France

Sept 22nd 1918

Dear Kate

So you have let Corfe go into camp again. He is a fool (excuse me) and I only hope he does not get through with the training. I am sorry to hear he got into camp after this first spin and think he must have pushed in with the crowd. Charlie is also anxious to come over here and he will be just as anxious to get back again. I only hope it is all over before they get this far and that we are all on the way back to you again. I see a photo of a draft leaving Dunedin in the Witness and they do look downhearted. Still it is not such a bad old war when you get a six week course at school and your mates are going for the Hun. Bill & I were away back watching the papers and wondering what our crowd were doing. At one time the corps lost all trace of our

division and we thought there must have been a proper mix up. All is well so far and we have lost one or two good chaps out of the sigs which is very hard luck. The last day we were at the school we tried very hard to get a trip up in one of the big planes that were there but our luck was right out. You should see the bombs they carry. One cove I couldn’t put my arms around it so you can guess it is some bomb. Well we are having showery weather just now and as there is not much room in the hut we are billeted in I have got a little hole in the side of the bank and am trying to write a few letters. I hope you will pass this letter on to the rest of the family and that will kill two birds with one stone. At present we are out resting to get fit for another go at the hun and one never knows when that is going to come off. Tonight I hear the guns going at top so something must be moving and I hope it is the old man on the

move back to the Rhine. I reckon we will have that Hindenburg line before the winter comes on so it should have got bivvies for the troops to live in. Bill and I both have a fair number of YMCA tickets and they are very handy just now. I think Bill had over three pounds of them so it will save his pay now that it is time to save up for leave again. I am going to have a trip up to Binhill (?) this time and if I have got time I will go over to the Ferry and Balquhadly (sp?) I get a letter from Lizzie Rankin pretty often and have promised to go there this next leave. It is rotten tough not getting leave in the good weather and I expect it will be well on to Xmas if not after then before we get our leave again. I would like to have a go at Paris leave but it would knock my pay book flat so will have to wait for a long time yet. Ivan McGregor has been wounded but I hear not bad so he is set; the old lady will be in a stew over it but if she knew that there are

dozens of men here would like to be in his place. She ought to be glad he will be out of it for a time anyhow. One never knows but what, he may have got it hard enough to go back to N.Z. All I can say, good luck to him if he has. I heard that Bob Milne was either killed or wounded. I saw Charlie Smith and he seems to have had quite an exciting time of it. I hope he doesn’t write home all he told me that’s all. Jim Grierson is all right, he called here to see me but I was out. Andrew Binnie has been wounded but I have not been able to find out if it was bad, will let you know later. The Mataura boys seem to have had a good spin from what I can make out, a bit rough you know but plenty of luck.

Will close now – as it is getting dark. Best love to you all. Ewen.

16522 AE Balneaves