France
2.3.18
Dear Mother,
I have just received a few N.Z. letters including 42 from May & two 41’s from you. The parcel of cake has not come yet but will probably arrive in a few weeks. I am afraid Rodie’s Xmas parcel has found a resting place elsewhere. I have already told you that the sox & scraf got here alright. The latest of your letters is dated Nov 22 & in the same batch. I got a Gore letter posted Dec 22nd, so there must be some more somewhere, anyhow I was glad to get this bundle & to find that you are keeping better. I can’t quite understand that cable of mine being dated Oct 30, as I handed it in about 22nd, & on the 24th, I went to Hosp. Perhaps they date them from the P.O. in London. Since then Mark has evacuated & I think W. Hume too. It is news to me to learn that Mark is engaged to his Blighty cousin, although I knew they were pretty friendly. There might be something in in it but I’m afraid Mark’s engagements are not very binding.
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I notice May has a good deal to say on the question of marrying “Tommy” girls & gives quite a lot of buckshee advise. Perhaps she doesn’t know how many N.Z. girls have broken off engagements with soldiers out here & got married to rejects & shirkers. I could give her a list of a 10 or a dozen men in our Coy who have been treated that way. In some cases the girls have got married on the soldier’s allottment money. I have known the men, some of the whitest men in the Coy, & I have seen some of the letters & I know something of the effect it has had on them. The “Ossies” have to put up the with the same thing & that has a lot to do with the increased rate at which they are marrying English girls. The latest Australian returns show 800 marriages a month, almost incredible but it’s official. If May wants further enlightenment I’ll be glad to supply it, & not being personally interested I can give her an unbiassed view. Of course she might say these are personal cases & should be treated as such but it is different here, an insult to one soldier is an insult to us all. Therefore such as see fit are marrying in England &
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good luck to them. I am glad to hear that the ring & p.c’s arrived. May says she is wearing the ring but I am afraid it’s not much of an ornament. It is interesting, I’m sure, to know that she didn’t think think much of Addie. As far as I know nobody expected her to, but wait till she sees her ma. I was not surprised to hear that Albert’s photos were similar to mine. I expected that, but thought they might have kept better. Fancy that photo of the Coy turning up at last. I had given up hope. I was surprised to hear that Bert had gone to W.F.& Co. I thought he was at the other job for keeps. I don’t think there is much local news except that I am knocking about & feeling pretty fit. I suppose you will see that Min Looney has been awarded the Royal Red Cross, & I reckon she has earned it. That would be Sid Pearce’s photo in the Witness he got smacked on the 12th at Bellevue & died of wounds. Had a letter from Colin McKenzie (Ensign) a few days ago. He is in a Machine Gun Coy & doing alright. I think this is all – enclosing a few stamps for May, next time.
Love From
Len
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Last lot papers not arrived yet but they usually get through alright.
[Written on the back of Page 3]
P.S. Received a card from Nellie Columb today.
