{"id":213,"date":"2013-05-09T05:27:01","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T05:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/warletters.falkor.gen.nz\/?page_id=213"},"modified":"2013-06-26T20:29:43","modified_gmt":"2013-06-26T20:29:43","slug":"neil-mother-9-sep-1917","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/warletters.falkor.gen.nz\/?page_id=213","title":{"rendered":"Neil – Mother: 9 Sep 1917"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sling
\nSunday 9th Sept.
\nDear Mother
\nI received two letters from Dad yesterday, and Trot and I one each from Gorrie, and Trot one from you. \u00a0You must not forget that when you receive this letter say on October 31st, it is in answer to your letters written early in July, and that we yet know nothing of the 16 letters that you write between those times. \u00a0By the way in case a whole ambulance section gets strafed, they dont encourage two brothers to remain together. \u00a0They separate them in order to make practically certain that not more than one will get a knock. \u00a0Therefore don’t assume that I shall see the letters written to trot after you receive this. \u00a0I was rather surprised that Vic was reported seriously wounded. \u00a0 I should give three months \u00a0sx<\/span>paration allowance to get wounded in the same way and get back to Blighty just in time for ‘Xmas leave. \u00a0I always was fairly lucky. \u00a0Perhaps it will stick. \u00a0We are just back from London leave. \u00a0We went up on Tuesday. \u00a0We went\u00a0to a matinee at the Coliseum Tues afternoon and to “Three Weeks” Tues night. \u00a0It was moonlight with a light mist high up. \u00a0We didn’t see them being in the Theatre, but at 8.30 a lot of police whizzed round the streets on motor cycles with the notice “Air Raid Expected” and later at 10.30 with the notice “Enemy craft on way”. \u00a0We came out of the theatre blissfully ignorant of the fact that the Germans knew we had arrived in London and were going to have a go at us. \u00a0We were staying at the Y.M.C.A. Aldwich Hut, right in the centre of London. \u00a0I was in my cubicle and had just got half a puttee off when the sky pilot in his xxxx service voice said along the passage “air raid Take cover in the dugout”. \u00a0The old hands back from the front had seen bombs dropped before so they went into the dugout. \u00a0[Vic says it is all rot about the old hands taking no notice of shells at the front. \u00a0He says it is the new chumps who pretend they don’t care and stay in the trench when they hear a shell whine. \u00a0The main body men have seen high explosives hit trenches before, so they dive into the dugout every time. \u00a0Perhaps that is why they are still there. \u00a0I suppose those early ones that did not dive don’t need to now]. \u00a0Several of us new ones went outside the hut to have a look. \u00a0The searchlights were very busy and all the motor buses were stopped, but everything else seemed as usual. \u00a0 We went down to the Strand and all the buildings were on their feet as usual. \u00a0All the people had disappeared down cellars and tubes. \u00a0The tubes are anything up to 200 ft below the ground. \u00a0Just then one of the big searchlights that had been groping around stopped. \u00a0We could’t see anything at it’s end but shells, shrapnel I think, immediately \u00a0began to burst there, and a felt hat not being much protection we began to think of having a look at the dugout. \u00a0Just then a bomb dropped about as far as the top of Richmond Rd is from you. \u00a0The noise was so great that I have no exact recollection of hearing it. \u00a0I have got a sort of idea that it went from inside my head out , instead of from outside in, as usual. \u00a0The whole of London shook and the echoes through the streets afterward sounded as if about a dozen blocks of buildings were collapsing. \u00a0Three other bombs dropped within a few seconds all within about 300 yards of us more or less. \u00a0The casualties in the city itself were very slight because there are plenty of cellars and tubes and things and therefore practically no people are about. \u00a0There is a special London motor ambulance service to look after anybody that does get a crack so that novices on foot are not thanked for exposing themselves and interfering. \u00a0So Trot & I went back to the hut (only about 50 yds) to find the dugout. \u00a0We found it all right but by that time the strafing seemed finished so we hung about for a while ready to dive in but nothing happened so we went to bed. \u00a0About half an hour after 14 more bombs were dropped, but none seemed nearer than a mile and the ladies and everyone were still in the dugout and our trousers were cold so we stayed in bed. \u00a0A peculiar thing about a bomb is that the flash does not seem to to come from the bomb itself, but from the whole area round the bomb like this (diagram) not this (diagram) . \u00a0The actual flame from the bomb is about the size of Mt Eden upside down. \u00a0We had a look at the place where the nearest bomb fell next morning. \u00a0It made a hole in the wood paved street about 8 feet across and 6 feet deep. \u00a0Here’s a diagram. \u00a0Every window in both hospitals was smashed and some had their frames blown in as well. \u00a0Some 2 ft solid colonnades at the entrance to the hospital at A had bits the size of your head chipped out of them. \u00a0A 5\/8″ plate glass window at B facing the Strand was blown in by concussion and there was a nice general mess up everywhere. \u00a0One of the Tommies told me that some time ago a bomb from a Zepp hit a TNT high explosive dump and every building and lamp post and telegraph post for 1\/4 mile was blown absolutely flat. \u00a0Casualties admitted 100. \u00a0Casualties actual – censored. \u00a0The aeroplanes seem to have got London really wet. \u00a0In most houses they post xxx of the family sentry and xxx and those who relieve xxx stay awake to warn the rest of the family if xxx are approaching. \u00a0There is no general rocket or gun warning given now. \u00a0Only motor cycle and police whistles. \u00a0Eleven pages is enough for one spasm. \u00a0(He was half way down page eleven of the letter)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time you get this you will probably have had news of what we already know here is going to happen soon over there. \u00a0(This may be a reference to the Third Battle of Ypres, \u00a0ie Passchendaele, \u00a0which started at the end of July and lasted to early November)<\/span> \u00a0[That sounds drunk but it is all right]. \u00a0Vic wont be over there in time on account of his luck on 7\/4\/17. \u00a0(perhaps he means 10\/7\/17 when Vic was wounded)<\/span> \u00a0We won’t be there either I think.<\/p>\n

Yours
\nNeil<\/p>\n