"Gone From Me Forever" C.Anderson

France 15/3/18

Dear Colina I received your letters and was very please to here from you I also had some from you lately that was dated the time I was wounded I thought I had missed some of your letters Poor old Rueben has got his arm broke in two places I hope he gets to Australia this time he has been a very good soldier as game as you could make him Donal is in Parris on leave.  Will has not come over from Blighty.  I am in the same unit as tom all my mates in the Battalion are gone from me for ever They are only one out of nine of us left two with me.  You mention in your letter that Chris Cameron was returning he is lucky well Colina I have very little news to tell you Tom wishes to be remembered to you address my letters 22nd M.Gunn. boy A.I.F Well I must close wishing you all the best of luck remember me Dug and Dad

From Yours

Sincerely Charles G Anderson

"Someone Better than I" D.Anderson

France

3.3.18

Dear Colina

A few lines to let you know that we are all well We have had a few days fine weather but it did not last long & we are getting snow again & it is as cold as B-l.s (?) again now I received the chronicles you sent Thanks very much for your kindness I saw your name & Lucys in the list the fancy Dress Ball so I hope you had a good time I saw Les a few days ago & he is tip top he is such a doer so I hope he has a good spin this time in action I did not get a letter from anyone this mail so I thought I would write you an Doll a few lines as I won’t have the chance for a few weeks now as we are not always free to write I have not seen the brothers lately so I wont see them now for some time as we never know were they are most of the time Charlie is with Tom now I had a letter from him and Tom last night I am sending you a letter from Cathie Spence so I am going to send it to you so you can see its true about Son.  I jut wrote to her for a joke as I did not think it was true Les said she is a very nice girl I may go & have a look at them when I go on leave again Les said he had a grand time with them.  I will be going on leave in about twelve weeks time  As I am going to Paris any day now when I get the chance.  We get leave to Blightyevery six months now so it is something to look to look forward to Well Colina I am going to ask you are you in the same mind yet as when you wrote to me when you went home from Melbourne have you got any one else yet.  I have heard that you have so I would like you to let me know if I am still in the bad books with you as I am full up of being alone now.  You can guess the rest.  So I would like to hear from you first but I know my answer from you befor I get it but it will be the last time I will have to ask you.  So I hope you wont be offended with me.  But it’s a bit hard to read your letters as a frend but I suppose its all in the lifetime and I only had myself to blame as I should of seen long befor that you wanted someone better than I.  But I will always think the same of you as befor no matter who ever you have I have sent you all a card each so I hope you get them.  I wrote to you an Lucy last weekso excuse this scribble as its Sunday today & I have been going all day & I am dead tired

 So the best of luck to you & best wishes from Don

(Ed note: Donald and Colina married after the war, and are my great grandparents)

"10 or 12 Years Time" C.Anderson

Dear Colina just a line wishing this to find you as well as it leaves me at present + also the boys Will has been landed back in England well he has not got cold feet like a lot more I can name in Rushworth.  I am in the 22ndM.Gun Company now with tom.  Rueben is in the 3rdDivision head quarters I am glad you got the Photos all right they were not the best by any means I will send you some better ones when I go to Blighty that wont be long I hope Well Colina I have very little news this time I will drop you a line next week.  The weather is improving over here now it is about time too.  I like the M.Guns far better than the infantry I left a very good battalion but most of my mates have been killed or wounded I hope to home in about 10 or 12 years time if all goes well.  Well I must ring off

 Wishing you the best of luck from Yours Sincerely Charles

"Over the Top" C.Anderson

Somewhere in France 15.2.18

Dear Colina 

just a line wishing this to find you as well as it leaves me at present. All the other boys are well. I was with Don and Tom on Sunday, they are both looking well. Poor old Tom is just the same old stick. I am so glad Bob got his discharge They are a few about Rushworth. O.neills. Mac Cardles and Howes and a few more that should fill up his place, him being a married man.

