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Letters Home From the First World War July 1917
Arthur has bank overdraft worries, investment income problems ...
S.S.A. 3
France
1st July, 1917
My Dear Mother,
Yrs. of 26th came this morng. Also got yrs. of 17th & 24th, former delayed evidently, but not opened. …
It is rather unfortunate about the £41, I was feeling so pleased that it helped to pay off overdraft at bank, whereas it was paid into yr. acct. Did you not tell them to pay it into mine or how was it? I must ask you to to pay half, or £20 into my acct. now if you will & balance as soon as you conveniently can, as I have to pay interest on overdraft all the time & am trying to pay it off while out here & not spending much. I invested some money borrowed from Bank in things not yet paying but which I hope will make up in income in a couple of years or so for Mexican & other losses I am paying off bank by D?????. Rubber Cos. are being badly affected by excess profits tax, it falls particularly heavy on them infact almost robbery, touches them for various reasons far more than any other sort of Co. & is most unfair, so ones dividends suffer. It is alright for those who are drawing part of the £8,000,000 a day in pay in snug billets, but for those like my self who are not, it is a serious matter.
Raining today, but not hard. Much cooler last few days, but glass inclined to rise again & no doubt we shall soon have more hot weather …
It would be wise to get yr. coal soon, anyway have one cellar full to come & go before winter, as it may be hard to get later. Fancy Molly Lamb being married? A de Burg youth was it not.
It is a good fruit year; sugar scarcity seems chief difficulty, hard to preserve it. Just been to 9 o’c Mass in little church here about 30 yards from our mess hut; a priest stretcher bearer usually says Mass on Sunday. I go after lunch to another village & return here 7th.
Best love
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
France
1st July, 1917
My Dear Mother,
Yrs. of 26th came this morng. Also got yrs. of 17th & 24th, former delayed evidently, but not opened. …
It is rather unfortunate about the £41, I was feeling so pleased that it helped to pay off overdraft at bank, whereas it was paid into yr. acct. Did you not tell them to pay it into mine or how was it? I must ask you to to pay half, or £20 into my acct. now if you will & balance as soon as you conveniently can, as I have to pay interest on overdraft all the time & am trying to pay it off while out here & not spending much. I invested some money borrowed from Bank in things not yet paying but which I hope will make up in income in a couple of years or so for Mexican & other losses I am paying off bank by D?????. Rubber Cos. are being badly affected by excess profits tax, it falls particularly heavy on them infact almost robbery, touches them for various reasons far more than any other sort of Co. & is most unfair, so ones dividends suffer. It is alright for those who are drawing part of the £8,000,000 a day in pay in snug billets, but for those like my self who are not, it is a serious matter.
Raining today, but not hard. Much cooler last few days, but glass inclined to rise again & no doubt we shall soon have more hot weather …
It would be wise to get yr. coal soon, anyway have one cellar full to come & go before winter, as it may be hard to get later. Fancy Molly Lamb being married? A de Burg youth was it not.
It is a good fruit year; sugar scarcity seems chief difficulty, hard to preserve it. Just been to 9 o’c Mass in little church here about 30 yards from our mess hut; a priest stretcher bearer usually says Mass on Sunday. I go after lunch to another village & return here 7th.
Best love
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
Arthur's nephew wants to learn to fly, remote chance of war ending this year, waiting for a row in Ireland ...
S.S.A. 3
July 14th, 1917
My Dear Mother,
Yrs. of 5th & enclosures to hand. I had a letter from Alison written day before you left Turb. [Turbotston] but nothing since. She thoroughly enjoyed her stay there & was quite sad at prospect of leaving …
Had a letter from Will, he tells me Ernest wants to fly, it is hard to advise. Flying at home or at front you usually kill yourself sooner or later, whereas as Lt. [Lieutenant] on the ground you have, I should have thought, a better chance, but I really don’t know enough about either to say. There is, of course, a very remote chance of war ending this year, personally I can’t see why it should, but many think it will, I fancy they imagine Austria will cry enough & from a little inside news I have heard it sounds possible, but the Bosches have such a hold over them. A very quiet 14th July here. I think Govt. give a bottle of champagne between every 3 or 4 men, certainly in trenches & I think at back too …
Will you please pay both enclosed bills & keep receipts for me, deduct what you pay for me out of £41 you pay me back. I want you to send a money order like last time to James A Finlay,
Killamont,
Kyabram,
Victoria.
