Billets
8/3/17
Dear Everybody,
Oh! yes, I know it is time I was writing again, & I guess you all think so too. Well I guess I had better make some explanation, & this is it, we are supposed to be resting, & up to a certain extent we are. At lest the men are, but the officers I’m afraid are having rather a strenuous time. For a fortnight now we have had to go at pretty high pressure, but I think the back of it all is broken now. I don’t
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think I have done such constant hard thinking since our early days in Tahuna Park. We have been carrying out some new reorganization & doing very strenuous training at the same time. So far as the men are concerned the training has been, or half of it at least of a recreative nature. The mornings have been devoted to military work & the afternoons to recreation. For such large numbers it is rather a big job to organise something to keep every man in the Coy. doing something. Couple all that with
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the military work that had to be got up every night you will be able to imagine that we have bad very little spare time at our disposal. However we are coming through the ordeal with flying colours, & smiling faces, so I don’t think one ought to complain. We will be going into the line again shortly, & this time into a much livelier sector. I wish I could tell you where, but if you have had any idea where we have been, when I say we are going in in a sector only a few miles away from the one we came out
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of. I have had a good deal of mail one way & another this last week, & I was pleased to see that they were addressed via Hoopers again. I get them so much quicker. The latest is dated 14th of January & is easily the latest in the Batt. When I said my letters were dated 14th Jan. I had people from all through the Batt inquiring how I managed it. It is at least a fortnight earlier than any of the others. According to my latest advice all seemed to be going on very well &
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work in general seemed to be well advanced. I also saw the doings of the stables, & am expecting to hear of big tings in that direction later on. I received your Post Card & photo of the two splendid little boys Jean. I would like to be able to pop round for a while & see them in reality, they look splendid little fellows indeed. I also had one from Lottie & from Balamona, so you see I am being kept well informed, better I am afraid than you are. At time of writing we
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are passing through a particularly cold snap, snow followed by frost & a cold piercing wind. Today the N.Z. Div was inspected by some big guns. We have not heard what impression was made but we are painfully aware of how cold it was. A few days back we were led to believe that spring was beginning to make its appearance, we had several glorious mild days, but alas our hopes are dashed to the ground, & I beleive we must look forward to another month at least of cold weather. I have not heard from
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Charl since writing you last, but I should guess he is getting along pretty well. We are living too in the splendid expectations of what the successes on the Ancre & Mesopotamia might bring forth. The operation on the Ancre have certainly come as a bit of a surprise, very few people ever thought that Bosche would evacuate some of his strongest fortifications in such a manner. To my mind it indicates pretty clearly that he is not prepared to stand up
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to what the Allies have in store for him. It would not surprise me very much if the big push we are all working for never comes off, just because I feel sure that Bosche knows as well as we do that his number is up. However, should he choose to wait we will have an opportunity of shooting home to him what war really means in the way he wages it. If he can stand up to the stuff he is going to have hurled at him, well he is a better soldier than the world give him credit for.
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St Quintin, & were within 2 1/2 miles of the town itself. That being so it is quite possible that a battle for that place is now raging. Should it fall to us, well I refuse to state what the possibilities may be. I think that is enough of war, it will all be stale news to you. The part of the line we are holding is one in which there is considerable artillery activity, & in all probability you will see in the papers that South of Ypres & Eeast and South of Armentieres there is increased artillery activity & that the enemy carried out
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a raid on our trenches North Armentieres. Well it is all quite correct, & they neither elaborate or deflect from what really going on. As i write there is a constant rumbling of guns going on, & we just remarked tonight that a fortnight ago we never used to hear anything from it. It seems to have increased so gradually that we have hardly noticed it until tonight. Whether it means anything or not I am not prepared to say, we can only do our worst & hope for the best. If you have received all my letters you will
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remember I said that Hugh Crawford was getting his commission in the artillery. Well it came through Divisional orders last night, that he was to proceed to England to under go a course of training there with one of the Cadet Schools. This will mean at least 3 months in Blighty for him, rather descent dont you think. He will make a splendid officer quite one of the best in the Div. I wonder if he will think of running down to see Kate. I had a letter from Charl last night from
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Raffah. He seemed to be in particularly good form & was evidently looking forward to some interesting work in the near future. May be we will soon be hearing more interesting news from that quarter. I suppose you will all remember Garfield Stuart who used to be in Riverton. I met him out here a few days ago, & have had dinner with him in a Club in a certain town out here, & he in turn has been up to dine with me. Now I must be off, I am keeping as fit as a fiddle, & now that spring is approaching we are experiencing some glorious days. Affect. Brother E.S. McI.
