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Henry Wright to brothers Les and Gordon, 1916

Page history last edited by Lenore Frost 1 year, 1 month ago

Return to H J Wright Pte 151

 

 

40 H J Wright to brothers Les & Gordon, 6 Oct 1916, Bhurtpore Barracks, Tidworth

See this page for images of the letter

 

School of Musketry

Bhurtpore Barracks

Tidworth, England

Oct 6th 1916

 

Dear Les & Gordon,

 

I think it is about time I wrote you a few lines for no doubt you want to know a little news of this side of the world. it always appeals to any one who has not travelled that they would like to see different parts of the world but take my dinkum tip and stick to the dear old Home for there is absolutely no place like it, mind you I am not sorry I came away because to hang back would be a cowards game, but to leave home just to roam about is a very foolish idea. I ..... know very well when I .... your age I was always ...-ing to roam about to ..... the world I know perfectly well now that ones home sweet home is a paradise. I have been hungry many & many a time and scores of times been without a smoke just fancy sitting down to Bully Beef & biscuits for 3 meals a day of course next day you would get a change to Biscuits & Bully Beef.

 

Well dear brothers I will begin my explanations of the countries I have visited with Egypt. Now Egypt is a Pretty but very dirty place. The natives are a very stinking lot of devils and if you do not watch them they would put a knife between your ribs they are very treacherous and they only way to treat them is to make them frightened of you, when we first went to Egypt we could get things very cheap but when they found out the Australians had plenty of money everything went up double the price. We could buy 2 lovely big oranges for a halfpenny 6 eggs for 2d or a good feed for 6d. The Native women do all the hard work it is a very common sight to see them carrying heavy loads on their head and a baby on their back, of course these are the Arabs & they are black, the Egyptians ....... as white skinned as .... & are a very fine race of people. As you know by the history books Egypt is a very old place & has some very old interesting sites, the Pyramids are a wonderful sight and old Tombs which date back thousands of years ago. I think every Australian who went to Egypt took the opportunity of seeing these wonderful old places. We were camped at Heliopolis about 10 miles from Cairo close to our camp was a very old burying ground & often our boys would go over and dig up the remains and finds beads, coins & other curios I have seen some of the boys come home with a skull and put a lighted candle inside of it at night time you can guess it would give the boys who came home late a big scare, especially if they were a bit tipsy.

 

Heliopolis Camp was a desert when we first landed there but all sorts of shops went up like lightning and many a nigger made a fortune in no time, our boys spent thousands & thousands of pounds in Egypt. Australians are the best paid soldiers in the world, & they deserve it for they are bonzer fighters. Well dear brothers as we did not have the luck to take Constantinople I cannot tell you much of the Turkish cities but I saw plenty of Turks at Gallipoli. I can say they are a fine body of men and dash good fighters, my remembrances of the four months on the Peninsula are like a big nightmare I had a charmed life there & don't know how I escaped being blown to pieces many a time. I could fill a book of narrow escapes.

 

Now we will pass on to land of frogs & snails by joves it seemed a lovely country after Egypt & Gallipoli & everywhere you see lovely fields of grape vines, fruit trees cultivated land & rivers. The people are a splendid race and women work in the fields like a man it is a common sight to see them ploughing & hoeing in the fields and we Australians were always greeted the time of day, we often bought bread off them instead of eating biscuits. Our three days trip from Marseilles to a place called Baieliu was through the prettiest country I ever saw we were within 8 miles of Paris and could see Eiffel Tower plainly, it was a certainty that if they took us through Paris we would have taken leave and had a look round Paris. We were only a little over a week at Baielui about 10 miles from the trenches, we could plainly hear the booming of the heavy guns, we also saw plenty of Areoplane fights which are very interesting to watch. The English & French airmen are much superior in the air than the German and our fellows would soon hunt the German home to his lines.

 

An Areoplane is most useful in warfare and are used mostly for spying out Guns and watching movements of troops I saw as many as 26 of our Areoplanes in a mob going on a raiding expedition. When our airmen fly over the German lines old Fritz opens up a terrible bombardment with their aircraft guns but our fellows take no notice but just go on with their work. Sometimes the Germans score a hit and bring our man down but there is always plenty more only too eager to take his place. These Airoplanes are all fitted up with wireless apparatus and they watch the result of our gunners fire and wire back the results too far or too short as the case may be until our gunners eventually blow up the object the (sic) are after.

