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Le Havre, 26th September 1918

Have arrived safely, had quite a good time [...]. Have met heaps I know already, and now we are at the big Pool, expect to go up the Line at any moment after tonight. Lovely weather and a beautiful crossing, just a little pitching but nothing to worry about. I am sending this home as I expect you will be there just about the same time.

France, Sunday, 29th September 1918

Had a very quick and comfortable journey, wonderfully quick. Having quite a good time but taking a long time to get up. As I said in my last letter I was due to move soon. Well, I left ten hours after I posted the letter and have travelled by train ever since until 11.30 last night, but we have a long way to go yet and we want some rest. After the train, we brought up a large number of men. We are placed a good distance behind the lines now and can see a lot at night, but heard nothing but the aeroplanes of both sides and a few Archies [anti-aircraft fire]. I know I am going to the Div. I wanted, so that is all right; I expect to go up in a day or two, but I cannot give the address yet. We are in a spot which the Hun left only three weeks ago, so it shows he is going back fairly fast. We passed and stopped at a few old places on the way and it looked almost impossible to shift anybody from it. Just as I had finished this, as I thought, I received orders to move on [...]. I am now in hearing of the guns, at any rate, but still a long way off. I must have passed Morgan [Noel Everard's brother], as he has gone down to Paris two or three days, so I hear. He is well known here by officers and men. So I suppose I shall not hear or see him for a few days. Cannot give you any sort of an address yet, as I may move up to a Battery any time as there are vacancies, I hear.

4th October 1918

I am still on the move, but as a matter of fact I have stopped two nights in the same place. Morgan came in the other evening from his leave in Paris [...]. Well, he asked me to his wagon lines for supper, so off we went; but we never found them that night, so we slept in somebody else's W.L. for the night. I woke up in the middle of the night very cold and wet through. I felt with my hand and found about 3ft of water all round me. Anyhow, next morning again we hunted, but no luck so I left him and came back. Two hours later he came back to start afresh and succeeded but I again tried to find him out but failed, and I was out when he came today, watching the effect of the shelling the Hun was putting on us. I expect to go to a Battery any moment and I am almost certain which it is and I think Morgan knows, but he has not told me.

5th October 1918

Very busy so cannot write much, and there is only a candle to write by as I am down in the depth of the earth. Having quite a good time and I went up to the gun line yesterday; they had had a great day with the Boche. Morgan and I have succeeded very well in missing each other ever since we first met. His battery is alongside ours at present. I think the news is awfully good: Bulgaria and Turkey given in: we won't take long at that rate! And we are getting a move on here soon, I hope. I must be stopping now, as I have a great deal to do and not much time to do it in. We never know which day of the week it is and have quite a battle with ourselves which it is, generally ending in going to the Office Clerk.

11th October 1918

Just a line - awfully busy - not a moment to spare; have not had a wash for a week, neither have I been out of the clothes I am standing in, so you know that it has been impossible to write. I am expecting a note any moment to move. Sorry old Morgan got hit; I did not see him, though he passed two yards from me. It's quite slight, through the shoulder, and has not touched the lung, as expected. Send me cigs: cannot get a single one. I have just run out. I am going to claim Morgan's parcel, being no good to him now, and it won't be kept.

15th October 1918

Just a line before we start moving again as we expect to do so at any moment. The last parcel you sent to Morgan - boots, I believe, were in it - was nearly all pinched on the way; the one before, I opened and kept a cake and cig; the rest I sent back to the 37th. I am afraid that poor old Morgan will be very upset when he hears that his Battery has been given to [?]. Poor Morris will be wild, as he was saying every time I have seen "I hope the Major will come back and that his place will be kept open for him." They are simply devoted to him and they feel the loss awfully. I hope he will be able to get back to it. I was so sorry to miss him and only by two yards too, as I was on my way to the guns with the teams when he passed in our mess cart. Well, things still go on well here. I have seen a heap more people I know, but have always met them when I am busy with leading the Battery up into action.

[Another letter]

15th October 1918

I have only just posted one to you, so this will not go till tomorrow. [...] We are certainly moving, but are stuck at the moment. I have had four days here in the same spot, wonderful; but I hear the Boche is beginning to dig in. I hope we knock him out of it, that's all. There was a parcel for Morgan today when I went over to his battery and I told them to send it home, as it is impossible to carry any stuff about now. The men almost worship Morgan and as they don't know I am the brother, it's quite amusing. I have come across lots of fellows, as I have said before. It's raining hard today so we are not likely to move for a bit.

24th October 1918

I don't suppose for one minute that you will receive this for ages. I have been trying to post a letter for Morgan for his birthday ever since the 17th of the month. Now I give it up. We are moved at an awful rate over maps as fast as a fly could crawl. Have not been to bed for three nights now nor a wash of any description for the same time. Morgan will be sorry to hear that poor Hilditch has been killed, shot through the head by a M.G. bullet while working as F.O.O., this happened on the 23rd early morning. I was awfully sorry to hear about it.

We are at the moment halting, waiting for more orders. We often see the civilians of the towns, they look very ill, most of them. I have been having quite a thrilling time lately being chased by shells, but so far have been very lucky. I have got a piece of shrapnel that missed my cheek by a fraction of an inch and hit a wall beside me, so pocketed it and moved on. Well, it is time I stopped, I think, as this will be old news when you get it.

27th October 1918

We are actually out in rest at the present moment, but I may say it has not been much of a one so far as we got shelled in the wagon line again, and had a bad score against us. It took us 5 hours to bury the horses with a number of men helping. I saw Jones today, he says Morgan comes out next week, so I shall be on the watch and go up to the battery about Thursday, if I remember the day of the week and I am not too busy. Please send me out a store of studs front and back, a couple of ties and tie pins, as I have lost all mine in the push. Well, we expect to go into action again at any moment. The other Brigade have already gone in. We had a concert party up for our benefit today - they called themselves the Wiss Bangs and really very good. We found an old knocked about Barn and sat in straw. I saw Morris, and he expects Morgan soon at the beginning of the month, but I believe Jones has written to tell him to stop until his kit arrives, if it has not already done so. Send me cigs out as they cannot be got anywhere up at the front. All right for those at the Base and we are forgetting what it is like to have one. It's raining hard again, now, so I expect another bath soon.

Good bye and best love, from Noel.