Weymouth, April 9th, 1919

My Dear People,

Just a few lines to let you know I an leaving Weymouth to-night to go on board the "Medic" & will be sailing for Australia to-morrow or next day. I do not know what port we are leaving from or what route we are going, at any rate I expect I will be home early in June. I am lucky getting away so soon, if I had not gone into hospital & stayed with the Batt I would have been this side another 3 months at least.

HMAT Medic

I expect the Military will notify you of my embarkation. I got two letters from Henry Tralaggan over a month old. He put the wrong number on them, he wanted five Pounds which I could easily have given him, but, I expect he has gone home before this.

Well I will close now hoping you are all well & expecting to see you all soon.

I remain Your Loving Son & Brother

10/4/19 On the train for Devenport (Plymouth) & will be on board to-night, most likely we will go via Panama.

France; July 7, 1918

My Dear People,

Just a few lines to let you know that I am quite well and doing all right. Things are not too bad now, the weather is good, there has been a bit of fighting going on, but everyone is waiting for Fritz's next big push which will happen any time now. If he does not hurry up you'll not be able to force the Allies to terms as the Americans are becoming a very serious item in our armies and they are getting over here at an enormous rate, so I don't think that there will be any peace for a long time yet.

I have been promoted to Corporal and I am altering my allotment from 26th of July to 6/6 per day. 1/6 is deferred. I'm still drawing 2/- per day and from that 26/7/18 you will draw home 6/6 instead of 3/-. Of course it will be some months before it is paid to you, as it takes a long time to go through from here, but the pay will probably be sent to you in a lump sum, when the alteration goes through. I have been drawing 5/6 per day as a temporary Cpl for nearly 3 months and by the end of July my Pay Book will have a credit of £45.0.0 which is a very nice sum to have available over here, besides that I have a fair bit of cash on hand, as I have spent practically nothing since I came to France this time. There is an Australian mail in and we will probably get it in a day or so. Hoping you all well.

I remain

Your loving son and brother,

Tom.

France, March 29, 1918

My Dear People,

Just a few lines to let you know that I am quite well. I joined my old Battalion 10 days ago and went into the front line the same night. We did a few days in the line and then shifted out. I suppose you know that Fritz has made his big attack and it is quite likely that I will be having a bit to do with stopping him during the next few days.

I had a very good trip to France this time, but have not had an opportunity to write owing to the shifting about. I sent a couple of field cards which I hope you get alright.



Since joining the Battalion I have received a Burra Record and 12 letters - 3 from Mum (Nov 4, 8, and 15th) 4 from Annie (Nov 11th, Oct 28th, Jan 13th and 21st) 2 from Siss (November 20th and Jan 16th) and 3 from Kathleen (Nov 2nd and 29th and Jan 20th), one of which contained a 10/ note. I appreciate Kathie's kindness but I am glad to say I do not need the money. I think this is just about all my letters now. The only thing that I have not received is the parcel with Siss' wedding cake and the parcel of gloves Kathie sent me, so I have been pretty lucky.

Harry Tralaggan is still going, but I think his shoulder is pretty weak. He tells me there is a rumour going around at last Burra Show that I was killed. I do not know if you heard it or not. It was supposed, in the Battalion, that I would not get over my "whack" as the man who dressed me did not give me much of a chance, but it will take more than that to finish me.

Wally Arnolds is quite well and has got a stripe now.

March 31st.

Still quite well and resting in billets, must close now.

Hope you are all well,

T. J. Quinn

Portsmouth; November 21, 1917

Ward A 15
5th Southern General Hospital
Milton Division

My Dear People,

Just a short note to let you know I am getting along first rate.

I am able to walk about now but it will be a month before my wound is healed up, although it is very healthy and is doing first rate. Of course the bandages hinder me a bit but I think I will go for a stroll tomorrow. I do not use a stick as I have no faith in them. They are like girls, they would let you down if it came to a pinch.

There is a lady here who looks after the Australians here and gives us our Red Cross stuff, cigaretes etc. I got a razor etc. off her. We are looked after real well. There is a chap here who was in the same section as Bert Lilley and he tells me Bert won the Military Medal - good luck to him.

