Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1916 - Part 9

Flanders
19/9/16
Dear Lena
I have just received
your welcome letter &
will answer it now
but it may be days before
I can get it posted
for our battalion has
just began its tour
in the Belgian trenches
& it is to last over a
fortnight & in that 
time no mail is
allowed out but one
joy is that mail is allowed in.
You were asking about
Lieut Fairfax of 

Murtoa. Yes I x knew him
well. He used to be a
Sgt in the 73^rd I see by
an Australian paper that
he has had his foot
amputated. That will
stop his running now
for he used to be
very keen on sport.
I had a letter from
Mrs Bouther & will
answer it now.
I have just written home
I have no more news this
time so Au Revoir
from your own
Loving Brother
George 

France
29/9/16
All at home
I have had no letters for
some time but I cannot grumble
for it is all my own fault
for when I was sent away
to the hospital with septic
poisoning in my leg I never
told the postman what hospital
I was going to but now I am
about right again & hope to be
out before many more days
I had to have my leg lanced
twice & you hardly could
imagine the rotten matter that
was in it.
I have not heard from Jim or
Les, well I have had only one
letter from Les since I have 

2
been in this country
It is a very good hospital I am
in. Plenty to eat & nothing to do,
but the worst part is that one
has to get up too early & not
allowed out of the hospital
bounds.
As far as I can see of the
town, it is about the
largest that I have been in
for some time.
Well I have nothing more to
say but will write more
when I get out so will
ring off. From your loving brother
& son
George 

Sergeant George Murray
France
28/10/16
All at home
I have not received any late
letters from you but I never cease to get
old ones which I should have received
months ago.
I had a post card from Les when I
was in the trenches, but he never
said much only that he never receives
any letters from me though I
am always writing to him.
Christmas will be upon us by the
time you receive this letter & it
seems no time since last Christmas
but many things may happen in the
meantime.
I do not know how our chaps
will weather the winter for already
they are going about with overcoats
on & humps on their back
for we have had a couple of
severe frosts already & it was still
far from the dead of winter
I never received those parcels that 

you sent I acknowledged every
one that I got but they may turn up
in the future.
I cannot get into touch with Jim & I
could not find him in his battalion
I have nothing I can write about
so I will ring off
Wishing each & every one at home a
Merry Christmas & the Brightest & Happiest
of New Years & may God spare us all
to meet in the future
From your loving son
and Brother
George 

France
29/10/16
Dear Bess
It is now some time since
I wrote to you & it is up to me to
write now though there is nothing
much to say for we are in a new
sector of the firing line but we are
not allowed to go far away from
our billets which are generally
stables or barns with the floor
covered with straw if we are
in luck's way & we need it now
for it has been & continues to
be very cold with a severe
frost now & then just like a
good fall of snow
We had a very short church
service today on account of
the rough & rainy weather
I have just received a
card from Les & he was
complaining that he never
hears from me & one time 

he rode a few miles to see
me but our battalion had
just moved into the
trenches so he had his
ride for nothing
I have been writing to Jim
& putting the wrong Battalion
on it so how could I expect
to hear from him
It will be Christmas by the time
you receive this & you will be
sweltering in the heat while
we will be going about
wish humps on our back
like camels
This is hell this time Bess
so Au Revoir
Happy Christmas to you
From your loving
Brother George 

France
29/10/16
Dear Lena
It is about time I wrote
to you for I have been putting
it off from time to time &
when continually on the move
one has not much time to
write
I think the last time I wrote
was when I was in the
hospital but since I have been
discharged I have been twice
into the trenches in a place
that was once the hottest
on the British front but we
had a very fair time & 
few casualties but now
all have shifted to another
front so have to try our
luck again so far I have 
been very lucky
I have had two letters from
Les & one from Jim since
we have been in this

county but I have been
answering Jim's letters but could
not get a letter from him
& I could not work out
why he never answered
them & I have just found
out the reason for I have
been putting the wrong Battalion
on them
Nothing much to say so will
ring off Wishing you all at home
a merry Christmas
From your loving Brother
George.