31/8/16
Dear Everybody,
You will perceive by the heading that I am again in London, am having five days, probably my last prior to going out to France. As a matter of fact I am only back from France a couple of days, took a draft of 40 men over for the squdn. Had quite a good trip lasting in all 5 1/2 days. I left Salisbury Plains Thurs midday arriving Southampton 3 P.M. Went on board & left for Havre about 7 P.M. arriving there about 2 P.M. Quite a peaceful crossing, just a little rough as we were leaving Southampton Heads, eased down as we got into mid channell.
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At Havre half of the men that were on beard disembarked, & also a great quantity of mail was put off. By the time this was finished up we had missed the tide by half an hour, for we along with a number of others were going on up the river by the boat. This meant we had to wait for the next tide which did not allow us to leave until 5 P.M. Of course we had a look round Harve & a dirty slow little place it is. We left at 5 all right & for 3 hours until it was dark, had a most gorgeous view of Sein valley. Arrived Rouên about 2 A.M. Sat. morn. but did not disembark till 7.30. We were then marched to the British base depôt arriving there 9 o’clock. As soon as I had the men fixed up, I dug up the Agj, who dug up the Col. & he gave
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me leave to stay in the town for the rest of the day & over night. They were able tot tell us that we were not leaving until 3 o’clock Sund afternoon. Seeing that McCurdy is quartered in Rouên you can imagine my delight at being allowed to spend the night with him. I suppose you are aware that he is a staff Captain now, & has a very responsible position. He has to arrange for the movement & numbers of reiforcements required for the N.Z. division. Even General Godley can not send a man out of France unless McCurdy knows about it, and the same applies from this end. Had a very good 20 hours with him, & reported
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back to camp Sunday morn 9 A.M. Left there, the camp at 1.30 & Rouên at 5 P.M. Now started our awful journey on a French troop train. From Rouên Etaples is 80 miles, & it only took us 12 hours. The trains are smiply appalling, quite often the men get out & run alongside. It is quite different in France to what it is here, the passenger trains there all have precedence to the military. Anyhow we arrived Etapls about 5 P.M. & we located N.Z. Base Camp about 6. That ended the journey across. At 9 o’clock I handed over the men & all the papers, & got my orders to return. Needless to say I was pleased when I heard I was to return by Boulogne, & Folkstone. Capt Grenfell our old
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O.M.R. Quarter Master was at Etaples, he is O.M. of the Base Camp, he was so pleased to see one of the old regt again, & gave me a great reception, handed over the use of his bed, of which I made good use. Left Etaples sameday, at 3 PM. & arrive Boulogne about 4. PM, there was no boat across so had to wait till the morning. Boulogne is a very pretty town & I had to look up a couple of Aust. Sisters for McCurdy, so that the time passed very pleasantly indeed. Left there Tues morn. about 1/2 ten arriving
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Folkstone about 12 o’clock. An Express was awaiting us & we arrived London 4 P.M. Intended to have tea with Kathleen Hooper, who I knew was up town, but time would not permit, so just rung her up on the phone. She told me that Kate & Sister Patrick had spent the previous night with them & that Kate had gone on to Amesbury to see me, expecting that I would arrive home the day before. However she said she would see me at the train at Waterloo, & so she did. Here she told me that Kate had managed to get off the boat, & was going to Walton on Thames. No mistake Kate has had some
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luck, everything she has wished for has come off. Kathleen also told me that the Marama was leaving for N.Z. on Thursday, that was yesterday, so I suppose she will be well on her way now. Seeing that it would be 1/2 past 8 before I could get back to Tidworth I promply decided that if Kate was at Amesbury I would spend the night with her, & report next morning. A procedure which was duly carried out successfully. No need to say how much we had to say, but many were the fore-casts. She was due to report at Walton-on-Thames on Wed. so we
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to part company early on Wed. morn. On Wed. afternoon we had our Bde sports, to which Kathleen & Gwen were supposed to go. However it was raining so hard here in London that they could not venture out. Nevertheless it cleared off with us at Tidworth about midday, & we had a glorious afternoon, & very good sports too. The N.Z.s. quite distinguished themselves. We had been training teams for the various events, but when the draft went to France most of those who were in the teams went with it, so of course we were on our leam ends. However we got some others going & eventually managed to pull off the section-tent-pegging, 2nd in the relay race, & I was lucky
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enough to win the officers event. A jumping competition was our event, & in the first round another officer of the 11th Reserve & myself tied for 1st place, both having a clear round. In the run off I beat him by 6 points, he getting 10 faults & I 4. There were about 15 competitions altogether, so it really wasn’t a bad performance. The horse I had was a splendid jumper, but very hard to ride, else you may guess I wouldn’t have had it. The prize is a very nice silver cup, & needless to say I was rather pleased at being the proud possessor of it. It will be
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something to remember Tidworth by, & our stay with the cavalry. I brought it on up here & am going to leave it here until such time as I return to N.Z., it might go astray on the way if I was to send it off now. Mr Hooper has just been talking about it & wants me to have my name & regt inscribed thereon, & I think I will get it done. I was going to come up here the night of the sports, but when I won the event I had to put off till the morning my coming up here, because the prizes were not presented until after the only train had left. When in France McCurdy said that I had been wired for to go out, but that he had received a reply that no O.M.R. officers were
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available. However he said he would wire again, & since coming back I have put a Bee in Col. Smyths ear, & he said he would arrange it with the General Richardson, G.O.C. N.Z. troops in England. The fact of the matter is that the crowd at Sling want some to stay here in charge of the Mtd. men, but I happen to know that there is no establishment for a training unit for O.M.R. & that they really are not entitled to keep me here. Col. Smyth said he would see if I couldn’t get away with the next draft of officers that went over, how soon that
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be, I can not say. It all depends what happens the N.Z. division in France. Long before this reaches you the 2nd big push will have come off, & N.Z. will have taken a prominent part. At the present time they are resting at a place called Abberville, having come out of the trenches in & around Armientiers. They are resting there prior to going down to the Somme. For the purpose of the Push they are temporarily attached to the Guards Army Corp, pretty hot stuff, eh! We can only hope for the best but if they bump up against something solid, as they are pretty nearly sure to do, I am afraid it will be good-bye to the division.
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It seems to me that N.Z. can not very well supply the reif- that will be required to keep up a sustained effort of a division, however we will see when the time comes. For myself, well I think I am as fit as it is possible for [a] man to be, & quite ready to [loss] off when ever the opportunity arises. Had a note from Bert Foster the other night, but have not managed to see him yet. The Fosters need not worry about him for some time to come, they have more artillerymen in France than they
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know what to do with. The day I came back they sent 200 of them back because they had more than they needed. Whether Lin is at Sling or not I am not very sure, the 14th reif arrived there the night I left for France. I intend to take a run over as soon as I get back. The latest I believe is that there are no more mounted men being sent to England, but that they are sending them to Egypt. I wonder if that is where Charl. will land. Well Kathleen has just come back from town, & brings a couple of tickets for His Majesty’s Theatre, Oscar Asche etc. Gwen & I are going this evening, Kathleen has to stay with
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her father, who is getting on very slowly. I do hope he gets over this turn before the winter sets in. Mrs Hooper is at present away at Bournemouth trying to get a place for them to go to for 3 or 4 weeks for a holiday, they both are very in need of it. Well now I must of off & am looking forward to an enjoyable evening.
Your,
Affect,
Brother E.S.
