Pictorial record of Ned Dwyer's time in France with the AIF Page 7

France 8-9-18 Dear Kate, Glad to hear that all is so well at home.  I am in perfect health and we are out for a spell and to reorganise.  There is no need to tell you that we have had some fighting during the last year, but in the last few months we got all over Fritz.  The Yanks blame us for saving the situation on the Hindenburg Line and they could not do too much for the Aussies.  And the French people have not met Australians before and now they know where we come from.  We are overcome.  I hope they leave us out here for the winter and then we don’t mind hard fighting again in the spring.  So long as it is open fighting which is a long way better than just holding the trenches.  In the open we can get at him and then the best must win.  Even the enemy now admit that they cannot win against Australians.  We are proud of our uniform and little Army, such a handful, too.

The 42nd Battalion still lives and I think will live.  It was good enough for so many of our brave lads to go under with the colours up, and has won such a proud name for the Battalion that is good enough for us to fight for, to the finish.  The whole of our little army is stirred up about it.  We are proud of all our Battalions.  Not one has ever failed.  No other army can say that. Love to all, Sonny.

France 17-9-18 Dear Mother, Glad to hear that you are all so well at home.  I am quite fit and well in spite of the hard work that we have had lately.  We had an unusual evening the other night at our mess and that salvaged piano came in very handy.  I am sending the menu as a souvenir.  It was real good considering that we are miles from civilians and only our rations and canteen to draw from.  We had invited several singers from our Division Concert Party and the songs of Aussie were encored, I can tell you.  And last night we went to a concert and the song ‘My Old Bush Land Home in Australia’ was encored several times.  The singer, Thompson, is a pearl.  Will is still away in England.  If his illness is not serious he is lucky.  Remember me to all. Love, Sonny.

• This letter tells of the frustration, anger and great disappointment the men of 42nd Batt. felt on hearing that they were to be disbanded and absorbed into other Battalions.

France 22-9-18 Dear Mother, I am quite well and fit.  I am sorry to say that the Battalion that we have fought and won with for the last two years, that never failed to get where they were sent and were never shaken by the enemy and only a couple of weeks ago chased him over 23 miles and smashed him every time he tried to stop, is to be broken up.  There is so few of us left.  We will be put into different Battalions for the time.  They say that we may be reformed in the winter.  I hope that it comes true.  It is real hard and the fellows are moping around with long faces, from the Captain down.  The Captain could scarcely speak to us this morning.  From the Captain to the sanitary bird, D Coy was like a big family.  We always had fine Captains and there was no better fighters in France than D Coy, 42.  I am sending you the colours that I have worn through the Somme battles this year.  I will let you know what Battalion I am sent to.  I think that they will send my men with me wherever they send me, or rather, what is left of them. Love, Sonny.

Killarney, Ireland 9-10-18 Dear Kate, Have at last been able to see the beauty of Killarney Lakes and they are some lakes.  How I wish you could see them.  No wonder Irishmen love this place.  I could make myself quite contented here.  Now I wish the war would finish before my leave is finished and I would take my discharge here. Yours sincerely, Will.

France 27-10-18 Dear Kate, Hope all well at home.  ‘Tres bon’ here and I am A1.  Met Willie Dacey or rather Sgt Dacey last night in a boozer and had a good long yarn.  He had a good time in Blighty and is tip top now.  Willie Walker is still in Blighty.  I have had a letter from him and he tells me that he is all right again.  The weather is getting cold here now.  We expect snow next month.  I hope that we will not be in the line.  This place will do me for winter. Love to all, Sonny.

France 27-10-18 Dear Mother, How is all at home?  I am well and fit.  I met Willie Dacey.  He’s not looking too bad at all.  Another sergeant and I were sitting in an Estaminet having a drink when I noticed two 1st Division Artillery Sergeants walked in.  One was Willie.  He has not seen Jack for some time.  Things are very quiet here but we are not growling about that.  It is nice to see civilians walking about the village and going about their work without fear of shells or bombs. Love, Sonny.

This is the final letter written before the Armistice was announced

France 1-11-18 Dear Kate, How are things going at home?  All well here.  I think we are winning now.  What do you think of the Aussie soldiers now, or what is left of them?  How is Fred and Clara getting on now?  We may be home inside twelve months now.  The sooner the better.  Kitty will be nearly four years then.  I wonder how she will take me.  I would like to be in Paris when peace is declared, if it is not too long.  We are at a farm house just now.  It is the Sergeants’ Mess and we are real comfortable.  One of the fellows is just going to make coffee.  It is about twenty past eight pm.  One of the girls on the farm is a cripple, one leg is deformed.  Today being All Souls’ day, they have all been to Mass and there has been no work with them.  Of course, we had our work to do as usual.  If the weather would only keep like this it would be fine to leave us here.  We have not heard a shell burst for quite a while now. Love to Mother and to all at home, Sonny.

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