Letters relating to Oliver 'Trooper Bluegum' Hogue, 1915-1927 - Part 5

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Trooper Bluegum. 
Now Ive confined my Australian
stuff to the Herald all along.
(except a few skits for the Bulletin &
a couple of articles for the 'Sun' when Hallman
was killed). I thought it a   

fair deal to give them the first

refusal of all my stuff..  So I

will first submit to them the

new Anzac Love Letters.  The Herald might

like to have them for the Women's

Page or they might be good enough

for open page stuff.  So I will 

send them along to you for the

Herald.  If the Editor has no 

use for them you might show them

to Monty Grower for the "Sun"

or else the Editor of the News or

The Sunday Times or Splashes or

6

Bystander.  But I think the Herald

will take them.. Thats all the

shop talk.

Im fit & well & hope you

are O.K. & A 1.  Its mighty

hot here.    I had a very

interesting trip out East last

week I expect to be off there

for good soon.  How is

Percy?  Do you see Lawson

at all?  Do the girls

come to the Den at all?

Would like to be there now.

not much fighting here now

only skirmishes.

Good luck

 

 

The Desert

22.7.16

My dear Whyte

Just a line to

let you see what kind of a News-

paper the desert Anzacs are getting.

It comes out a couple of

times a week to where we

are, but is I believe published

daily.  You will grieve to hear that The

Mirage has petered out.  When I

left the camp at Tel el Kebur for

the desert front no one would or

could take it on. So another

promising journalistic venture

has been nipped in the bud.

I've not had a Herald for

a long time. I've seen a few

copies of The Mail which is

very popular with the boys.

Have not heard if my later stuff

is acceptable or not.  Hope

 

DAILY NEWS LETTER

18th JULY, 1916

________________________________

British News. - General Haig reports further important successes.

The British stormed and captured the German second line on a front

of 1,500 yards, North-West of Bazentin le Petit.  The gap in the Ger-

man second line East of Longueval was still further widened by

capturing the strongly defended position of Waterfarm.  There has

been continuous hand to hand fighting in Ovillers and La Boisselle

where we captured German strongholds.  Here also we captured  127

to the Prussian Guard, the remnant of a heavy garrison.  Both Ovillers

and La Boisselle are now wholly in British hands.

Incessant rain and heavy mist again interfered with operations.

Total prisoners captured by the British are not 189 officers and 10,779

men.  The guns captured include 17 heavy and 37 field guns. Some

idea of the German casualties may be gathered from the following

quotation from a captured document - from 2nd Battalion to 3rd Batta-

lion 16th Bavarian Infantry.  "Battalion consists of 3 officers, 2 N.C.O's

and 19 men".

French News Except for a lively fusillade near Hill 304, the night

was comparatively calm at Verdun.  Some progress was made West of

Fleury.  German attacks South-east of Nomeny, Lorraine, were re-

pulsed and prisoners captured.

On the right bank of the Meuse the artillery duel continues in the

region of Souville.  The weather is atrocious.

The French captures on the Somme up to the 13th instant include

235 officers, 11,976 men, 85 guns and 89 machine guns.  This does not

include wrecked and buried material nor guns captured and immed-

lately turned against the enemy.

Russian News - North-West of Kimpolung, Russian cavalry are

advancing across the Carpathians by the Kirlibaba Pass.

The German official makes the important admission that Linsingen's

forces South-West of Lutsk have withdrawn behind the Lypa, which is

a tributary of the Styr, North-West of Brody on the Galician frontier.

This indicates a more acute Russian pressure towards Lemberg.

On the Transylvanian front, the Russians have occupied some

heights.  Near Riga they captured some trenches and made a number

of prisoners.

The Turks set fire to Banbury before hastily taking to flight.

Up to the 16th instant, the Russian captures in Volhynia include

317 officers, 12,637 men and 30 guns, of which 17 are heavy pieces.

Italian News - A heavy enemy attack upon the Italians in Upper

Posina, supported by concentrated artillery action, was entirely re-

pulsed by a counter-attack after severe hand to hand fighting.

[[?]]
Double

Squadron

31

it is.  Am trying to make it

different to the ordinary War

stuff  By this time  I suppose you

will have received "Bluegum".  I

am expecting a copy any day

now.  Not much doing here tho'

10,000 Turks are on the way & we

expect a real good scrap any

day now.  You should hear of it

before this reaches you.  But perhaps

Abdul will fight shy again.

Kind regards to Percy & all

the boys.

Bluegum

 

DAILY NEWS LETTER

19th JULY, 1916

BRITISH NEWS : Mist and incessant rain still interfere with the British

offensive.  North of Ovillers we made substantial progress on a front

of two thousand yards, driving the Germans out of several strongly defended 

positions.  Some German trenches near Wytschaete were

successfully raided.  The Germans are attacking our positions in the

vicinity of Longueval and Delville Wood.  Heavy fighting is in progress.

