Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1916 - Part 6

Corporal George Murray writes his parents

Marseilles 

France 14/6/116

Ms W H Bealfrom France on June 14as 

follows:

All at home

This is the first opportunity I have had of writing

for a long time. The mails were stopped before ^we left Egypt 

and it took us eight days to cross to France for we were 

in a very  slow boat and it was very much overcrowded 

and we had to wear our lifebelts all day and sleep by 

them at night. We had a fairly close shave for 

it one day for there was A submarine ^was sighted & it

followed us for six hours. Another time we had  

the alarm was sounded & all had to fall in on 

deck in quietness but there was a terrible 

scramble but it was only for practice

We arrived here in France early on the 14th and were

no trains were available so we have to stay

on board another night, but many have

gone over the sides of the boat.

     AS far as can be seen from where we

are now, this city look very nice, but

tomorrow we will know for we have

to march from the wharf to the train 

a matter of half an hour so we will

see some part of this old town, & after we

entrain, as far as is known now, we have

close on two days' travelling by train to

the seat where we are to take up operations

The first definite news of the big Naval Batte

in the North Sea & the great Russian

advance we heard today, also the severe

loss in which the nation lost by the

death of Lord Kitchener.

      I am quite well & so was Jim when I

saw him just before I left September

in Egypt. I suppose he has sailed by

now for they were under orders to shift

I am sending a photo of the ship I came

across in.

     I do not know when this will reach you

for I am giving it to a sailor to post for

me, for all letters have to be censored, so this 

may be the last letter for a while for now

we will have the field Service Cards.

There is a vast difference between the

climate of Egypt & France for her you require

your tunic of flannel which we never thought

of any while in Egypt.

     I cannot think of any more to say this

time so I will close from you loving son

                        & Brother

                                George.

                                 France

                                        16/6/16

All at home

            I have had only one letter from you since

I arrived here. It was from Bess & dated about 

the middle of February. Well, none of the old

chaps can get many letters, only the late 

reinforcements.

           Jim is in the same camp as I am. He was

camped only a few lines away from me, 

but I never knew till I met Vic Hopkins &

he told me where he was. I went to find him

the following day but he with all the others

in his tent were put into isolation that 

morning on account of their having mumps

amongst them.

     I am not in the firing line yet but not

too far away for we can hear the guns

booming all day long and on a clear day

you can see the lighthouses on the English

coast near Folkstone. W I am not supposed

to say where I am, but it is very much

importance as it is one of the principal

hospitals in France & is on the road to Boulogne

It has been raining all day long but it never

seems to cease. Being on the coast & the [[?]]

gun fire has a lot to do with it.

     I cannot get a trace of les in fact, I do not

know where to write to him now, for I have

written to all the places that I can think of

but cannot get any reply.

     There is an army cemetery near this camp &

there are dozens & dozens buried in t every

day. They are buried with full military

honours but about six are buried at once

& a cross is put over ever on that they 

know the name of, but there are many

N that only have the simple word above them

"Unknown".

       The villages about her are not much cleaner]

than the native villages of Egypt. They both

have the same musty smell & the dirty ways

of throwing everything out of the front over

The day I landed here all the clocks were put

on an hour. It is a scheme that they call

the "day light saving. Our Reveille is five so in

fact we have to turn out at four, not too

enticing these cold mornings. It is cold enough

for me here now, but what must it be

in the dead of winter No one can imagine 

it. I hope I am not here to see it.

     By the time you might receive this I will

have been away from Australia close on 19 months

but in that time I have seen many strange 

places & different things

   My pen is about run out of ink & I have

nothing more to write about this time so

I will have to close hoping you all are

well & always hope for the best.

With fondest love from your loving son

                 George.

             Au Revoir.

                                             France

                                                 20/6/16

On June 30th Corporal Murray

wrote:

All at home

  ^My new to last ^ letter was posted Marseilles, but now

I am ^now many miles from that lovely town. We travelled

through lovely ^splendid country, better than seen I saw in

England for we came went through the noted vineyards

of the South and there were nothing but

rows & rows of vines with just the fruit beginning

to form. But now we are in a camp & it

is not too far from the fireworks, but we are

well out of their range.

     There is a day light saving scheme in vogue here

The day we landed the clocks were put on an

hour & the camp lights are all out but that

makes no difference for you can easily read

till after ten.

    We have not the same light length of

warm sunshine & you almost go much about

without a coat on.

     I have not had a letter for a long time

yet now but when you are travelling

about you cannot expect any

     I have not found a trace of Les since I left

England but Jim thinks he will be here shortly

     On a clear day you can see the lighthouses 

on the other side but so near but yet so far

I am sending in another envelope some flowers

that I picked along the railway, but in the south.   

     We have to go through another short course of

training before we go into the trenches but there

seems to be little doing on this side, but the

Russians are making wonderful headway

I am quite well & in best of spirits

I cannot think of any thing else this time

So Au Revoir

           From your loving Brother & Son

                     George

                                France

                                  2/7/16

All at home

           No letters yet but one from Will

Minghorn filtered through. It was the first for

over six weeks though mails are coming in

every day but they are all for the reinforcements.

    I have had no news of Tim or Les whereabouts

I met Wathe Marchant and one of the Dawes

from Lah also another chap who used to

work in Willenbrinna. He is a sergeant in 

the instruction school but a bully into the

bargain. I do not cannot think of his

name.

       We are having lovely weather but you can

never rely on it. It may be sunshine

one hour & in a few minutes it is teeming

rain for we are getting coastal showers

       I have not been too well of late

but since we have to take to hard

training again I seem to get better but

getting wet through & the clothes drying on

you does not go to keep one in good

health.

Well, up till now I have had no chance

of getting too near the firing line but we

may may be there sooner than some of

us think. There we Though we are in the

midst of the war one does not read the

war news, but the French People are

always sad looking.

      We have heard just now of a Big

advance on the Western front so lets

hope that it is true.

       I finish up my term of duty tonight &

I am not a bit sorry for it is 15 hours

a day.

       I have not seen much of the country

about here for you require a pass to go

out of the camp boundaries & when

you have a big company it takes a 

fair time for your turn to come round

I lost my set of teeth so I have to

try & make shift without them

By the time you receive this I hope to

be in the line & doing better than before

So Au Revoir,

         from you loving son &

           Brother George

                                France

                                    19/8/16

All at home

        I have not received a

letter from you for over tow

weeks now But I got two

papers & a letter from Bess

just after I came out of

the firing line.

      When I was marching along

the road on the 18^th I met Joe

Horne and Bert Harris from

Beulah. They were on their way

back to the line.

      I hear fairly often from Jim

but all the time I have been

in France I have not

had a letter from Les