Chisledon Camp

Thursday Eve Aug 31/16

Dear Father,

I am sitting in the tent on my blankets at ten minutes to seven. Dorland and MacNable are sitting here reading and Farmer and Jim have just brought in their beds which they have been making outside. There are to be ‘night ops’ at nine o’clock (on wheels). I want to know whether I shall be able to get a wheel or not. Since the long ride I haven’t been on a bike at all as the fellows who rode on that occasion have ever since regarded the wheels which they would have access then as their personal property. I am rather anxious to go out to night as I want to see how it affects me. I paraded to the M.O. on Monday morning and he said that he thought me feet had quieted down and put me on duty again, but this week so far I have hardly done anything but platoon drill.

Have you been getting my assigned pat lately? If so I think you had better send me a draft for three pounds. I want to start a fund for my next long leave and that will be a good foundation. I shall try to save a little out of my pay [?] when I get six or seven pounds that will be enough for a weeks trip to Scotland if the chance ever comes. The rest of my assigned pay I want to save for a certain purpose with getting out of the army. If it possible to get one’s discharge over here after the war and if by doing so, one can get out of the army two or three months earlier, I want to get discharged and go home on my own – even if I have to borrow $75 or $100 from you. The first thing I would do when I got back would be to pay it off and I could easily do it in a few weeks time. It would be worth ten times as much to me, The time passes fairly quickly now and we are all in good spirits but Oh! Your last letter made me long to get back to the student life again. I was very much interested in what the Henwood [?] and Dr Diblen had to say. This army life is such slavery – from reville to last post. It seems like one of those bad dreams which are so bad that you wake up with the feeling of relief to find that it was only a dream.

But I have been having an easy time compared to Bill. He constitutes a problem which has puzzled me a good deal lately. I know he would like to get in and I should awfully like to have him, but the more I think about it the more it seems true that it would be better for him to remain in the A.S.C. We have a better camp, a nicer bunch of fellows and more leave (though in the last respect I doubt if we are much better now) but on the other side the Army Service Corps is safer and I could never forgive myself if I got Bill in here and anything happened to him. Then these secure companies are uncertain. There is talk of a draft going to France very shortly and there is always a possibility of those who are left being transferred to other units or broken up generally. Of course I suppose we will sleep together but I am not certain about my own fortune. Sometimes I feel it would be foolish to try for a commission and at others it seems that the best thing to do in the Army is to go right after anything that comes in your way.

Thursday Eve, Sept 7/16

Continuing this a week later! I had intended to go on with it the evening following its inception but some way or other I let the chance slip and since then have hardly had a half [?] time to read or write. Saturday and Sunday I was on guard, Monday evening when into Swindon, Tuesday on night ups, last evening got a pass from a sick man and went into Swindon again to see the Doctor. My heart had been rattling a little again so as the Doc only charges half a crown per visit I thought and think it worth while to keep in touch with him. He told me my heart was thumping rather strongly yet but that he thought as I seemed pretty hardy that it would be all right if I didn’t strain myself. He told me to cut out smoking, keep my bowels open, and sleep as much as I could, and gave me another bottle of medicine, some mile aperient which I had already found good. I shall pay him another visit in a month or six weeks so there will be no danger of developing a lesion.

This morning I got a letter from Haddow describing his fishing trip on the Escumigure , one from Marian and a card from Mother. I have been getting most of my mail I think and a lot of papers lately. I received a copy of the ‘Westminister’ and one of the ‘Presbytarian’ in the latter of which I enjoyed the editorials very much indeed. How is the financial end of the business going? I suppose it is about the same but it will likely pick up after the war. That is the most interesting phrase just now. Do you know, I shouldn’t be a bit surprised of as you send in your editorial the war came to an end more quickly and suddenly that we had supposed possible. In this evening’s ‘Star’ there was a quotation from a French military [?]tie’s comment on the situation in which the writer says that he thought the Germans were preparing for a general retread on the Western front. Thank you ever so much, Father, for taking so much trouble over application form. It must have been a tiresome and unpleasant business. It is worth while having it with me, I think, even though I decide to let the matter act in [?]eyance for the present. In a reserve corps anything is likely to happen at any time. There are more rumours flying about that some of us are to be drafted into the infantry and though I don’t believe a word of them, it is a safe policy to have something up your sleeve.

Will as you probably know had his six days leave last week. He came down a week ago Sunday arriving about two in the afternoon. We went into Swindon where we had tea together and then went in to the town gardens and had a little talk. He had to take the train back to London at eight so we only had a few hours together. It was certainly worth it though.

