Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1916 - Part 1

Abbey Wood

Kent  6/1/6

All at home

I have received the cake

and billy at last. The cake was

not even craked, but the billy was

broken and bent but all the things

were in good order and will come in

very handy.

I wrote and thanked Mrs. Ferguson

for making the cake.

I wrote to Lloyd March but he was

dead before it was received so Linda

answered it and told me all about

his enlistment and being sick most

of the time he was in Camp and

then it ended up in his death.

She said that it was the biggest funeral

that ever had been in Gilgandra.

I see by the two Warrack papers that

you sent that a lot of people have

died in and around Warrack. The 

papers took a long time to find me

for they were September papers & I

never got them till January.

I have not received the ones with

the account of the Warrack

Show in them.

It is getting too wet to go outside of

the huts now for it never seems to

leave of raining.

I wrote to Mrs Georgeson but have

not got an answer yet

I hear from A Gunn very regularly

now. They were all well when he

wrote last.

I have not heard from Les yet.

I have nothing else to write now

so I will say goodbye hoping

that we will all meet soon again

I am your loving son

& Brother

George

Miss E. Murray

"Elim"

219 Nicholson St

Footscray

Melbourne

Australia Victoria

Goodbye from your loving

brother George

Abbey Wood

Kent

12/1/16

Dear Bess

I received your ever welcome letter

this morning also another one from home and

a book of views from some one from Lilydale

Victoria They were mostly views of the country

and nature and were splendid.

The letter I got from you was addressed to

Egypt so it took a few times weeks to find

me but better late than never.

I had a letter from Linda March letting me 

the account of the Lloyd's death.

I had a couple of parcels from home for

Christmas and about fifty old letters, some

dated last April.

I am writing home by the same mail as this 

letter will go.

By the time you receive this note I most

likely will be on the water again so do not

know when I will hear from you again but

write to England [[?]] so goodby dear Bess

and may we all [[?]] to meet again.

Nurse D. McKay Murray

District Hospital

Warracknabeal 

Victoria

Australia

12/1/16

I am writing to Bess

straight away

George
Abbey Wood

Kent 12/1/16

All at home

I received a letter form you this morning and also

a book of fifteen views by a donator from Lilydale Victoria

It was mostly farm scenes but they were good. With it came

a letter from Bess she had addressed it to Egypt so it

took a while to find me. Since last writing I got another 

Warrack paper but have not yet got the one with the

account of the Warrack Show in it.

I am getting tired of England but they seem in no

hurry to send anyone back yet so we cannot be too

short of men or too hard pushed yet at any rate.

Lena asked me for A. Macintosh address but I cannot

give it to her for he has knocked off writing to me, so

I dont know where he is now.

I never hear a word from Les now though I write

every week to him but he must be alright or I would

have known.

I fought the landing over again in my sleep. The first

time I ever did it. I could see the big guns firing and the

shells hitting the ground and men falling all roads

It seems quite natural but when I woke I was covered

in a cold sweat.

A couple of days before writing this I posted to you a card

that was a issued to every Australian in England.

I will now close with fondest love from George

hoping you are all well and in the best of health

as I am at present - So goodbye to you all

I am your loving son & Brother

George

Abbey Wood

Kent

17/1/16

All at home,

I am still getting old letters from you

The latest one was dated Nov 22^nd.

I had a very short letter from Les. He wrote

it just after he landed back in Egypt.

He was on the water for Christmas, so he

would not have much of a dinner on

board. He did not say how he was only 

that he received my letter and another

from his late mates with telling him how

the poor chap died.

I wrote to Mrs. Georgeson first after I received

the address and have received word

back. It take a letter a long time to

go so far north. She said she never

hears now from Grandmother, or Aunt

Henrietta. She was wondering if they

were well.

This is a proper military camp now.  It

used to be a convalesent home where

no drill or fatigues were done, but now

we have to drill five hours a day, but

you do not feel it for it passes the

time away.

The sun nevers shines now but

not too cold for the water freezes

one day and thaws the next.

I cannot think of anything

more this time so Goodbye

from your loving son & Brother

George

Abbey Wood

Kent   19/1/16

Dear Bess

I do not know if I wrote to you last

week or not but I have little time to spare

now so will write & tell you something

There is a party going from this camp today 

for a tour and inspection of the Tower

of London. I have seen it but would

have liked to go through it again. All the

Crown jewels are left there & there is

a the shape of the most best & most costly

diamond in the world.

I have a good job now. I have  a dozen

men who have to rake up all the

oak leaves in the woods around the

camp. It seems a silly idea but when

the leaves are decayed they are worth

about 1 a lb. so there is some

good in raking them up.

Hughie Cameron told me he got a

letter from Lena and that he answered

it right away.

2

I got a letter from home on the 21^st first

and it was dated Last Good Friday

20^th April 1915 so it has taken a long while

to find me. With it I got two from Lena

two from home & one each from R. March &

Allen Mercer and one from little Eva Wyatt

of the Warrack Police Station

I heard from Les. He was then in

Egypt & quite well as I am at present.

I cannot think of anything more this

time so goodbye Bess,

I am your loving brother

George.