France
17/11/16
Dear Everybody,
Another week is drawing to a close & I find myself still in the same spot. I wonder if you know where that is. Yours of the 28th Sept to hand some days ago Mary, & I only wish we could have some of the weather you were writing about then, over here now. Since writing last the weather has taken a decided change, & though still very wintry at least dry. The wet cold weather of a fortnight ago has changed to very cold & heavy frosts. This morn we had the hardest frost I have seen since we left N.Z. Unfortunately the beautiful days that usually follow our N.Z. frosty mornings do not follow here. In so
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at least that they are so very cold & damp. The sun comes out beautifully, & the sky is cloudless but invariably there is a considerable northerly wind flowing all day, which seems to penetrate though everything. Coupled with this is a very unpleasant ground mist which lies low all day, & is I think very unhealthy. Colds are the rage just now, have a slight one myself at present, not up to usual standard but unless the atmosphere changes considerably, I can see it is going to take some throwing off. However what with winds & frost etc the ground has dried up wonderfully & active operations are again possible, evidence of
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the recent advance made North of Thiepval. Of late it seemed to us that the push had come to an end, & we were agreeably surprised when on Monday the papers arrived informing us of the tidy advance made, involving as it did the capture of very important ground & some 6000 prisoners. When you consider that not many prisoners are taken these days, 6000 means something on a large scale. If present weather continues we look forward to hearing of further progress. The decisive decision we had all looked for this autumn is I am afraid now a thing of the past. Gains
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of the greatest importance have been made but they have not had the far reaching effect we expected they would have. This being so there is little doubt left in our minds as to what is going to happen in the early months of next summer. So much I may say but no more. The transfer of which I wrote some time ago has come through at last & I have been posted to the 1st Otago Bttn, & will in all probability move to my new duties in the course of the next day or two. As a matter of fact I am 17 day overdue now, for when the orders came out, it said transfer was to take
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from the 31st of October. I was along at Bttn. H.Q. a couple of nights ago, to a dinner the officers were having prior to going into the trenches the following day. It will be a pretty rude shock going from my present work straight into the line, & it being as cold as it is. However I am pretty well equipped & I think quite up to what is required. On going down to the Bttn the other night I was very pleased to find that Hargest had received a decoration. Up till I met him on the road I had not known he was to receive one. The Military Cross is the award, & he has been promoted to a
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Temporary Major as well. Without a doubt if ever a man served an award for services rendered in the field he did. Within five minutes after the commencement of the attack in the Somme he found himself the only Coy commander on his feet. From that out he was in every attack & right in the front rank, how he came out alive, heaven only knows, & he certainly does not himself. There were three other awards granted to the Bttn. besides his, so altogether they have done pretty well. Your cable to Kate informing her that Charl
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had sailed on the 5th reached her all right, but much later than you expected it to, I think. It reached her somewhere about the 1st of Nov. it had evidentally been censored or held back or something. I wrote a letter too Charls about a fortnight ago to Egypt thinking it will arrive there about the same time as he does. In case he forgets, as he has done up to the present to send his regimental number & address, you might send it on, particularly his number. I addressed him 17th reif. N.Z. Mtd Bde, so I think it will reach him all right.
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I noted what you had to say about Rolly being very busy helping Tom Annie, but I sincerely trust it is not going to be the end of his school days. He is much too young, & it would be a shame indeed to rob him now of what opportunities he has for education, & it would be a source of regret for him in a very short space of time. Now that Lottie is safely settled in Dunedin again she will be more contentd, eh Lottie? Well now I am afraid I must be off. Au Revoir for the present, & kind regards to all who may inquire for this coon. Affect Brother. E.S. McI