Most of this week has been fine but the last week of August was tense. It rained all the time especially at night. I remember waking up one morning looking out of the tent door and seeing an ocean with muddy islands strewn here and there over its broad expanse. With nine in a tent it was almost impossible to keep our blankets clean and after there was about an inch of mud on the floor, especially near the door where I was sleeping. One very bad day they actually let us off parade though ‘as a general rule it was either a 

Continuing this a week later! I had intended to go on with it the evening following its inception but some way or other I let the chance slip and since then have hardly had a half [?] time to read or write. Saturday and Sunday I was on guard, Monday evening when into Swindon, Tuesday on night ups, last evening got a pass from a sick man and went into Swindon again to see the Doctor. My heart had been rattling a little again so as the Doc only charges half a crown per visit I thought and think it worth while to keep in touch with him. He told me my heart was thumping rather strongly yet but that he thought as I seemed pretty hardy that it would be all right if I didn’t strain myself. He told me to cut out smoking, keep my bowels open, and sleep as much as I could, and gave me another bottle of medicine, some mile aperient which I had already found good. I shall pay him another visit in a month or six weeks so there will be no danger of developing a lesion.

This morning I got a letter from Haddow describing his fishing trip on the Escumigure , one from Marian and a card from Mother. I have been getting most of my mail I think and a lot of papers lately. I received a copy of the ‘Westminister’ and one of the ‘Presbytarian’ in the latter of which I enjoyed the editorials very much indeed. How is the financial end of the business going? I suppose it is about the same but it will likely pick up after the war. That is the most interesting phrase just now. Do you know, I shouldn’t be a bit surprised of as you send in your editorial the war came to an end more quickly and suddenly that we had supposed possible. In this evening’s ‘Star’ there was a quotation from a French military [?]tie’s comment on the situation in which the writer says that he thought the Germans were preparing for a general retread on the Western front. Thank you ever so much, Father, for taking so much trouble over application form. It must have been a tiresome and unpleasant business. It is worth while having it with me, I think, even though I decide to let the matter act in [?]eyance for the present. In a reserve corps anything is likely to happen at any time. There are more rumours flying about that some of us are to be drafted into the infantry and though I don’t believe a word of them, it is a safe policy to have something up your sleeve.

Will as you probably know had his six days leave last week. He came down a week ago Sunday arriving about two in the afternoon. We went into Swindon where we had tea together and then went in to the town gardens and had a little talk. He had to take the train back to London at eight so we only had a few hours together. It was certainly worth it though.

Most of this week has been fine but the last week of August was tense. It rained all the time especially at night. I remember waking up one morning looking out of the tent door and seeing an ocean with muddy islands strewn here and there over its broad expanse. With nine in a tent it was almost impossible to keep our blankets clean and after there was about an inch of mud on the floor, especially near the door where I was sleeping. One very bad day they actually let us off parade though ‘as a general rule it was either a case of platoon drill or cycle ride with our [?]. we have had some long hard rides lately/ Last Friday I think it was we went away over into Berkshire nearly as far as Westage where king Alfred fought his perfect battle with the Danes. I managed to keep up pretty well all the way out but owing to the fact that we were very late in starting back we went at a terrific rate and Huxtable and I had to slip behind. But Yesterday we went on another just as hard and I was into the finish so I don’t think they will bother me much worse. They have been overdoing it a little though. Several of the fellows have found it a bit of a strain. We are starting musketing to morrow which will be a change.

This morning it was No. 5’s turn to stay in (there aren’t enough wheels to go round yet) so we just had platoon drill and extended order, I don’t know whether I shall have to go out to night or not. Three of the men who were out this morning went on guard this aft. and I cleaned one of the wheels so it is quite possible I may at any rate we all have to fall in on parade at a quarter to nine and those who don’t get wheels will either get let off or else get a short route march.

I should have to cut this short but will try to send another letter to morrow night. I haven’t told you yet about my final days’ sick leave which ended two weeks ago Monday! Please send my other set of underwear right on as it is getting very cold especially at night. Tell Marion I received her music and we are all humming “Twice as nice as Paradise” which I heard at the Hundeville in London by the way. You might send me a ‘Star Weekly’ occasionally. There is always a lot of interesting local news in it. The “Torries” have moved into huts so we are only seven to a tent now which makes a vast improvement. Some of the battalions went away to day on advance party of fifty New Zealand soldiers have issue in.

Much love to all of you. I hope we may soon be reunited,

George