OUR BOYS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 14 December 1916, Page 3

OUR BOYS.

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT. Harry Elvin, writing to his parents at Makarau, from somewhere in France, in October last, says : — It is four weeks since I last wrote a letter to you, but I have been very busy fighting like the dickens, and have ha d absolutely no chance till now. You will see by the casualty list how lucky I have been to get through unhurt, and1 really I don't know how I escaped sometimes. I think we can all claim to have seen some fighting now, and we have been through I consider the nearest approach to hell to be found on this earth. Of one thing lam convinced . and that is that we have the Germans well frightened of us, for in the trenches which we took hardly any of them waited for us, but they' threw away their rifles and equipment and ran for their lives There were very few.escaped however, for what the rifles didn't get were knocked over by the shells. It has been a very rqugh time, but at present we are quartered in a small village some miles away fron} the sound of the firing, and I am hoping for something quieter next time we go into the line. While I think of it, I will just te}l you how the '* Angels" got an. As far q,s I know, none of them have been killed, but the following were woimded : H. L.eyet, J. Joyce, Maitlajid, and Cotterill, " Mother " was sent hack 'to the transport lines for rest and has disappeared. I have not had a ohanoe to find out how Vie Levet got on. Frank Harvey was sent down to the base to be treated for varicose veins, and was not in the advance ; Waltej Hughes and I came through without a scratch. Jack Weller is in the A.S.C. and wasn't near the line. I had a letter from Bert Clinkard from Wheatley the other day, and he seeing very, anxious for n^e to go see. him. if I get to, England. Qf course I'll go if I get the chance.

I picked up a I^Z.Ei.F. papgr in the trenches, and it had the nances of nearly allqur-wqunde4 in England, % glanced through it in the hope. Qf finding; gut where Qhi'is W^s, arid sure enough I found his name as being in Hammersmith Military Hospital. I had a letter from Jack Turnwald, and he tells me he is now in this country, in fact, he is going to try and get into this company. Laurie Turnwald was wounded, in, th,e advance. \ received your first parcel when we were out of the trenches for two days, and I had a drink of hot bovril a couple of days later in a trench, where I could not sit down, but had to stand in mud, up to my knees, and th^e ra^ pouring, down. haiibd, a dfqp of -w : ater with a candle and the lid of an, ammunition box; and that drink of bqvril was the most welcome drink I ever had, T^e Melrqse was very goo.d b,ud just c.arr,e al ll»e, v.igi\i time, for ~\ was ov,i of cigarettes, and you can't get good cigarette tqbacco. here. Anyhow, w r e h_aYO qon,e> goqd work at this part qf the lin.e, and though we were placed between two of the beat English divisions, we kept up to them; and I hear that the New Zealandcrs took every trench they were asked to, and held them. Still, we suffered heavily, as you will see by the papers ; but there is one consolation and that is that the Germans suffered more, for besides tbeiy. r,as,ua>'bies they wen, nusuwt V<\ok two or three ' niiioft: