The Baker Boys Episode 6

3^rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital,
Dartford.
19^th January 1918

Dear Girlie,

The latest letter I received from you was dated October 30 saying that you heard I was wounded.  I suppose you know by this about poor old Ross being killed in October.  It is awful Girlie, I can hardly realise it.  I breaks my heart when I think of Mum and dad and you all at home.  What a terrible blow it will be to you all.  Poor Mother.  I know how she will feel it.

The last time we were together was on the night of September 22^nd. I had just come out of the line and Ross came round to see me.  We were just behind the line watching the lights and that going up and our guns shelling Fritz’s aeroplane and talking about home and everything.  We said goodbye about 11 o’clock as Ross had to get back to take ammunition up to the battery.  Little did either of us know it would be the last time together on this earth.

I expected to get a transfer in with him but I got knocked back on the first of October.  We used to be tother a good bit.  I got some letters returned that I had written to him while I was in hospital with killed in action written on them.  It nearly killed me when I got them.  I could not see his name in any of the casualty lists and I felt that I could not write home till I found out for sure or not.  I made enquiries but could not hear anything.  But this morning I seen his name on the list.

Well Girlie, I will say ta ta.  Will love to you all at home.

Your loving brother,
Les.

3^rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital,
Dartford.
19^th January 1918

Dear Mother,

I received your letter dated October 26^th today and was pleased to hear from you Mum.  I don’t know how to write to you about poor old Ross.  I can hardly realise it.  I know what a terrible blow the news of his death will be to you all at home.  The last time that we were together was on the twenty second of September.  I had just come out of the line and Ross had found out where I was and came round to see me.

Poor old Ross.  He was always anxious about me.  We were together the night before I went into the line when we made that big push on September 20^th.  It was hard parting and we knew too well that a lot of the boys would not come out of it.  We were trying to get together but I got wounded on the first of October. 

I don’t know where Ross was killed.  I have got one of the Red Cross Enquiry chaps to make enquiries and get any particulars that he can for me.  I know how it must be for you at home so far away and never knowing the minute you will hear some bad news. 

I was awful at Ypres.  There has never been such fighting or so much artillery used in all this war.  Shells were falling almost as thick as hailstones.  Our batteries are exposed and close to the infantry lines.  The Australians had heavy losses there and I hear now they are going into another big shunt at Messines.

I am better now.  I have lost the use of the fore finger of my left hand and my right knee is pretty stiff.  I can only bend it a little, and my left leg has some pieces of shell in it.  They hurt when I walk. 

I don’t know whether I will go back to France or not.  I may have as we are so short of men.  I wouldn’t mind if I were fit.

Well Mum, I will say ta ta for the time with best love to you all at home.

Your loving son,
Les

In the field
3^rd of February 1918

Dear Girlie,

I received your letter dated 16^th November and was very pleased to hear from you.  I was wounded with a HE shell.  Three of us were in a shell hole together.  I had just been digging a connecting up two shell holes to make a bit of a trench and a shell exploded along side of me and blew me in against the side of the hole and a large piece hit me in the back but it only cut through my tunic and bruised me a bit.

The concussion knocked the wind out of me so I had just gone round the corner in a bit of a possy we had and sat down and another chap came along and he seemed pretty frightened so I let him have my possy and I sat down just a bit away and lit a cigarette.  I had hardly got it alight when another shell burst right next to the chap I had given my seat to and blew him to bits and wounded me and another fellow.

I don’t know whether the other chap died or not, he was pretty bad.  I was half buried and the concussion was awful, just like as if two steel walls was closed on you and I could not hear a sound.  Could see the shells bursting round but could not hear anything.  My left eyelid was burnt and a few small pieces in it but my eyes were not injured at all.

I have just found out that poor old Ross was killed on the 18^th October.  I can hardly realise it.  I often dream of him and fancy that I am with him. The other night I dreamt that we were all home together in the kitchen.  I could see you all so plain and all the furniture in the kitchen and everything. It seemed so real I could hardly believe I was dreaming.

I just received another letter from you dated the first of November 1917.  It was strange that you should dream of getting news that I was doing well as I sent a cable somewhere about the time you dreamt it with exactly those two words, “doing well”.

