Letters relating to Oliver 'Trooper Bluegum' Hogue, 1915-1927 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG0000997
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

Lo like b be ack to amk in Gidney for prn the Sales of my backs Tnbrose has nofagentin Theen & the bookslflers ont order Sparingly. However ton peaning Fo not ay rands to fure &all Herry O have Ileb Tuers the I bays. Iie day 56 in at 4 the fades be kind fours Enfl fur articles Ive enpoyed some at on the refrendum my must. peill the milwan witche tthe lade it Leaders 0009
1 13 Cy J.C.C. My dear to byte Set Yrun remiars I These believe are from down under hopes of Yewr politual asperations being t so please accept my best fulfilled wish I could be wishes for success. same help to give give on hand Company is dong fou In fit & well my any day X me o may pman now Sent you at capy of to Beestie Cos I knew Burralk the other day You would be inperested on it. to Demaltions poeo ? dealt witl the by trit at the Beheboto A Ang the tr plie - I sa he cabled reprt accurate & it was fair Hnen (mussey am anlosing a cauble mon pren fen I have just A Haleday Wunk
t have oget o her might I Sa place I it with Lindon opinion. rack the to might. I might WJOB The Scamehers Lamen Ihe snding to the next issue of had he of night Barrck They 1 Thirst in the you uae that nease The please cut out Bulletin of May. line word Oold in the And frenssed all his rays on d Sunae what blighly put in he word I dont know X old It cruels the pitit & the wetre C eway thing then & again the last couplt should rear Bilgrin - and they try to laugh togeter. Says I grity blokes out back a Bauke this meather porbably Af H Arams) had the the forl improveg MORI 1000
He Impeaal itutence to atter read sand last line to Sups Bull and jun and lugh tigether which is angrammatical & cruets the idea Sts Belgin who Say Ws not sill Igun says & the jrest try to laugh. They don't laugh Cos ty cant. If you fover bke laugh & with a swar blesbred ls gon see why. They are bry Thak that I. To sit you let he two arlicks A Lonely Horveman and Badmun ok andterg on3 eting ven percival 3 Hame tell him. He like alive now Just pust Me an There. o the angedt sudsumn here
eboed he wors no alway. o puss he wast month m as the year is our though fit as eur Twas knocked lot of the cambers have up. with the bet Land night. Henvsas days Sou anywhere there wc Vengths it aut all Sma fues l regards kind with all the boy to w lee 1DRl 355
bline Sef Batrons HIS YCELLENCY THE SOL ERNOR-GENERAL. SIR R. MUNRO FERSUSON NAMeNAL COMMTTSS THE HON. THE MINISTER Aneey ar RAUT FOR DEFENCE THE AUSTRALLAN NATIONAL OUTABTRET SKNATOR S. F. PEARCE Ceaer Hoe EaeeT er,n A.H. SARSOOD, Fce. NON. NAT. VRLasunan. J. HENRY LANS, Ese. NAT.OSCARTARY. 50 20 ABROAD. 301. Nes. co Reply to 15. 72 18 Stationgs d 191 iny tear tlarie. To plased toot to the yenr m of 27-9t 18 round D feed best aw is that in the b he fiddle. £i let fet my then Stand armp lice Sa been the Linc & fading b Seatiry back t tlf now Fradall agdind nor wll Iam quite anable to But any idea of any movements fine Should no be Rights I 143 O on my way home with the 414 But onl a fewe of the batch oficers I could be Ropared 4 men will all he allowed he ord se the latist hame
happ He sale. mone no was that o alifore have. allowed would be to get England to Young to try & see sun husmers fix up at teny Can Iay cannot But The at with Buppral don't Any hon The 24 all aay long before we are f the am hapen ame Eay Penamended was him Year So. N + ti my work at Dumascus for was the h Tulkerai but missed Hmenr at the time. librly anguy through with the ea II came it uin Belawenp lte farly teate a t 009.
A. N.M. P1l0 No. 12/12/465 3rd. November, 1927. b Olfver Hogue, who enlisted as a Trooper in 1914. rose to the rank of Major and went right through the Great War. He was invalided to England from Gallipoli for some months during 1915. When he volunteered for service he was one of Australia’s most brilliant journalists and was chosen by the Sydney Morning Herald at the termination of the War to represent that paper in London, where he died on 3rd. March, 1919. Major Oliver Hogue was, perhaps, the most picturesque Australian Soldier and possibly one of the ablest officers of the Commonwealth forces. His life was a very full one in every respect. Where- ever he went he brought joy and happiness and optimism, and in the training camps both here and abroad he kept the men occupied and entertained with clean and healthy recreation and games. During the War Oliver Hogue wrote 3 books and a book of poems. He also contributed regular articles to the Sydney Morning Herald and verse to the Bulletin and wrote articles for some of the London papers. In addition he must have written letters to some thousands of relatives and Friends, many of whom today treasure scores of his letters. 2000-
uly Spell in old England has made a new man of me. But f this in a whisper - My Spell in Gallepoli has made an older man of me. You can See Several grey havs clustering round my temple. out fly Lairs are honourable. Any how as Scott Psaid of Lord Marmion wore through toul than agr. it Its mighty hot heve now The messudy honess between 110 and 123 in the Shale but theres mighty lible shade. Its not true that the lyppees faed their fauils on crshed net so that they woont lay hard-boiled egge. But it is true that the kooching sand burns ones fuet through leather sock and sole. Its not true that the wind blows so hard that address off it blows the the envelopes when we are writing home. But it is true that the whirling sand half- -bleds, half-chokes and whally maddens us and euriously enough while it is not cold enough at Enight to falze the water in the truckets it cxtainly is cold enough to make a second oblanket may welcome. my love to hear old Byducy. $pl
AU5 17th of Old Ireland Since Tomewhere the tevr tihy to. Hows a wi in Yanre Staggenin r3. Speatht with health Spite of our much Bully to biscuts. Am Still with rt & the Cameley ty JCC. just an misy pabrolling. Au 0 mile gaint back from out east. We struck a Khasun sand bloom) & for 14 hous just Compass Fluged ahend Oheenin There are no land o mark of there were me could not Any how the hus parhie Bel them. ad nurther of Cameby huve