I do not know how long I will be here. I might be sent out to an Australian hospital at any time. We are paid the magnificant sum of 3/- a week here, but I do not spend any at all as I do not want for anything.

I am enclosing the bit of shell that made a hole in my leg. If ever I get home I will make a watch pendant of it. Well I must close now. Hoping you are all quite well.

I remain

Your Loving Son and Brother

Tom

France; September 15, 1917

My Dear People,

Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well.

I received a letter from Annie & Mum (July 10th) & was very pleased to hear you were all well & I was pleased to hear Mum had got her little souvenir alright. I am a long way from that Cathedral now, although in our last camp we used to see it every day as we were within 2 miles of it.

The summer ends here on 17th September when the clocks are put back in accordance with the Daylight Saving law. The leaves are beginning to fall & it will soon be getting cold again.

Mat & Mick & the other lads have moved up to the line & I think we will soon be going up too. It is pretty near time we do a bit now as we have had a big spell.

Postcard from France

Harry Tralaggan has gone away to hospital with his shoulder again. It is very weak and comes out easy now. I told you before that I gave him £5.0.0 and that his people would pay it to you over there. I was very glad to be rid of the money as it was a regular nuisance to me. I have not received Siss's wedding cake yet. In fact, the only parcel I received was the parcel of flannels you sent me early in the year. I suppose the others are lost at sea.

Well I must close now as it is nearly mail time. Hoping you are all well.

I remain

Your Loving Son and Brother,

Tom

Hurdcott; March 11, 1917

My Dear People,

Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well & doing alright. 

I got two letters yesterday one from Sis and one from Mother - dated Jan. 9 & 21st. I was very glad to hear you were doing alright & had got my cable. We had a lot of snow here Friday & it had been raining ever since, so the snow is all thawed now & it is not very cold now. I am going to the bombing school at Lyndhurst tomorrow. They have altered the run of things here now, before you used to do all your training in one Company till you were fit for France, but now you have to go through the 4 Coy' s.

When you arrive first you are put in D Coy, then C, then B, & finish up in A. When you leave A Coy you go to France. This change was started yesterday & we all shifted huts. We were transferred from D to B Coy. Previously each Battalion had a Company of its own which trained all its reinforcements. It will mean that there will be a lot of shifting as the men will only be in each Coy two or three weeks. But it is part of a soldier's training to move about anywhere. 

We do not have to eat brown bread yet, as although they are cutting down, the rations for civilians they are still looking after us pretty well.

I am enclosing in this letter a receipt for the sum of Ten Pounds (£10.0.0) which I gave another Sgt. here. He is only drawing 1/6 a day & was rather low financially & as I had nearly £20.0.0 on me I gave him ten. He was in the original Battalion, was wounded in France & is now one of the anti-gas instructors here. His people will pay the money to the credit of your account at Elders. When they do this & send you the receipt for it, you are to send this receipt I am enclosing to his people at the address on the receipt. It saves him the trouble of getting the money cabled over here. If my duty pay goes on much longer I will either have to bank it or else cable it home to you as I do not want it here. I expect his people will write to you as soon as they hear from him. I will repeat this information in another letter in case this one goes astray. 

I was very glad to hear that A.V. [Almondvale] was putting up a fairly decent crop & I hope that eventually you will get a good price for it. I hope the parcel of flannels you are sending get here before I go to France, but I am pretty well equipped that way at present. I will be at Lyndhurst for about a fortnight & I believe the grub down there is not too plentiful, so I suppose I will have to buy up a bit at the canteen which I have not had to do since I joined the army. My weight now is 11st.11b. so I guess I am not doing too bad. 

Tell Nell her Frankie is alright & is still in the cook-house. A good place to be. Well as it is nearly bed-time I will close now. Hoping you are all as well as I am.

I remain, 

Your Loving Son & Brother, 

Tom.

They are sending a Photo of the Sgts of this Training Battallion to some of the Australian papers so you might happen to see it. Tom.