I am much better now and am in the 3^rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital Dartford.  I take a run up to London occasionally.  One of the nurses at the hospital I was in took me out to tea a while ago and she took me to a theatre and to tea afterwards on Friday last.  She was very good to me when I was in hospital.  She is a very nice girl, you would like her if you knew her.

She had a younger brother of hers killed in France last January,

Well Girlie, my wounds are all healed now but my right knee is pretty still and the forefinger on my left hand will never be any good to me again.

Well Dayde, I will say ta ta with best love to all at home.

Your loving brother,
Les.        

Number 4 Command Depot,
Hardcote
March 3^rd 1918

Dear Mother,

I received your letter dated the 22^nd of December and was very pleased to hear from you.  Yes Mum, I have heard about poor old Ross.  We were together a good bit in France and he was always so anxious about me.  I was trying to get in the battery with him.  It makes me cry when I think of him.  I am absolutely certain he would have been sent home if he had seen a doctor with that eye of his.  I always wanted him to but he was too good a soldier.  Poor boy. It’s a pity it was not me instead of him, he was so well liked, always got a bit of fun out of life where ever he went.

Yes Mum, it’s a sad Christmas.  I know it must be for you at home.

I am fairly well again now except for that my right knee is stiff and I have lost the use of the forefinger on my left hand.  The sinew was cut right through on the back of the hand.  I still have a good few pieces of metal in different parts of my body.  I was well treated in hospital. 

One of the nurses was very good to me.  We are real good friends.  I seen her pretty often when I was on sick leave.  She is a real nice girl and I will never forget her kindness to me when I was laying helpless in bed. It is nice to have someone like that to go to see in a country like this where a fellow has no one to see or care and hang about him. It puts a fellow in mind of home although there is no place like home Mum.

I don’t know whether I will get back to France again or not.  I don’t mind going back if I get the chance but I don’t think my leg will be right for some time, if it ever is.  Fancy me not being able to run or anything.

Keep Jack at home Mum, don’t ever let him be a soldier.  A fellow can never forget what he sees in the battlefield. 

I suppose I will hardly know the girls when I get back, they will be grown so big.

Well Mum, I will say goodnight.  Hoping to be back with you all again some of these days.

With best love to all at home,
Your loving son,
Les.

PS  I got the big parcel posted on 21^st of September alright, came in jolly handy I can tell you.  Would you put some tea and sugar in the next one?  Put it in little calico bags.

Number 4 command Depot
Hardcott
March 24^th 1918

Dear Mother

I have received a whole lot of letters from you, the last dated January 12^th and I was very pleased to hear from you.  I can’t understand how it is you have not received any from me since August 27^th as I wrote some since then in France and while in hospital in London and Dartford and also since I came down here.  I received one parcel while in hospital in London and have got four down here.  They were sent on December 15^th, 19^th and two on September 21^st. You can put a bit of tea and sugar in the next one as you can’t get it over here for love or money.

I have had my four days leave.  I stopped in London as I did not feel up to travelling about. I had a fairly good time.  I put in most of my time with one of the nurses out of the hospital I was in.  We went to go to the theatre and that, so I was in pretty good company. She is a very nice girl and was very good to me while in hospital.  I used to take a run up to London occasionally while I was at Dartford and she used to take me out to tea and the theatre.  She had her only brother killed in action about twelve months ago.

It seems like only the other day when poor Ross and I were together in France just behind the line in the best of health and strength and now Ross is gone and I am here with a stiff leg and pieces of shell all over me.  I won’t be fit to go back for some time if I ever get back. Perhaps they will send me home.  I feel that I would like to go back as I would like a chance to see Ross’s grave and I have a big score to wipe off against those rotten Germans.  I have spared the dirty brutes before when they put their hands up but I never would again.

I wrote to Keith but have had no reply yet.

We are having lovely weather here now, it is just like and Australian day here today.

Well Mother, I will say good bye for this time.

With best love to you all at home, hoping to be with you all again before long.

Your loving son,
Les

Number 4 command Depot
Hardcott
April 14^th 1918

Dear Mother,

Just a line to let you know that I am still in England. I am feeling much better now although my knee is still stiff and my finger is just the same.  I was examined the other day a board next week.  I got my teeth fixed up the other day, two plates top and bottom.

I had a letter from the Commonwealth Bank the other day saying that there was ten pounds there for me.  I will be getting four days leave next week so it will come in handy then.  I managed to make what I had last out on my ten days leave.