10

Id like to be back

in Sydney for a month to

push the sales of my books.

Melrose has no agent in

Sydney & the booksellers

only order sparingly. However

Im not complaining.

Give my regards to

Percy  & Rune & all

the boys. Guess I lob

in at 56 some day if

the fates be kind.

Yours

Bluegum

Ive enjoyed some of your articles

on the referendum very much . . . .

Specially the McGowan article

& the leader re Leaders. &c.

OH

 

25/7/17

No 3  Coy I.C.C.

My dear Whyte :-

From rumours I get

from down under I believe there are

hopes of your political aspirations being

fulfilled. If so please accept my best

wishes for success. Wish I could be

on hand to give you some help

Im fit & well my Company is doing fine

& any day now we may return

to Palestine. I sent you a copy of

Barrack the other day cos I knew

you would be interested in it. . . 

The "Demolitions" 'poem'? deals with the

big stunt at the Bersheba to El Auja

line - I saw the cabled report for the

Herald (Masseys) & it was fairly accurate.

am enclosing a couple more poems

"A Holiday Wound".   I have just sent

 

2
to my London agent & he might

place it with London Opinion. I say

he might... It might reach the

W.P.B. The Cavaliers Lament

Im sending to the next issue of

Barrack. They might be of use 

to you.

If you use that verse 'Thirst' in the

Bulletin of May 24 please cut out the

word old in the line.

' -and focussed all his rays on old Sinai'

I dont know what blighter put in the word

old. It cruels the pitch & the metre &

everything. . .

Then again the last couplet should

read.

"Says Biljim - and they try to laugh together -

I pity blokes out back o' Bourke this weather"

The fool 'improver' (probably A H Adams) had the

 

3

infernal impudence to alter the

second last line to read

"Says Bill and Jim and laugh together"

which is ungrammatical & cruels the idea.

No not Bill & Jim says. Its Biljim who says

& the rest try to laugh & they dont laugh

cos they cant. If you ever tried to

laugh with a Sinai blistered lips you

see why. . They only try. . 

So thats that. .

Did you get the two articles in

Badmingtons?  A Lonely Horseman. and

Camelbrig?

