Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1915 - Part 10

so you can tell what force a bomb has.

There was another zepp. raid last night

about 12 oclock & we could hear the

guns firing. There was not much about

it in the paper this morning.

It is getting

very cold here now, but what it must

be like in winter. We are all complaining
about the cold now.

My mate has

been passed as unfit for furt further

active service and is to be sent home.

He is jolly lucky. He had an explosive

bullet through the arm, and will never

be able to move it properly again

The Queensland Patriotic Fund have

given us a lovely lot of seats.

If I get any more furlough I will

go and try to find some of our

people but I think it will be trying 

in vain

I have to get a new plate of

teeth so I will be in the hospital

longer than I thought.  The ones

 

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that I had got so loose that they would

not stop in, so I went & tried to get

some more. 

This is a lovely place to be

in and where ever you go some

one is always asking how you are

and giving you tea or fruit.  I have

more fruit since I left Australia

than I have had in all my life.

We hear scarcely anything about the

fighting now and I xxxx hardly

ever see a casualty list.

I have not much to say so I will close

hoping you are all in the best

of health as I am

I am your loving son,

George

 

 

Epsom

Surrey  11/9/15

All at home

I wrote a letter for

last mail but when I got

to the Post Office the Aust.

mail had closed. I sent a

few Post Cards by the

last mail and you ought

to get them before this

letter. I sent a couple of

photos of my mates One

has been killed & the

other wounded.

I have not

got any mail for over three

weeks and Frank Miller

of Horsham who is in

the next bed to me told 

me there were a lot of my

letters on the peninsula

and he also told me that

I was reported killed & was

buried on the beach so I

do not know how things

will be when I return.

I have been over five months

in England now and three

months in this Camp &

have not got the use of

my foot properly yet.  The

bullet wound is just about

the size of a lead pencil

but it is very sore to

touch. I am about deaf in

the Right ear & my left

eye is giving me trouble

again.

Alex Gunn writes to me

fairly often and said he

would like me to go to

see him if I get a chance.

It is a long way north

and will be bitterly

cold now for it has

been snowing for over

a week. There has been

none here yet but have

had some lovely fogs and

they last all day. You can

smell them.

 

3.

I am putting a few cutting of the

out of papers. They are a few of the

chaps out of our Battalion you

will know a couple of them.

C. Thewlis   R. Thornton

It is rumoured that the Aust.

have been relieved for the winter

and some are going on the Suez

Canal and the rest to India

so that will not be too bad if

its true.

There are some terrible cases

coming in since that big advance

in October. One chap in a hospital

near here has his two eyes out

two arms off & one leg and he is

happy as can be.
They are getting

stricter every week with us we

have to answer our name at

six thirty every night and there

is always a crowd of us away.

When they are up next morning the

Captain lectures to them & tells

them not to do it again.

I never hear from Les now and

 

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do not know how or where he is.

I have nothing else to write praying

that you are in the very best of

health as I am now.  I am getting

tired of this country now & when

ever I lay down my thoughts

do not take long to wander home

but it will be a long time before

I have the chance of ever getting

home.

I will now close

From you loving son & brother

George

Epsom

Surrey  21/9/15

All at home,

I have received no letters

for a while now but I got the

one with Alex Gunn's letter in

it and I wrote to him straight

away but have had no answer

as yet.

I had a Post Card from

Les his mates sister saying that

he was lying badly wounded in

the hospital at Devanport &

next morning I got word that

he had died and was taken

home to be buried. I see by

the paper that he was given

a full military funeral, what

many thousands of other poor

chaps will never have.

I am the only  Warrack Chap

here now, for the others have

gone out on furlough or gone

to the base.

I had a few days

leave so I took a run up to

Manchester. The hospital that

I was at is quite different now

They have the windows screwed

down and police around the

fence so that no one may

talk to the soldiers after hours.

When I was in Manchester

I went through the picture

gallery and there are some

lovely ones. A terrible lot were

put in the galley by the

Belgains at the beginning

of the War. The one that

took my fancy most was

"the last watch of hero." It

was only a small picture

but it had beautiful expression

and was finished splendidly.

There is a recruiting campaign 

in Manchester to raise 10,000

men.  They do not seem to get

many in a day. A Canadian

private got up to give his speech

and more came for him, than

half a dozen & others. He spoke

straight to the point, and

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finished up by saying that if the

men who were fit to serve did

not do so, that that they were

cowards & if that were not forcible

enough he would make it plainer

and he did.

I have none of my old

mates left with me now but it

will be a while before I have

as I have a new plate to be

made. The old one got too small

I have a beast of a cold & do

not feel too lively today.

It is

getting very wintery now. Most of

the trees have lost their

leaves & snow has fallen

in the North of England.

By the time you get this note

I will have been in the 

Army over twelve months

but it does not seem half

the time but shifting from

one place to another makes

the time seem shorter.

I wish this strife would end

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and I could get out of this Khaki

for I my jolly well sick of it.

I have not heard from Les.

so do not know how he is

I will now close hoping you are

all well as I am.

I am

Your loving brother

George.