No doubt you must have thought that I have forgotten you altogether. If such thoughts have entered your head I hope you will forgive me, for I have been very bad even now my hand is all in a tremble as I have only been out of bed for about a week and have only been outside in a bath chair but I [I’m] getting on allright now so I hope I will keep on improving as I have had a serious relaps [relapse] when I got shiped [shipped] from Malta Hospital to England if I had not been transfered [transferred] so soon then I may have been in the fighting line long before now, but fate would have it otherwise.

I have now been in the Hospitals of England since the 17th of October and have been transfered [transferred] on three different occasions this last place is right in the country, this big mansion belongs to Sir Walter Shakerly [Sir Walter Geoffrey Shakerley, 3rd Baronet (1859–1943)] in which I am at present as this fresh country air is supposed to do me more

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good, and I am well feeling the results of it.

I suppose you know now what has been the case with me, as I have had a letter from Miss Lambourne a few days ago she said you wrote to her that I have had the Enteric and wish that it would have nothing else, but I have had the dysentry [dysentery] very bad in the trenches and followed on with Enteric when I was taken away from that infernal place of hell, and I was not a bit sorry.

After I had been in Malta a few weeks and the climate was too hot there, we all got transfered [transferred] to England, well Gill you should have seen our pleasant smiles when we heard that news smiling then was much easier at that moment than bearing the terrific pain, as I was almost a half dead skeleton for I had been through the Aug 6th big attack and right up to the Aug 16th nother [nothing] but fighting day and night, Oh my God it was dreadful.

My greatest trouble was I got a relaps [relapse] on my way to England, with the result that my whole left side from my toes to my finger tips got swollen and powerless with frightful pain. It is through this that I am suffering most, up to the present time I have had twenty injections of Strichine [Strychnine] in all parts of my body

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and am very pleased to say that I am almost able to use my limps [limbs] again, as the doctor says I am getting on beautiful so I think with a bit of luck I will be able of going on my six weeks furlough in England with in [within] a nother [another] month.

As you may understand that we were not allowed to write a letter all the time we were in Anzac as we like to call that never to be forgotten place. I have not been able to tell you much about it even now I doubt if I could tell you much through writing as it is too much to write about so it is useless to make anything like a job of it you will have to be contented untill [until] I come home, you know that us mounted troop went there a few days after the landing which was almost as bad as the landing in one way, of course we did not have the same amount of fighting, but the Turks big guns had the proper range of our landing place and a lot of our boys got killed before they could fire a shot or even see a Turk.

Our real heaviest fight with the Aucklands boys were on the 17th of May we accounted for over two thousand of the Mr Turk as we only lost about one hundred and fifty.

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Oh what I [a] gruelsome [gruesome] sight to see you [your] best pals brains get blown out right alongside you, for nearly every one on that morning got shot through the head.

Many a time I quite unconsciously ducked my head as I really believe that bullet was meant for me and often wondered when my turn would be next.

I have had some marvellous escapes I got wounded in my leg with pierces [pieces] of shell but only flesh wounds, I have had my hat shot off a couple of times and felt for the blood, but the nearest was when I got hit on my cheek with a bullet cutting it with the blood all over my tunic, and another bullet took all the hairs of [off] my Eye brow just leaving a little scratch, very strange it was just then when we see blood your own blood when you get right in the thick of it, of course I got into some scrapes and thank God that I am alive to tell the tale. It was simply dreadful at times fancy living amongst shell and bullet nights and days without sleep, and only Bully beef and hard biscuits from one weeks end to another and at the first weeks with sometimes only half a pint of water

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in a blazing hot sun, and still you would not hear a murmur only when are we going to have another go at them.

It use [used] to turn me sick at times to see the dreadful pierces [pieces] of human bodys [bodies] lying about, with a head rolling without a body legs and arms all over the place, often I have taken cover behind our own dead, as Mr Turk was having a shot at you, the bullet would plunk in the body in front of you; Oh Gill this was Hell on Earth for if Hell can be worse, but I really think it can’t be worse.

I stuck to it and through the last fatal Aug 6th, it was here a [I] lost all my mates for ten of us in the same tent althrough [all through] our time in E.g Eight are killed and the other alive besides myself had his arm blown off, our boy [boys] suffered as only New Zealand boys can suffer were being slaughtered in thousands 1200 of us charged Hill 971 and about [300?] returned.

I could fill a book but I [I’m] getting sad to think of my poor comrades, and as you will know by now all for nothing as our boys are withdrawn. I [It] is almost a pitty [pity] that we had to fight the Turks for he is a very fine fellow and a very clean fighter, and I really think at times

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fought even … then we did, I allways [always] will have a good word for him.

