Letters from Geoffrey Gordon McCrae to his family, July - September 1915 - Part 5

WEST MUDROS

LEMNOS   17.9.15

Dearest Mother Father & Helen,

We have been sent over here to

rest and refit. and have had three

days at this spot. A ploughed field

surrounded by low hills and fronted

by the harbour. The weather has been

very inclement and yesterday there

was a regular cloud burst and the

whole surface of the camp area

was one huge morass we had

two inches of water in our tents

all the cook's fires were extinguished

so we were not very comfortable 

however we maintained good

spirits. I have been down with

dysentry for the past two days

and am feeling rather weak, but

still manage to play along thank

heaven we managed to get away

from the trenches before the weather

broke. I do not know how long

this spell will last but I expect

they will give us at least a month

anyway the boys deserve it and

more. I hear there is a mail in

but it has all become so much

pulp as it is only in hessian

sacks and was left out uncovered 
on the decks of a transport

in all yesterday's downpour.

Layh has been made a temporary 

Major and Swift a Captain

they are both the same cheerful

souls as they ever were and

staunch pals of mine.

Everything points to another

winter campaign so I expect

many months will lapse

before we can look to that

joyful home coming, which

seems like the dawn after a

long weary night, never to

be going to break. My eyes

look eagerly to see the first

grey coming on the horizon

but up to now they go unrewarded.

There is nothing to do but

wait with philosophical

patience until God's own

good time. You can see by

the above screed there is 

nothing of local interest

to write about.

Fare well then

Much love

from 

Geoff

[*1 DRL 4272/11*]

[*I have just at

last received

£10 which has

been since 13th

April looking

for me.  I feel

very depressed

at what you

have said about

Maude's relations.

She has been all

in all to me during

the days of my trial

and her name is

ever in my prayers

and in her are all

my hopes centred so

your letter has come

as a sad blow and

I feel very miserable.*]

WEST MUDROS

LEMNOS  18.9.15

Dearest Mother & Father,

I thank you for your letters 1st-9th Aug

which we have managed to get after much trouble.

The British authorities here would not provide us

with transport so after many days of waiting

we took the matter into our own hands and

hired a boat for ourselves and went & collected

it from two different piers where They had

been lying in hessian bags in all the rain

not even protected by tarpaulins. I agree

with father in his ideas about the Russian movements.

I consider it the most gigantic strategical retirement

the world has seen and I have no doubt that

when the time comes the gallant troops of the Anzac

will turn and crush the Hunnish Hordes. As far as

information goes I do not feel at all sure that this

counter stroke has not already commenced. I

must thank you very much for the "Clear Call"

which contain the most excellent verses  and

acurate descriptions of what took place on

the bloody hills of Gallipoli. I especially like

the verse entitled "My Soldier" which terminates

"God! how I love him for his, need of me"

Yes happy line!  know no one knows who has

not experienced the awful hours of standing

in trenches under shell fire unable to do

anything to help yourself  yet having to

stick to your post with hell let  loose

around you how much we need our

loved ones at home and when you feel

they are looking to you (individually) to play

the man and stick it, it becomes easier

and you see in your minds eye your loved

ones and you are able to make the best of it

and try and put a cheerful complexion

on the terrifying circumstances. A cheerful man

in a trench is worth an army of pessimists.

I am sorry you were hoaxed by the defence

people over my return on the Ballarat. I

am not surprised it is how everything  seems

to be at present a muddle. It is very gratifying

to hear of the reception that was going to be

accorded to me, but I think when I arrive

I would like to dive into the fastnesses of The

Buffaloe Mountains and escape the invitations

that seem to be inevitable and just have the

family and Maude with me. You don't appear

to have appear to have got my letter I wrote

when I was wounded. The intelligence stunt

put me more in the firing line than any other

job I had to get about all sorts of places to

observe and sketch enemy positions had to try and

locate guns where they opened on our position

so I was constantly in the firing line and

had a fixed observation station from which

place I was blown out. Early in July

we mad a demonstration and the Turks

opened up an enfilading fire on our

trenches with 6in howitzers and 75mm guns

for an hour the air was filled with

dust flying clay shrieking fragments

of bursting shell clouds of black smoke

and stinking yellow fumes of the T.N.T.

each shell seemed just to graze your

head and send spadefuls of dirt down

your neck and dumped periscope glasses.