Wehave  s (?) one heavy snow here this last few weeks it as been raining today, it makes every think very bad over here when it is raining.  I met Harry Bailey last night he is well.The Two Johnson Boys are in the 37. Les Spence has not come back yet, I do not know how they do it, put in 8 or 9 months in blighty. Leo Burns is in the 37 Band he was only in the line 25 minutes and got hit in the leg. I have been I have been (ed note:  repetition is authors own, at page break) in France a little over 10 months now and I have been over the top 5 times they are men here that have been in France 15 months and has not been over the top, as soon as a bit of a push comes on the get sick or get out of it some how.  I have been in 3 big advances Messiens and Ypres and Pascisindale and the last few hours just before I was to be relieved I had to go from the front post over two miles to the rear to Carry up Bombs and I got a bit of a crack. I was only away 8 weeks, just came back in time to go in the line, I was in the line 32 days and Seventy five of us was picked out for a raid. Well we carried out that raid we had 4 men killed and 12 wounded,  it was one of the best raids that ever Carried out on the western front we killed about 100 Germans in 25 minutes. I only got two I shot one in the back and he never give me any more trouble I bayoneted – One young fellow killed 16 fritzys with bombs,  he got an M.M I am sorry to say he got killed him self two days after.  the chap that was in front of me got a M.M. but he never deserved it, he was the biggest Coward I ever seen, as soon we got in on old fritzy this chap had to Call on me, I came up and run back for is life.  I was second in and last out of our Partey, us Boys do not think any think of a meadle has the ones the wins them never get them, I have seen Officers with meadles and when they are well down a Dug out away from the Shells N.G.O and Privates has to do all the work so when we all get back to Australia these fellows with meadles wont be so flash. I seen M. Police getting M.Ms a little wile ago and they miles behind fireing line. as long as I get home with a sound Boddy I will be sater fied they are plenty of Cold foots in England that has not seen the line yet.  Well Colina, you will be surprise to hear that our Death Rolls for this last four months as been 20000 and wounded and killed 48 thousand. it is impossible to describe any think like these western front Battles, they are to frightfull to mention.  I was up the line today we are in reserves now the First and Second Division are in the line and the 3rdand 4th are in reserve the 5th is out resting. I sopose we will be going in any day now the Boys in the line did not look to bright on it they were up to there waist in mud ever think is all over mud a Chap is very lucky if he gets wounded and gets out alive

 

(Ed note :  While there are no more pages of the same type of paper with this letter there is another type of note paper marked with YMCA with the Australian Imperial FORCE. Which contains the end of a letter that seems to be in the same shade of ink and was filed in another plastic sleeve with it seems to have no flowing context.  I am going to assume that it is actually the end of this letter and transcribe it below.)

Wright soon tell Doll I have had no letters for a long time now I am going to Paris for a few days and then I will be in time for Blighty.  I will ring off from

Yours,

Faithfully

Charles. Anderson

 

Address of A.Corp

39mBattalion

O.A.S.

France

Never put any other address

Ed note: spelling and grammar have been for the most part reproduced as per original, with some punctuation to improve readability.

"You Can Guess the Rest" D.Anderson

France

Feb 8 1918

 

