Sgt George Milne (Lilydale), 6th Battalion: In the field in France. In a letter to his wife – ‘Arrived back from Paris last night after seven days there. To tell you all I saw and my impressions would occupy much space. Arrangements by Army and Navy Leave Club and YMCAs are most perfect and the former occupy a portion of Hotel Moderne, a large hotel situated Rue De La Republique. Inside the fittings are marble, inlaid floors, mirrors and the whole finished in white and gold. Nothing at all in Melbourne to compare, and this is the main soldiers’ hostel presided over by English ladies. Meals are obtainable at all times, and a couple of shops are also inside for tobacco, postcards, etc.
As you will see from enclosed circular, trips are arranged, and we had the pleasure of a couple. The first to Versailles, twelve miles from the city, occupied six hours altogether and transit was by motor. Of course one has a bare two and a half hours to see a full eight hours sightseeing. The palaces themselves, as far as exteriors, are nothing wonderful; but the inside furnishings are most gorgeous, and the galleries, beyond a description from one who lacks art. All floors are inlaid wood and highly polished, the walls and ceilings throughout, are painted by old world artists, and the execution to my mind is of the highest order. Preservation through some hundreds of years old is as though of most recent finish. Of course we did all the Boulevards, including the famous Champ de Elysees, but they will not look their best for month, as the trees are only just bursting into bud. Beautiful avenues radiate from all quarters to the Bois de Boulogne, where there is a lake with the usual pretty surroundings and this vicinity is also a favourite promenade.
Now, I suppose I’ll start the girls talking and criticising, but all the same I mean what I say, viz, ‘Our girls can’t put their clothes on’. It’s an eye-opener to see the tens of thousands of fashions and the greatest neatness is observable, right from the boots to headdress and I can quite understand why we have always to look to Paris for our fashions. Also saw the Paris racecourse Longchamps, but it is practically a thing of the past, as far as racing is concerned. I am posting a small book I was using called ‘Paris’.
All statues and works of art of which the place literally abounds are being protected by sand bagging so from now on sightseers will miss a lot. We had one experience of an air raid in which accepted official figures one hundred were killed and suffocated. Also was on the scene, five miles from the city, within a few minutes of the great munitions explosion and it is a remarkable thing that so few lives were lost, but destruction of houses were considerable. Glass windows were broken even at a distance of over five miles, and in the immediate vicinity, practically not a pane remains unbroken.
Now, for the cooking. We always treated ourselves to a good evening dinner, ranging in price from 4/6 to 7/6 (always the latter), and I am satisfied that treats are a feature in the preparation of meals. Snails I intended having but they are not always on the menu, although I’ve been guilty of eating them with a mixture of other foods. Sugar is unobtainable, but otherwise one has no complaint to make. It is possible, everything going well for me, that I’ll take my second furlough trip (trip I just had was a special one)to either Nice or Paris, or some other fashionable watering place. Rome also, I believe, is in the running but transit is slow and expensive.
We find it hard to converse in French as our slight knowledge is not sufficient to carry us through but we have no difficulty in getting through with a little English mixed in. Our men who are fortunate to be amongst the people who pick up the language in three months easily’.
Trp Vincent Black (Coldstream), 4th Light Horse: Arrives in Australia from the Middle East on the HT Ulysses. He is to be discharged as medically unfit as a result of wounds he’d received in the charge of Beersheba.
TrpIver Hamilton (Mt Evelyn), 8th Light Horse Regiment: Arrives in Australia from the Middle East on the HT Ulysses.