I hurry on in a lively funk I admit but

as Dorothy puts it in her verse, I had

need of someone. A vision of Maude

came to me and saved me from

going and cringing in a day out away

from my post. All of sudden there

came a vivid flash and biting pain and

I found myself on the bottom of the trench

amongst a pile of earth and tattered

sand bags. What had happened

a shell had burst just in front 

of me in the parapet and blown the contents

of the sand bags into my face and hands making

a gorgeous gravel rash and swelling my face

like a plum pudding so that it was hard to

see out of my eyes. The signaller I had with

me led me into a tunnel close by where he

washed my face with his handkerchief  and

contents of a water bottle we stayed there until

a lull came and then we made our way for

the dressing station. Alas our poor trenches I

shall never forget that walk along the line

in places the works were battered out of all

recognition and half filled in, making it

necessary to dive over places fully exposed

to enemy's rifle fire then you would come

on battered and blackened things that one short

hour before had been men. When I reached

head quarters no one recognised me at first,

however, the doctor bandaged me up and packed

me off to Lemnos from thence I was sent to 

Alexandria the constipation was they said to be a 

result of the shock I had received. I thank

you for news of Maude and hope I 

am spared to return to you and her

when we have finished.

Much love

from 

Geoff

REST CAMP

MUDROS      19.9.15

Dearest Helen,

Thank you awfully for your letters

and there vivid descriptions of beautiful

and awakening Hawthorn. I am indeed

sorry I disappointed you all in my

non-arrival by the Ballarat. Still had

I been on board her I would have

necessarily been pretty badly hurt

whereas I still am in excellent

health (save for the prevalent Anzac disease

diorrhea) though in exile which may

last for many more weary months

would like to stick it out to the end

if God sees fit. I am indeed proud

of Australia and the magnificent work

that those who remain at home are

doing in order to cooperate with our

efforts and minister to those of us

who are hurt in the struggle for right

and justice. I am glad to hear there

is still a garden and expect it

flourishes under your tender care

I wish all success to the mignonette &

sweet peas and hope I may one

day enjoy the fragrance of their

off springs. James & Roy Burston landed

at Anzac the day we left so I had

no opportunity of seeing them. The

commander of the "Agamemnon" Kindly

sent the ships band to play to us

the other afternoon. It is a long time

since I enjoyed music so much 

by the way I heard a doctor enjoying

"Milisande" the song Winifred used

to sing the other day. I wish you 

would get a copy of it for Maude

and get mater to charge it up

to me I love the song and I think

it would suite Maudes voice.

Those primroses do remind me 

of the Broadmeadows how I wish

the Calendar could be put back

twelve months it is just about

that since we had that dinner

at Cafe Francias. I still have

the Australian flag that used

to fly over the door of my tent.

I guess that about finishes my

news as we all back again to 

the dull routine of training

camp again, but there is no

distractions so it is rather a 

painful grind and we are

at an end of our conversation 

and all we have to live for is

mail day.

Much love

from your loving Brother

Geoff

REST CAMP

MUDROS      19.9.15

Thank you awfully for your letters and there vivid

descriptions of beautiful and awakening Hawthorn.

I am indeed sorry I disappointed you all in my

non-arrival by the Ballarat. Still had I been on

board her I would have necessarily been pretty badly hurt

whereas I still am in excellent health (save

for the prevalent Anzac disease diarrhoea) though

in exile which may last for many more weary months

would like to stick it out to the end if God sees fit.

I am indeed proud of Australia and the magnificent 
work that those who remain at home

are doing in order to cooperate with our efforts

and minister to those of us who are hurt in the

struggle for right and justice. I am glad to

hear there is still a garden and expect it flourishes

under your tender care I wish all success to the

mignonette & sweet peas and hope I may one

day enjoy the fragrance of their off springs. James

& Roy Burston landed at Anzac the day we left

so I had no opportunity of seeing them.  The

commander of the "Agamemnon" Kindly sent the

ships band to play to us the other afternoon.

It is a long time since I enjoyed music so much -

by the way I heard a doctor singing

"Milisande" (the song Winifred used to sing.)

the other day. Those primroses do remind me 

of the Broadmeadows...how I wish the Calendar

could be put back twelve months; it is just

about that since we had that Dinner at

Cafe Francias. I still have the Australian

flag that used to fly over the door of my tent.

I guess that about finishes my news as we

all back again to the dull routine of training

camp again, but there is no distractions so it is

rather a painful grind and we are at an end of

our conversation and all we have to live for 

is mail day.

(sd.)

Geoff

(2)

19.9.15

cpd

Signature

1DRL 427 4/13