 

Now here is a story of one of our airmen an Englishman who was known as the Mad Major1 this man was supposed to have consumption and only had a few months to live so did not care if he was killed I have heard this story from Englishmen Australians & Canadians, who have seen him often, he would fly over the German lines and swoop right down on their trenches and drop bombs he had the most lucky escapes & often the planes (wings) were riddled with shrapnel bullets he would often loop the loop over Fritz's lines & end up with turning his machine gun on them, he is credited with bringing down many a German machine for he would attack any number of them, single handed. here is another story of the Mad Major but I will not say it is true. One day he was flying over the German lines when something went wrong with the works & he had just fixed it up when he was surrounded by the Germans. A couple of German Officers thought they would like to be planed a couple of miles back to their camps and each with a loaded revolver commanded him to fly there he agreed and got in his machine & strapped himself in, the two Officers were seated behind covering him with their revolvers, he flew up into the air & looped the loop which threw out the Germans, he then came back to our lines. Of course you can believe this if you like but I reckon it beats Sexton Blake hands down "eh what".

 

Well brothers everyone who goes to the front has narrow escapes and I have had mine. One day in the trenches previous to doing this raid Frank Trevillian & I were just killing time & having a sing song & old Fritz was shelling our part of the trench with a 9 point 5 shell (known amongst the soldiers as Coal Boxes). Now one of these coal boxes landed 2 yards in front of the trenches where Frank & I was and by a piece of luck missed fire had it gone off we should have been in little pieces. Frank & I looked at one another and then went on singing but I can tell you it made us think of better places than that damned old trench. By Joves as I sit here and write these lines to you boys I am indeed thankful I am having a spell from it all and sincerely hope I have no more fighting for a while I am not afraid to go back but I think it only right that we old hands should have a spell I have now six scars from bullets to show so think that quite sufficient.

 

I had word from Charlie lately saying he was being discharged from Hospital so I am in hopes of seeing him soon. Poor old Bert will miss Charlie very much I do hope he gets through alright, Fred is very lucky getting his discharge & I am very glad for it will help to cheer up Mother & Dad. I'll bet you boys are proud of your soldier brothers & you have the satisfaction of saying none of them were slackers. Well dear brothers war is nothing else but pure murder & the sooner it is all over the better for every one concerned. I am looking forward to the time when it is all over and we come home again I guess we will have a good old time I am positive that at Dad's spree the Champayne will get a severe hiding I have contracted a terrible thirst since joining the Army of course I put it down to Bully Beef.

 

Well dear Brothers we have some characters in the Australian Army, all kinds from Bank clerks to bush whackers wherever there is a mix up with the fists some of our boys are in it but a softer hearted lot you could not find in the whole world, they are ever willing to help a man wounded or anyone down on his luck, they have taught many an Englishman manners by getting up & giving a Lady their seat. They are rough & ready but no matter what country they go to they are classed as gentlemen. In Hospitals over here we are treated with great respect and want for nothing, we gets scores of invitations to visit the wealthy peoples houses I have had many an outing & hope for many more similar ones.

 

I have a nice light job now looking after these rooms in a musketry school I have only to keep them tidy & can finish them in two hours, the job may last 6 weeks or six months I hope it hangs out till the end of the war 3 good meals a day & a nice warm bed to lie on so I can't growl.

 

Now Leslie & Gordon I want you to write me a letter and let me know how you are getting on what kind of work you are doing & if you are doing & if you want to know any particular news about different countries & have been in just mention it in your letter & I will be only too pleased to give you any information I can. I will now close hoping this finds you both well.

 

I remain your aff brother, Henry

 

Thanks very much of your drawing of myself getting my kit fixed I recognised it instantly

Henry

 

 

1 This may be a reference to Major Christopher Draper, a daredevil pilot who became known as the "Mad Major", though his sobriquet may have been attached after the war, as opposed to this wartime reference.

 

Henry Wright to Father, circa 1916 

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