Letterhead: YMCA. On Active Service with the British Expeditionary Force

France

Oct 4th 1918

Dear Kate

I received your letter of July 31st and as things are quiet today I may as well answer it. Just now we are keeping the old hun on the move and helping to win the war. We had a very good spin this time and nabbed a lot of jerries also a quantity of material. Bill found four revolvers and a pair of glasses in a dug-out so we are all wearing one now. The other night the CO wanted a wire run up forward to a certain corner in a trench and Bill & I landed the job. However we got up so far and did not have enough wire to go the

[Reverse page 1: I met Frey Keaney the other day also Ernie Duncan & Jack Henry]

distance and it was just as well for the old Hun had two machine guns right in that corner. He was not there during the day but must have come forward when it got dark. If we had got up there it would have been all up with us or we may have been in hun land by now. The brigade officer complimented our CO on the good work of the sigs as we were the only ones who (had a) were out. I got an old watch off a hun but it is not much good and hope to get a better one next time. This pencil is also a hun and I am not in a good writing mood so you will know by the writing. I had a letter from Aunt Jane saying she

was sending a parcel each and I hope it gets here all right. The night we were out laying the wire it was as dark as pitch and rained heavily so we got soaking wet. The track was very greasy and half the time we were down in the mud on our knees or else running up against the corner of the sap (trench). Oh it is a lovely war? One place I led the way over a section of railway and this was over a hole so that Bill coming up behind instead of walking in the sleepers tried to walk on the ground between and came a gutzer. We started away at 7 oclock and just landed back at midnight going at the time. I was dead beat my legs would hardly carry me up the last stretch to our dug-out. Since the though we have had a good time doing practically nothing.

Last night we were watching our planes above here and in one lot we counted fifty and then there were a lot about we could not see. The old hun is sort of beat in the air although he watches his chance to dive over and put one or two of our balloon down. He also watched our observation planes and gets one now and again. He is cunning, he floats about in the clouds and when he sees his chance down he comes on the poor old RE and a burst from his machine gun and that is finish the RE. I saw him have a go at me the other day but he missed and soon made off home as there were some of our planes away up high.

Bill tells me that Teed (Charlie) has left the railway to join; well I think he is a fool as he may not get through with his training and have to go and find a job. It is all very well being patriotic but that stuff is only good in NZ. One soon loses …. of it out here …. Corfe is standing up to it all right but I doubt if he will last it. Anyhow I think the war will be over before he gets here at last. I hope so. We certainly have got the old man thinking just now and if this continued during the winter I can see him getting a rough time in the spring. Well I may as well stop now as I have very little to say. Hoping you are all well, with much love.

Young Un 16522 A E Balneaves