Well Gill old chap I think you must have read about some of our doing [doings?] on the dreadful place so I will be glad to let it rest.

Now a little news about our journey and the Old country, although I have not seen much of it so far. I left Malta on an Italian Hospital boat I got treated real well we had a few English sisters, but all the rest was Italian even the doctor, it was rather strange for they seem to do all things end about even to the food as the boys used to get there [their] pudding first then meat and eggs or potatoes with the soup last. My share was eggs and a large tin of milk.

We stopped a few hours at Giberaltar [Gibraltar] my world [word] it looks quite an inocent [innocent] place with a gun showing here and there, it is merely a huge rock.

Our landing place on these shore happen to be South Hampton from there we went to Manchester in a Hospital train it was glorious, as the country is very much like the South of New Zealand, as most of journey was in the night I did not see much of the interior so far bar the last few days since I have been

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out of bed, I have been two month [months] in Manchester and the weather has been something dreadful terrible storms hail and snow falls and I am sure that we did have a single hour of fine weather in those two month [months], did not even see a ray of the sun.

Manchester is a big manufacturing town and a very dirty place, with foggy days with the smoke hanging low you were almost suffocated at times in fact the lamps in the hospital were burning nights and days for weeks as there are only a few lamps in the streets as they are terribly afraid of aeroplanes attacks the town is almost in darkness.

So I was glad when I got transfered [transferred] to my present locality as we have had a few days of fine weather, as this place is quite in the country it is more pleasant here although it is very lonely.

There are only a few New Zealand boys here and I have been treated real well for the nurses and sisters can’t make too much of you when they here [hear] we have come from N.Z. so I feel more like at home amongs [amongst] them telling them of God’s own Country.

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I have made some very nice friends since I have been here and some very nice girls amongst them, and I have received a lot of nice present [presents] from them, cakes, fruit grapes cigarettes chocolates and many other nice things so don’t be surprised if I fetch a little girl home with me, of course Gill there are also a terrible lot of bad girls here, as you can see them with soldiers all over the town, some of my pals on furlough told me it is something horrible to see the girls carry on, it is nothing to see some hotels full of young girls.

I will have a good look around when I get on my furlough as I intend going to scotland [Scotland], and also Ireland I am making my head quarters in london [London] so I will see a bit of the old place.

I almost forgot to tell you that I have made friends with a Scotch lady Mrs Dickie she is in conection [connection] with Lady Rutherford who is a [?] head of the New Zealand War Contingent Association from whom I have received lot of nice Xmas gifts and other useful things, which I

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am sending on to you to keep for me till I come home. I am also sending on some papers which I wish you to read but whatever you do keep them for me as I would not like to loose [lose] them, we have had our photoes [photos] taken and of course the nurses would have me sit in the easy chair for I had to get out of bed for the purpose.

Well Gill old chap most likely by the time you get this letter I will be thinking of leaving England for the front as I will try to get to France this time. I don’t know what my next address will be.

Remember me to all my friends and don’t forget old Taffy.

I hope you will forgive me for the bad spelling but really my head at times gets very sore the effects of the machine fire and heavy explosions and for world of me I can’t remember some words.

Hoping these few lines will find you in the best of health, fairwell [farewell] Old Pal

I remain Your Old Pal

Trooper F.C. Trenue

13/747

Auckland Mounted Rifle

New Zealand.

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P.S.

I received an Auckland paper from Effie Milne this morning and she says that you had wrote to me and perhaps I had not received them.

Well Gill have not received a letter from you at any time after I had left Egypt and I believe I have received one Auckland paper in Anzac from you. I believe there were a lot of letters for myself and other boys which we never received the post Office Authorities here were rotten.

Nearly all the parcels and gifts from the New Zealand people send [sent] to us we hardly ever saw anything of them, for it was well understood amongst the boys that the Army Service boys took fine care of them.

When we were in Egypt the New Zealand butter send [sent] for us we could buy of [off] a native store in the next village so it must have been sold to them by what you would call; Look after our boys men. Effie mentions that they were exspecting [expecting]

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(P.S.2) down in a day or two I do wish I were with you and could have a jolly good time remember me to Effie & Edie. I shall send you a post card from the differant [different] towns I intend going to.

How is Old East Dean and what about a champane [champagne] supper, I am afraid I shall have to come to a close as I have a lot more letters to write and am very lazy so Good bye old Chap.

F.C. Trenue

P.S. I received your papers today thanks very much indeed, how is the share market going on I hope you have made enough to buy that car."