
I want as I am fairly well provided for in other
things. I hope you are all well and that the
money comes to hand all right with the increased
allotment. Hope Fred has plenty of work and everyone else
I don't like too much of it myself, but I can't sack my present
boss like I could in civil life. Johnny Government keeps a tight hold.
I am hoping Hughes will win this time, Good luck to him.
With love to Mother & everyone. Yours Wes/.
Hope you got the brass ornaments
 

[*54*]
France
18th May/17
Dear Folks at Home,
Mail is closing today so I must by to
give you a few lived as to how the world wags in this
topsy turvey land. I received letters from Mr Strongman
Wal and Elsie last week, don't know how long they have been
waiting for me as I am still down in Albert. I expect to
rejoin the Battn this week and will the get my mails
more regularly. I hear there is a parcel for me somewhere
too but it has been sent from the Battn to the job I’ve
just left at the Anzac Armourers Workshops. I got “fed up”,
there, too much Australian Army ragtime.
Our boys have been right to the thick of the fighting this last
week I can assure you and have done good work.
Bill Shippin is full Corporal now and has been wounded
in the Arm (A Blighty one) in this last weeks stunt on
the Hindenburg line. If he isn't too long away he’ll be
a Sergt in double quick time. I believe they “had the
wind up” Fritzy this try and he tried them hard,
14 counter attacks in all they had to withstand.
The old 1^st Brigade did fine work and & I feel a bit fond
of them. Still I hope the people out there wont think
that the Australians are the only ones in the picture.
The Scotties, Northumberlands & other home regiments are also
fighting and dying on the same line.
The fighting is desperate now, and neither side give
much quarter. Fritz is showing some very bad
 

points his latest trick is to shoot our stretcher bearers
even when they work under a flag of truce.
We have lost some good boys and some good officers this
time again, and they will have to give the Divns a good rest
I think. We got a fine lot of reinforcts in the other day.
Fine big chaps many of these were.
I wrote to Jim Hannahs people this week telling them of
my endeavours to find his grave. I have had a long
search round Pozieres but without success as yet.
I shall try to see the 13^th Battn Signalling Regt again for
more definite information.
I was sorry to hear of Win being unwell, hope she is much
better ere now. I have had one or two of Wals papers shall
get them regularly when I am with the Battn.
Mail has been anyhow this last few weeks too busy getting
pills in for Fritz to bother with our letters.
It is beautiful county round Bapaume, and the last
fortnight we have had glorious weather.
The Airmen are just “tre bon". Aeroplanes everywhere
Very, very much delighted to see the Nationalists returned
for the Commonwealth. Glad Australia has risen to the occasion.
Have your all plenty of work, You didn’t say as to whether
Fred had got a job at the U.S.S.C or not!
Hope Meg, will be O.K. Allan & the others also.
With love to Mother, sorry the mosquitos disturbed her
holiday. We have some in France, not many.
Everything is fine & blooming. Remembrance to you all
Wes/.
 

[*55*]
France.
Back in billets.
11/6/17.
Dear Folks at Home
Here we are again, still wearing out boots and
clobber and a good job too say you.
Well I haven’t much fresh to write about
I’m now R.G.M.S. of the Battn and a W.O.
class 2, and quite satisfied with the job so far.
It isn't too bad in summer time and we're having
great weather at present, and perhaps before
the winter we shall hear of those relief men
for the original contingent coming to France.
Of course we’re not anxious to be relieved “not
arf”. I wish my relief was "taking over" tomorrow,
and I’ve had a “bon” time compared to some.
Still I wouldn't mind doing a bit of soldiering
around Liverpool Camp where they use
little drums for machine guns, etc, and where a
bloke could get home to his tea. SOME soldiers.
These must be a lot of deadheads and
would be heros and heros who were “never there”
hanging on to “cushy” jobs in the camps. These
all here and in Hospitality Rd London, though
they have cleared a lot out lately.
 

And it must cost the Austn Govt a big lump
of money to pay men who have been promoted
away from their units “Bacsheesh” men xxxx we
call them. I know of a case of a man who
did a month or so on the Peninsula left us at
Tel-el-Kebir for hospital as an officers batman
rejoined about 9 months later with a W.O's rank
up, was ordered to take his crown down and
put in a fatigue party. Stayed about a week
and went sick again, and is again acting as
a W.O in Blighty. The names of these men are
glorified in the Sydney Mail, etc, and photos
of them are published. It is a pity but that
every mans service history sheet could not be
published with the photos. I saw a photo in
the mail once of the NCO’s & some officers
of a “fighting battalion” somewhere in France.
That photo was taken at a Base camp in Blighty
and nearly every man in it had been away from
his unit “swinging the lead” for months and
months. It is true what I say as we have
some of the men back here now. The big
trouble is that they arrive back with
 

crowns & stripes galore up and often hold
up the promotion of men who have remained
faithfully with their battalions.
There will be some truth telling when some of the
real fighting men get back home, and some
hero worshippers will get a shock.
The boys have had one of the best rests they’ve
ever had in France this last month, good tucker
plenty of sports and competitions, boxing tug of
war, etc, and they’re looking fit and well.
It is the prelude to another “push” I fancy and
I could make a shrewd guess where the next
push will come. However mums the word and
before you get this you may know too. We
had all been expecting the Ypres saack
smack. They don't lay out miles of lines of
railways for nothing in this unhappy country.
Well I hope I come through all right I should
like to be in at the final round, but I don't
see any prospect of it happening this year
now, seeing how critical things are in Russia.
They are now granting leave to Paris, for
men of good conduct, and I hope to