Dear Colina

I received your ever welcome letter & was pleased to hear from you I had a letter from Lucy also dated 13.12.17 I am pleased to hear about Chris And I wish him the best of luck & a safe return.  I will look Will up when He returns as the rep (?) that he is in is just at hand so I will find him out.  Les in our div I saw him a few days ago but did not have time to have a talk to him so I hope to see him again in a few days time I have not seen the boys for a few weeks now I had a letter from Charlie last night & he said that Tom is out for a rest & so are we for a few days.  Well its what we call a rest you can guess the rest.  I had such a nice letter from Cathie Spence.  I am sorry now that I did not go an see them but I will go the next time as I will get my next leave in about five months from Now and I will see it in the good old summer time I hope.  I must ask her is it true about heran Son.  She is sure to ask me where I got the news from so I must put the blame on you for the time as I know you will go off but I wont hear you so it wont matter.  I am sending you some silks for a present so I hope you get them.  I could not send you anything for xmas as we were far from the reach of them then so it is better late than never I am sending some to Doll as well I will send some cards and date them last year & don’t you put my pot on.  I think Lucy will have a win this time so they cannot say that he as cold feet And I hope who ever you have you will be able to say the same don’t forget the boys that have gave up all as there will be plenty to return.  Bill Pettard is returning to Australia one of the lads had a letter from him he was a good old sport and he just what you said he was, a hard doer We have not herd any more of Delcassy since.  He was not to bad. WellColina I think that I have told you all for this time I will write you again next week.  Trusting this finds you in the pink

From

Yours Sincerely

Don Anderson

"Plenty in Rushworth to take his place" C.Anderson

4/2/18

Somewhere in Belgium

 

Dear Colina just a short note as I wrote you a long letter in a green envelope I hope you get it I was very please to get your letter dated 26 nov, and glad you got the cards and Photos you ort to get more yet.  I will send you some better ones when I got to Blighty as you cannot get any good ones in this part of the world.  Rueben Don and Tom are out for a rest I am dodging the shells but we cannot dodge the mud it is no Bon now the weather has been fairly good this last few days but the nights are very cold.  I hope to have a good spell when I come out this time.  I will send Lucy a photo next month I do not think I have missed to many of your letters and I can do with all the mail I can get it to France.  I met Jim McLeod he did know that his Brother was killed till he came down to see us I was the first one he met but I never told him I let him go down to the 37th Batt Jim is in the hospital at present I went up to the 7th Batt to see him but he was sent to hospital I would like to see him sent home he has had a good cut now he has been over here close on 3 (?) years now They are plenty in Rushworth to take his placeMacardles, Howes and ONeals I dont know how they can lift there heads and talk to people that has Brothers or Sons over here I would like to see them over here for a few hours it would wake them up any how I don’t think we will want them I hope

 

(Ed note: End of this letter is missing.  It was incorrectly filed together with a letter from Don Anderson presumably as they were both pencil written and looked similar, however, transcription of the contents and closer inspection of the handwriting reveals they are from 2 different people and unfortunately the end of Charlie’s and the beginning of Don’s letters are both missing)

 

"Get a Ripple On" D.Anderson

France

Jan 23.1918

 

Dear Colina

I received your welcome letter & was pleased to hear from you.  I saw all the brothers on Sunday last and they are all well.  I was glad to hear of Bills return.  As I gave up looking for him over hear.  I was very sorry to hear about Ben Jones Jim McLeod went to see is brother Don so you can tell what a shock he got as we thought that he was all right.  Les is on is way back home Charlie had a letter from Cathie Spence to say that he had gone back to France.  Jack Peel is over hear.  Delcassy & Bill Pettardhave gone to London sick.  We may get some mail now Bill Pettard is away as he used to get a bag to himself every time.  I don’t know how he can answer them all.  He is a grand chap we used to have some good times.  Delcassy only got a hit on his arm.  He seemed fine and it gave him a few days spell they will be able to have a good time when they are all right again as they are two hard cases.  I wonder is there any truth about Son &Cathies she must be some girl to take his fancy.  I must write to her Charlie is going to go up to see her when he goes on leave we will know then if it is right or not just fancy Bill getting married.  I will soon have to get a ripple on now or I will miss the bus.  Is Mick getting on all right again?  The dancing must be getting too good for him but I hope to hear that he is well again.  I did not send you any xmas cards as they are far from our reach just now.  I will have to send some later.  I wrote to Lucy last week.  Well Colina I cannot think of any more to write so I will have to draw these few lines to a close trusting they find you in the best of health as it leaves me the same.

With kind regards & Best wishes, I remain yours sincerely,

Don Anderson