German prisoners, caught near the Somme, complain that the

British artillery bombardment is sheer murder.

The British steamer Lecoq reports having encountered a submarine 

which opened fire upon her at a range of four miles.  Rapidly closing,

the steamer opened fire with her gun.  The fifth shot appeared to hit

the submarine.  The 26th shot got the submarine in the water line.

It disappeared in a cloud of smoke, just as a French patrol boat came

up.  A second submarine appeared and fired upon them, but two or

three shots caused it to submerge again.

A letter from General Haig was read at the Trades Unionists Conference.

He said that even two idle days might prolong the war by

many months.  A continuous and plentiful supply of ammunition was

vital if we were to maintain the present pressure.  A resolution was

passed deciding to postpone holidays until after the war.

Sir Roger Casement's appeal has been dismissed.

FRENCH NEWS- The French President and M. Roques visited Verhun

on the 15th instant.  Next day they visited the old German lines near

the Somme to ascertain the effect of the bombardment upon the Ger-

man defences.  The Germans made a night attack between Biaches and

La Maisonnette.  Repeated attempts, costing heavy losses, failed to

take La Maisonnette from the French.  German detachments crept

along the canal into the Eastern part of Biaches where fighting con-

tinues.

The Belgians raided a trench to the North of Dixmude, killing

most of the occupants and capturing the remainder.

RUSSIAN NEWS:-The hammering which the Austro-Germans have

received at the hands of the Russians in sector 20 miles South-West of

Lutsk is a great tactical success.  The Russians succeeded in smashing

the enemy front upon a width of one mile and penetrated to a depth of

several miles.  There is now no serious obstacle on the road towards

Lemberg.

On the Riga front, the Germans at several points made vain

attempts to recover their lost trenches.

A body of Cossacks, during an impetuous advance from Plastouny,

captured 34 Turkish officers and 608 men.

Italian News.- The Italians continue to make progress on the front

Pasubio-Posina-Astico despite a vigorous resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.9.16

The Desert

Dear Clarrie,

Nothing startling happening

here, but am pleased to acknow-

ledge receipt of yours of 22/7/16 which

arrived 2 days ago.  So glad to

hear that all at home are doing

so well.   In reply to the

[Bakstrish?] letters of the girls I sent

three £1 notes in three different letters

home.  Ive already told you of

the new allotment of 35/-  per week

which should enable you to fix

up my affairs & help keep the

home fires burning.  Now that Trin

is doing so well there should be

a much easier time at Inverness.

Glad Ivor got the stamps.  I

sent him another batch a few weeks

ago - rather good ones.  Tell him

to drop me a line.

I was quite delighted to get

 

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the cable of good cheer from the

Institute of Journalists.  At

the next [shivoo?] you might re-

member me very kindly to Jack

Wallace, [?? Millan?], [?]

Tom Spencer, Mudge, Charlie,

Bertie, [?] [Sa?]m Willis

Williams, [Theak?] , Fitzgerald

Charlton, Stewart & Mr Heanly &

Brunsden Fletcher, Toy & Jimmy Ball

Whyte & Percy Allen & [?]

Delighted with the good news

of your increase.  It should

be particularly welcome...

Remember me also to Percy Hunter

when you come across him.

I wrote to Alec Stuart last

week.  I had the rotten luck

to lose that pipe after keeping

it so long.

Abdul is very quiet lately,

but Turkey is not done

yet by any means.  There

will probably be plenty doing

 

3

about here next month or November.

They say that the last attack

on the canal was spoilt with

the Turkish general attacking before

all the plans were prepared.

A German General with 20000

more troops was following on 

to take the chief command but

the first army with about

15000 attacked first & were

rounded then the German GOC

coming on forced the

Turks in full retreat so

he was frightfully angry. Srafed

everybody then returned to

Jerusalem 

I told you about losing poor 

old 'Harold' .  He was [?]

in a well cut offensive 

in the big battle.  I was

back at El [?] at the 

time.  Ive got another horse

but Herald was worth a 

million of this one.  He was 

 

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the best horse I every rode

& the vet officer said it

was a joy to see him

bounding over the desert.

I was very cut up over

his loss & would like

to strafe the man who

was in charge of him at 

the time.

Next time [Alston?] goes

up to [Blairneath?] the flirt

with little Lyall tell him to

kiss Peggy for me.

We are expected to be

mounted on Camels next

week or .. The Aust.

Light Camel Brigade?

Love to all the folk &

to Phil & the Kiddies

Tell Bill to drop a

line

[?] 

 

OL