I wrote to Keelty some time ago but have not heard back from him.  Things are not looking too bright at present.  Fritz has pushed us back a long way.  I saw Jerry Hughes and young Gill in London while I was on leave, they were both on leave from France.  I have been on the lookout for any of the chaps from Ross’s battery but have not struck any of the yet.

I hope that you have received some of my letters before this.  I will be very glad to get a few days leave to get away from this place for a while.  It is very deadly here, no-where to go and nothing to do.

Well Mum, there is not much news to tell.

With best love to all at home,

Your loving son,
Les.

Number 4 command Depot
Hardcott
May 7th 1918

Dear Girlie,

I received your letter dated February 15^th and was very pleased to hear from you.  I got the ten pounds alright, it was very handy I can tell you.  I hope you had it to spare.  Don’t ever send any over if it runs you any ways short.

I was boarded the other day and marked C 1 so I won’t be going back to France for some time If I ever go back.  C1 means service in England but I don’t think I will be able to get home anyhow.  I will cable if I am coming home.  If I don’t get home I am going to try to get a job on head-quarters in London.  It will be better than the camps.  I would much rather get home but I don’t think I will ever be fit for the field again.  If only poor old Ross were alive I would not care, it seems so hard after all that he has been through.

I wrote to Keelty but received no reply.  I seen young Gill and J Hughes in London, they were over on leave but have not seen any of the other boys.

I am alright now, can get about fairly well. Of course I cannot run and my left hand is not too good but otherwise I am alright.  The wound in my chest does not affect me and of course the wound on my face does not add to my beauty but of course that does not matter.  I still have a good bit of Fritz shell in me.  I will bring them home as a souvenir.

I wish I could get home but I suppose I will have to wait.  So hoping to be with you all again someday.

With best love to you all at home,

Your loving brother,
Les.

Number 4 command Depot
Hardcott
May 25^th, 1918

Dear Girlie,

I received letters dates 8^th, 10^th and 25^th March and was very pleased to hear from you.  I have never received any papers since I have been away.  They won’t re-address them from the base PO so it is no use sending them. I received that cable alright with Christmas greetings.  Pleased to hear that Dad is well again.  I was anxious about him.

Glad to hear that Auntie is getting on well.  I got the snaps alright.  The one in front of the P O and the one of Bubs.  Received the ten pounds alright.

We are having lovely weather over here.  I see where Kelty was admitted to hospital.  I was marked for home service in England but asked to be sent back to France so I will be boxing on with the Hun before long.

Well Girlie, there is no news to tell so I will say ta ta.

Best love to all at home,

Your loving brother,
Les

Number 4 command Depot
Hardcott
May 25^th, 1918

Dear Mother,

I received letters from you dated the 11^th, 15^th and 22^nd March as was very pleased to hear from you.  I have not had any word from Keelty but I saw where he was in hospital.

We are having lovely weather here now.  I have not seen or heard anything of any of the other boys.  My wounds are all healed now.  The scar on my face is not very big, anyhow I don’t mind it. 

I was boarded and marked C1, that is home service in England and some get sent home for service in Australia.  I applied to be sent home but they refused my application so I asked to be sent back to my battalion.  I either want to go home or back to France.  It is no good hanging around about in these camps in England.  I suppose I will be in France before long although my knee is still stiff.  I can only bend it a little, not enough to be able to run.  But I am not going to hang about in these camps. I suppose they will have to send me back from France in the long run as my knee will never be right.

I have not heard anything about poor old Ross since and have not met anyone out of his battery.  I will feel more satisfied when I get back to France.  I can’t help thinking about poor Ross.  I want to get back and have another cut at those German brutes.  I see they are ready for another big push.  I hope to God they are not successful in this as they were in the last.  I think things will go very hard with us but I would sooner die a hundred times than see those brutes win.  There was another big rain on London the other night but they lost seven machines.

In 1924 Les and his father Jeremiah and younger brother Jack were granted the lease of Theldarpa Station west of Milparinka when it became a soldier’s settler block. They built a bough shed near a water catchment to live in until able to build a home near the Yandama for his mother and sister.

Les married Myrtle Brown in 1946.  He adopted Myrtle’s son Robert and had two additional children Sandra and Michael.

Les died in 1977 and is buried near a short distance from the Theldarpa homestead.  The ashes of his daughter Sandra have since been placed alongside his grave.