Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 117
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[Page 117]
Ye old dugout
Anzac
10-6-15
My dear Dad
Its the hardest thing in the world to get an envelope here. They are scarcer than gold. Have scoured the whole area & can only now & then rake up a few. For this reason I'm afraid that I have to enclose in the home letters, notes to other parties, trusting to your kindness to forward them. Am still fit & well & enjoying life to the full. It is quite exciting now though much quieter than it was a few weeks ago. Tommy Turk learned a severe lesson last time he attacked so I dont think he'll come again unless specially ordered by von Liman. So we are just marking time with occasional sorties now & then to keep the enemy awake. The bombardment of our position is spasmodic: comes with a rush some days & there is then comparative peace for hours.
The loophole snipers are also far less active & the casualties in the trenches are few. We were told at the outset that the trenches are the safest places to be & this is quite true. Schrapnel now & then knocks down the parapets & does a little damage but in Shrapnel Valley & Suicide Walk it bursts at all times & even in the dugouts one is not wholly safe. Our brigade has been in the trenches for 3 weeks and our losses are 12 killed & 70 wounded. Col Ryrie does the rounds of the trenches