Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Writing to his mother (Mrs. A. C. Webling, of Ansell street, Semaphore), Sgt. Norrie Welbing, A. Company, 43rd Battalion, says:-"In your letter of September 29 you wondered whether I was in France. We attacked the Hindenburg line on that date, our last stunt to date. I will not forget it, for one of our boys had won the V.C. in the previous stunt, and he was killed beside me that evening. We were having our tea (stew). and were enjoying it behind a bank, all scattered along in bunches of six or seven, when a shell just lobbed on the bank. The V.C, his cousin, two or three others, and I were sitting near, and it caught the cousins and another man. I found myself on my hands and knees, and had lost power to move for a few seconds. The men struck were killed almost instantaneously. I was lucky to get off without a scratch. CHRISTMAS AT THE FRONT As we could not get a place big enough for the battalion to have Christmas dinner together, we had the use of a big tent which held about half the battalion at a time. So A and B Companies had theirs first on December 24, with the band playing a few selections, and the officers waiting on the men. The sergeants had theirs in a room. There were 10 of us. We had one turkey, and the colonel made a speech and told us that the ladies of South Australia had cabled £250 for; this dinner. I don't know how to thank them for my share. It is marvelous how the women of 'Aussie' have looked after us while we have been out here. I think they have played as big a part in this war as the men who have gone to the front There is no doubt about it, the Australian soldier is the best looked after of all the soldiers in the field. The sun is shining out beautifully today, and there is not a cloud. This is quite a contrast to the 1916-17 winter. We are still in France, but there is talk of shifting to Belgium and occupying parts vacated by the Germans.