To be made payable at P.O. Kyabram & for the amount of 21/- I am writing him to say you are sending it …
Three of our men have gone off on leave today, 2 for a month & 1 for 10 days. Two more went a few days ago, so our party is reduced. Buckmaster tells me ???? Bell is coming out to join us, or was, now he seems to be between this & some other job with his own army, probably interpreter, as he speaks French fluently & 2 sisters are married to French men. I had a long chat with him at Bruton St., he was having trouble to get to us being an American. I wonder how that “marriage” is getting along!!!
I see a notice in Times that Lord Dalmeny will not be responsible for his wifes debts!! They are so!! I hear a lot of little things out here about various people, quite surprising some of them. My informant knows most of that set! I asked him about the Dalmeny marriage & he knew all about it.
Is there going to be a row in Ireland. How any Govt. or anyone who knows Ireland, could pretend to imagine this conference would be likely to solve the Irish problem, beats me. It is only a means of staving off trouble for a little bit. It is hopeless to bring 2 pig headed crowds like that together. They practically agree to disagree & everyone surly knows it!
Bosches have been bombarding somewhere all night & so far all day, continual rumble like thunder, where I don’t know, very plain, but not easy to tell distance …
Best love
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
July 14th, 1917
My Dear Mother,
Yrs. of 5th & enclosures to hand. I had a letter from Alison written day before you left Turb. [Turbotston] but nothing since. She thoroughly enjoyed her stay there & was quite sad at prospect of leaving …
Had a letter from Will, he tells me Ernest wants to fly, it is hard to advise. Flying at home or at front you usually kill yourself sooner or later, whereas as Lt. [Lieutenant] on the ground you have, I should have thought, a better chance, but I really don’t know enough about either to say. There is, of course, a very remote chance of war ending this year, personally I can’t see why it should, but many think it will, I fancy they imagine Austria will cry enough & from a little inside news I have heard it sounds possible, but the Bosches have such a hold over them. A very quiet 14th July here. I think Govt. give a bottle of champagne between every 3 or 4 men, certainly in trenches & I think at back too …
Will you please pay both enclosed bills & keep receipts for me, deduct what you pay for me out of £41 you pay me back. I want you to send a money order like last time to James A Finlay,
Killamont,
Kyabram,
Victoria.
To be made payable at P.O. Kyabram & for the amount of 21/- I am writing him to say you are sending it …
Three of our men have gone off on leave today, 2 for a month & 1 for 10 days. Two more went a few days ago, so our party is reduced. Buckmaster tells me ???? Bell is coming out to join us, or was, now he seems to be between this & some other job with his own army, probably interpreter, as he speaks French fluently & 2 sisters are married to French men. I had a long chat with him at Bruton St., he was having trouble to get to us being an American. I wonder how that “marriage” is getting along!!!
I see a notice in Times that Lord Dalmeny will not be responsible for his wifes debts!! They are so!! I hear a lot of little things out here about various people, quite surprising some of them. My informant knows most of that set! I asked him about the Dalmeny marriage & he knew all about it.
Is there going to be a row in Ireland. How any Govt. or anyone who knows Ireland, could pretend to imagine this conference would be likely to solve the Irish problem, beats me. It is only a means of staving off trouble for a little bit. It is hopeless to bring 2 pig headed crowds like that together. They practically agree to disagree & everyone surly knows it!
Bosches have been bombarding somewhere all night & so far all day, continual rumble like thunder, where I don’t know, very plain, but not easy to tell distance …
Best love
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
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