Dvr Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division – attached to 17th Divisional Supply Column, British Expeditionary Forces: In France. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We have been hard at it since we first arrived, but for the last few days have been having it a bit easy. I am a few miles at the rear of the trenches. Our usual routine for several weeks past has been: Reveille 2.30am, on the road at 3.15am with provisions etc for the day. They are taken from our wagons on to the horse transport wagons which convey them into the trenches. We then return to the railhead and load up for the next day.
A whole train-load of hay, corn and provisions of every description is transferred from the train to our wagons in just over an hour, and as soon as our column is finished, another column pulls in and empties a second train, which is shunted in; this continues throughout the day. This will give you some idea of the huge quantities of supplies that are consumed every day. After we have loaded up we go back to our camp, which is at the side of one of the main roads; the column is about three quarters of a mile long. We then clean up and get our wagons ready for the road next day.
Up to present there are no casualties amongst us, and I have not yet had the pleasure of getting to grips with the enemy but expect we shall get our turn sooner or later. There have been some terrific bombardments near us lasting for several days and nights; there is just one continual roar of heavy guns firing and at night; the sky is lighted up for miles with the flashes.
I went through a town some days back which had just been shelled; almost every window in the place was shattered and several houses blown to pieces. I saw two shell holes in a 10 foot wall big enough to drive a wagon through. I will not be sorry when I get back; it would be a real pleasure to get into a clean rig-out and a bed.
We are fortunate enough to get a bath every week. It’s fixed up at a brewery (no beer there, worse luck!) and is just a water pipe with two sprays attached. About 50 men pile into this place at a time and as the time for bathing is limited, there is a free fight of naked men to get under the spray’.