Letter of Francis Mack

January 2, 1918

Dear Mother & Father,

Just a line or two to start the New Year. We have had a pretty fair time during this spell. New Year as you can quite imagine was not without its bit of jollification "Compree"- in fact some of the boys had a great liking to the Champagne Vin Mulago etc. Champagne was favorite for it is so cheap here. But one can make allowances for the exuberant spirit of the few under the conditions we are in. I'll now try and give you some idea of our last trip up to Fritz. First we are billeted several miles from the line- from here we tramp with full wardrobe on back to a like 2 miles or more behind the line where we take up residence in dugouts & are well within shell fire. At midday we go digging a cable for the artillery. This is digging frozen ground with snow frozen hand. Here you stay for say 7 days then pick up your bed & walk (at night in pitch darkness) over and in & out "Duckboard track" - like a ladder on rungs together for about 3 miles-rifle, ammunition, rations, clothes, water. We arrive platoon at a time at our destination & this is "Supports". We again get our dugouts & right away we get to work. 2 a.m pulled out on fatigue to take hot soup up to the line. Imagine this trip, 1000 yds off the line, pitch dark no regular track & ground torn up by shells. We wore thigh high gum boots & as there is so much traffic at night that for half way it is a sea of mud - a party of 10 men getting through this knee deep mud when out rattles Fritz's machine gun- down we all go- mud is far nicer than lead. Every time a Star shell goes up & lights the whole place up you have to stand- not budge an inch. Tis grand this 1000 yds-takes an hour & a half- 3 hours for the whole trip. Next night we get a change- sleep at day of course and out at dusk-this time its raining and we are to mine No-man's Land- pouring rain and we are creeping along on our way to the job which of course has to be without noise- its a great sensation to be laying in the mud and listening to Fritz spraying over the top of you with his machine guns. We get home at Midnight- mud head to foot and wet thro with not the slightest hope of drying your clothes which means for the next two days you are damp. And so the work goes on- fatigues-why would break a man's heart they come so constant. No-one who hasn't been thro the mill can have any idea what it is like. From here you go and do your turn in the line for 3 days and well this is putting you on pins and needles all the time tho sleep is soon the master and you can sleep thro all the noise of the day for from dusk till daybreak all hands stand to. Coming out the second time in we got spotted relieving and Fritz caught a couple of platoons in his barrage. Our platoon only had 2 casualties for we were lucky enough to be just behind it doing a shiver. I mean (....censored...). Its hardly necessary to mention it but should you receive any news of me don't forget to pass it on to Menangle Mother for am sure they would like to know of it. Am Dinkum there you know so Don't forget. Well Mother nothing more to say at present.

Fondest love, I Remain Yr. Loving Son Frank.

From ANZAC Memories:  The Letters of Francis James Mack