How is old Percival getting on?

Tell him Id like a line now

& then. We are just past

midsummer here & the August

 

4

is always reckoned the worst

month, I guess the worst of

the year is over & Im as

fit as ever I was though a

lot of the cameliers have knocked

up with the heat & sand &

strenuous days & nights. If

theres a [[weak?]] spot anywhere

Sinai finds it out all right.

With kind regards to

all the boys

Yours

Bluegum

 


(From Major Oliver Hogue)

18-12-18

My Dear Clarrie

So pleased to get
yours of 27-9-18 & to note your
good news all round.
the best news is that Im 
fit as a fiddle. In the big
stunt I got very thin but
since the armistice Ive been
resting & feeding up & am
now gradually getting back to
normal again.
But I am quite unable to
give you any idea of my movements.
By rights I should now be 
on my way home with the N14
batch. But only a few of the
L H Officers could be spared,
- the men will all be allowed
home. The latest order out
 

 

2
was that no more Light Horse Officers 
would be allowed home. I am therefore
going to try to get to England to 
fix up business & see Jim &c . . .
But I cannot say if I can get away with. .
Anyhow I dont suppose it will be
very long before we are all on the
way home. I am hoping for the 
D.S.O. at New Year. I was recommended 
for my work at Damascus & Nablus
& Tulkeram but missed the bus. I was
bitterly angry at the time. However
it might come through with the next batch. 

(Balance of letter purely private)
Love Hogue
 

 

A.W.M. File No. 12/11/465

[*An appreciation 

by a press friend [[MCD?]]*]

3rd. November, 1927.

Oliver Hogue, who enlisted as a Trooper in 1914,

rose to the rank of Major and went right through the Great War.

He was invalided to England from Gallipoli for some months

during 1915.

When he volunteered for service he was one of 
Australia's most brilliant journalists and was chosen by the

"Sydney Morning Herald" at the termination of the War to
represent that paper in London, where he died on 
3rd. March, 1919.

Major Oliver Hogue was, perhaps, the most picturesque 

Australian soldier and possibly one of the ablest officers
of the Commonwealth forces.

His life was a very full one in every respect. Wherever 

he went he brought joy and happiness and optimism, and

in the training camps both here and abroad he kept the men
occupied and entertained with clean and healthy recreation 

and games.
During the War Oliver Hogue wrote 3 books and a book

of poems. He also contributed regular articles to the

"Sydney Morning Herald" and verse to the "Bulletin" and wrote
articles for some of the London papers. In addition he must

have written letters to some thousands of relatives and
friends, many of whom today treasure scores of his letters. [*!*]
 

 

6

My spell in old England has made a
new man of me. But - this in a
whisper - my spell in Gallipoli has
made an older man of me. You can

see several grey hairs clustering zarm round
my temple. But grey hairs are honourable.

Any how as Scott said of Lord Marmion

it's 'more through toil than age'.
( Its mighty hot here now, my Precious.

The mercury hovers between 110° and 123° 
in the shade but there mighty little shade.

It's not true that the Gyppies feed their fowls on

crushed ice so that they won't lay hard-boiled 
eggs. But it is true that the scorching sand

burns one's feet through leather sock and sole. Its
not true that the wind blows so hard that

it blows the letters off the back address off
the envelopes when we are writing home.

but it is true that the whirling sand half- blinds,
half-chokes, and wholly maddens us.
And curiously enough while it is not cold
enough at night to freeze the water in the
buckets it certainly is cold enough to
make a second blanket very very welcome.

S (Give my love to dear old Sydney.
 

 

17th of Old ireland

Sinai

Somewhere
My dear Whyte:-

How's a' wi'

ye? Im fairly staggering
with health & strength in
spite of over much Bully-beef 
& biscuits. Am still with
the Camelry (18th Coy I.C.C.) &

am busy patrolling. Am just 
back from a 40 mile jaunt

out East. We struck a Khamsun
(sandstorm) & for 14 hours just

plugged ahead steering by compass
cos there are no land marks

& if there were we could not
see them. Anyhow the two parties

of Camelry (mine & another) & a

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Last edited by:
Lulu BLulu B
Last edited on:

Last updated: