from AAT (Click) Bell

1. Letter written to his sister, Annie Bell. Both serving in Egypt in AIF at the time.

18-9-15

Dear Ann

Received the fly veil in letters alright. The fly veil is tres chic. Thanks for it. Had a big budget from home yesterday.

Mother sent me some socks so you needn't send me that fan I mentioned in a back letter. You can get me a bottle of quinine tabloids and a letter pad, one that would go I my tunic preferred. I got one with 100 pages in it, but lost it in the torpedo escapade. I got it at one of those street places pretty well opposite the Palace. If you get short of money let me know.

Click Bell

Notes:

The ship taking the troops from Gallipoli to Egypt was torpedoed, but all survived.

The Palace is probably Heliopolis Palace, Egypt, where an Australian Hospital was situated.

2. Letter written to Annie Bell

~~College St. Sydney~~ Somewhere in Turkey

15 – 10 – 1915

Dear A nn,

I received your last two letters safely. Aunt Peg’s letter was enclosed in one, thanks for the other enclosed ones also. Your parcel with sox, mortein and also the one with chocolate have arrived safely. I saw a fellow who came over with us from Melbourne the other day. He is going to look you up and give you the news: Pte Ashton is his name. I will let you know if I want anything and get him to bring it over. I have enough clothes at present. Will enclose letters from Chris & Jen received since writing you last time. According to herself, Chris’s son must be a chef d’oeuvre. Not much news.

Yr affect brother, Click Bell

You can send me over that leather wallet I left, by post. It will be handy for keeping letter paper etc. in. You will note that this is a bit of Geo ’s paper.

27.10.15 Rec. this letter last night, so am sending it on. AB.

Notes:

Chris and Jenny - twin sisters of Click and Annie

Geo - Dr. George Bell- brother - letter written on George's writing paper with College St. address crossed out.

Aunt Peg - presumably Margaretta Bell, Lewis' sister, who lived in Kingussie, Invernesshire

3. Postcard to Annie Bell

France

(Unknown date)

Dear Ann,

Received your letters and the two parcels two days ago. The last letter I sent you was addressed to the 1 AGH . This card I will addresss to Ismailia . Glad to hear you were very well; thanks for the sox etc, they were très bonnes. Most of the letters I haven’t had came this mail so should get them regularly now. Haven’t seen Leigh . Received the two lots of snaps alright: you can send one set to Grannie and one home excluding the one with the two in front of a tent as they don’t know them.

Hope to see you over one of these days.

AAB.

Notes:

1AGH - 1st. Australian General Hospital

Ismailia - hospital in Egypt - near Suez Canal

Grannie - Betsy Armstrong

4. Letter to Annie Bell

Somewhere in France

Dear Ann,

I received your letter of 11/5/16 some days ago, and was glad to hear you were well: you must have had a good trip to Cairo. Thanks for the letters. There have been a few Australian letters to 17/5/16, but I haven’t received any yet. Saw a fellow who knows where Leigh is camped. This morning he was going to let him know where I was to tell him to come up and see me. They are not very far from here, the drivers ought to be having a pretty good time as I suppose they will only be having their horses to look after at present.

Have had a shift since the last letter I wrote. We have a good room to sleep in on a ground floor. They house has evidently been rather up to date as the old electric light fittings are in it, and the room we occupy has two glass doors with some rather nice embossing on them. Two cupboards and a fireplace on one side, a door in the opposite side, while the other sides each have glass doors. The French seem great on doors into their rooms. It rained a bit last night and is still showery.

W. Stewart ought to be in Egypt by now if he got away alright. What do you think of the Naval engagement in the North Sea?

Am enclosing a photo of the section. It was taken shortly after we arrived in France. Had a letter from Aunt Nell . Alex had left but his destination was unknown.

W. Robertson must have been putting on condition since leaving Australia. There are three or four French kids knocking about here, they are hard cases.

This is about all the news.

Your affect brother,

Notes:

Leigh and Willie Stewart - cousins of Annie and Click

5. Letter to Annie Bell

France

(Could be May/June/July 1916)

Dear Ann,

I received some letters you had sent me on last night: the postmark was 26/4/16. One of them was from Mother in a later date than I have received from her. There was none from you so I suppose it will be a long today: the maps came: you can send me ½ dozen of the group at the tent with me in it, and also send Grannie one each of any that would interest her. Glad to hear you are well and hope you will be getting a trip to France or England. The country is looking beautiful at present. Everything looks so fresh and green: it rained fairly heavily yesterday. The skylark sings very easily in the morning, also the blackbird. It gets light about 4 a.m. We have been having an easy time the last few days. One of the section has a sister, a nurse, she is in France: her name is Regan . Geo Stewart had been doing well at cricket, last report. They had been drafting at “Alma” – Jen’s last letter. Father must have been in a hurry as he passed Jen a fork instead of a plate in a turnover. Haven’t heard of Leigh yet.

I think I mentioned cameras are tabooed here. Marseilles is a prettily situated place: there is a beautiful view from the Notre Dame there, the Mediterranean looked so blue the day we saw it.

Helen was to go to “Alma” with Mother . I saw Betty Margaret in a marriage group in a Punch we happened to come across.

Mother is coming on in the motor driving business, next thing she will be driving an ambulance behind the firing line.

Eggs are plentiful here at present, we had poached eggs for dinner today. The estaminet?? had a good supply , owing probably to yesterday being pay day. Coffee seems the main beverage, they grind the beans as they want it, so it is always fresh: last time we were going to trenches we went to purchase some coffee but on asking at the shop, they only had the beans so we borrowed their coffee mill and ground up a lb - it was très-bon. Wine and beer seem to be drunk a good deal by the French.

This is about all the news

Your affect brother, Click Bell

Notes:

Geordie and Leigh Stewart - cousins

Jen, Helen - sisters of Click and Annie

6. Letter to Annie Bell

France

(Must be 30 June, 1916)

Dear Ann ,

Thanks for the birthday wishes, they came in as tomorrow is my birthday. I received the book you sent on to me alright, thanks. The sox you mentioned some time ago haven’t turned up yet, but I am alright in that line.

Haven’t seen Leigh yet, he arrived to see me the day on which we went into the trenches last time, but of course missed me. Since then, I hear he went into hospital but came out the same day as one of our fellows as he told him to tell me where he was billeted. I believe nothing much was wrong with him, as the fellow who saw him said he was alright.

We are having peculiar weather for summer, showers nearly every day. I suppose Geo will get over in time, hope he gets surgical work to do.

Had a p.c. from Will Stewart , he seemed to think he might be over this way some of these days. There must be a small party at “Burnswark ” now. James was getting interested in the boat race, according to the last letters. The crops are beginning to ripen now, there doesn’t seem a great many men about to harvest them.

I wonder if Alex Thompson has arrived in Egypt yet. Mother ought to be right now that she has got to “Alma” . I have just been told there is a big Australian mail in: we got two together when we came out again the other day.

There is not much news so will conclude this epistle.

AATB

Notes:

Will, Leigh, Geordie Stewart - cousins

Burnswark - Betsy Armstrong's home in Toorak, Melbourne

Alex Thompson-uncle-son from first marriage of Betsy Thompson, later Armstrong

Alma - Booligal, NSW.

7. Field Service Postcard to his youngest sister, Helen Bell. 2 July 1916. Addressed to Canterbury Road, Toorak, Victoria, and forwarded to Alma, Booligal NSW.