Letters from David Wallace Caldwell to his Mother, 1915-1917 - Part 7

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9th Cadet Battalion.
Gailes Camp
Ary Ayrshire

Dear Mum.
I suppose you have been thinking
that I have been forgeting you snow
that I am in Scotland, but you are wrong.
I am having a rare old time to be sure.
plenty to do & plenty of time to do it
in. We are getting plenty of  I work to do but I
don't mind, in fact I rather like it. We get
a fair amount of leave & we can go to
pretty well any place in Scotland. We are
about an hours run from Glasgow. We
spent last week end there & we saw all
the big shipyards on the Clyde & on the
Sunday we were on Loch Lomond & by
jove it is a bonny place. fancy me
being over here seeing all these places
it doen't seem real. But there is a
lot of things about this war that
doesn't seem real, I saw the Glascow
University & all the places of note about
Glascow, We are stationed about 6 miles
from where Dad was borne at Stevenson
& I have seen the house Dad was born in 

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I had one of Dads Cousins showing me
round & he wanted to be remembered to
him. I am writing a long letter to dad this
mail telling him all about it. I have not
had a letter from I  you for over 6 weeks
I suppose it is because I have been away
from the Battalion. But Blanche sent me
on her last letter from you & about Dads
accident, by jove it is hard luck for
us isn't it. You always seem to be
having some sort of trouble or other
mum. but never mind old girl, every cloud
has a silvery lining. My word Bob
seems to be in no end of trouble doesn't
he, why don't he join up I can tell you
it is quite the best thing he could do.
I see by the papers that our chaps have
been doing some heavy fighting lately
my word I wish I were over there, but
never mind I will make up for it when
I do go over there or I will try to if I
get half a chance at all. Is Ev coming
over & seeing you occasionally or not, you 

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see & write regular to me & if she doen't
come over let me know & I will give her a
scolding, how I wish I were there to do
the soud scolding myself. There are some
very nice girls over there by but Everill
will do me & I'm not fussy. I will send
dad's letter addressed to you & you can
send it on to him. I do hope that he gets
on alright. I hope that by the time you
receive this that he will be well & about
again don't you. I have seen Uncle Jim at
Leeds & Aunt Finnie at Camphill & all the
different married cousins up around here
in our place is situated between a
couple of places called Troon &
Irvine & just at the back of us is
a place called Kilmarnock & facing us
the Sea & all the islands around the
month of the Clyde. I have been at
Dalry, Kilburnie, Dundonald. Prestwick
Killwinning. The mother church of all
Freemasonry is at Killwinning. When
I got to Aunt Finnies place Uncle Jim

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from Leeds was stopping there too & I
can tell you he was busy showing me
all about the place & he had us
down upon the bowling green there & made
us play & somebody took our names &
a couple of days afterwards it was in
the papers & if I can get hold of it I
will send it home to you & you can
send it on to dad. I am on guard just
now when I am writing this & I can tell
you that we get all sorts of jobs over
here. Is Jack keeping well & in
work I get letters from Blanche regular.
I must close now with love to all
at home from
Your Loving Son
Wally.
XXXX 

9th CADET BATTALION,
GAILES.  Sept 17th 1916.

Dear old Mum.
Well old lady here
we are again, still alive & kicking
& keeping my end up. Are you well.
also is Jack & Bob keeping
alright. Has Dad got better and
working again, I am sending him
a letter addresed to you so you
can post it on to him, will you?
Look Blanche sent home & told you
that she had given me that £5
pounds she owed you. I had
to get it to enable me to buy
some clothes suitable for a cadet &
I can tell you I havn't near enough
yet. Money seems to go nowhere at
all here in fact it seems to fly.
& I was always pretty good at
doing that. I go about a good bit
& have the best of times & I can
assure you you cannot do it on
nothing as you know. I will
have to get a lot more things yet
so if you do happen to have sent
that £10 I wired for it will be 

quite alright because I will keep it
to buy some things such as a valise
& some odd clothes when I get finished
here & am going back to my unit.
which I will need very much. I have
had to buy a portmanteau & dozens
of things I could have done without
had I stopped in France. I can
tell you I am a flash kid now.
But Mum. I still don't smoke or
drink & have no wish to do so.
so I have not acquired bad habits
since coming to England. Blanche
writes regular to me but I am as
usual very irregular, but she should
know me by now. I hope to get
my commision about the middle of
October with a bit of luck & suppose
you will reckon it a bit of alright
having a boy a Lieut, oh swank!.
fancy Leut Lieut D.W. Caldwell.
on my letters. oh stop it you wretch.
Have you seen Ev lately & is
she looking as well as I would
like her to be see you let me 

know. By jove you can tell Dad
that the Scotch Girls are alright
they are jolly fine. but they are
awful flirts. to be sure. But I
get on very well with them. But
mind you tell Ev nothing of this
because there is not one to come
near her. although some are sports
I have played golf with one or
two, I can tell you I am getting quite
& expert at golfing I am going
around this afternoon if it is
fine which will not be probable
as it is raining & blowing th like
one thing just now. There is a
golf course running right alongside
of our camp. in fact they are all
along the Ayrshire coast. Well Mum
I hope this finds you all well
at home give my best wishes to
Grandmother & Grandfather & Aunty
and love & kisses to you
from your loving Son.
XXXXXXX Wally.
XXXXXX
XXXX 

9th (Scottish) Officer Cadet Battalion,
Gailes, Ayrshire.
Monday Nov 5th
Dear Mum,
Well old Lady I am still up here
although I can tell you I have been wishing
I was away from it long ago.
We passed our exam over a
fortnight & we are still kept messing
around this place. I passed top of my
Company so I didn't do so badly & I didn't
study hardly at all for it.
By jove Scotland & England are
expensive places to be stopping in. Look.
that money Blanche owed you, well she
doesn't owe it any more because I owe it
to you & I hope to be able to pay for it as
soon as I get back to France. & get squared
up. I have paid about £16 for Clothes since
I came up here. & I can tell you apart from
that. I have spent a bit but I can assure
you it has all been spent seeing places. 

in Scotland & England. I can tell you
I don't feel like missing this chance of seeing
the place whilst I am here even though it
does cost me more pay than I draw as it
is a chance in a lf life time & I don't suppose
I shall even get it again. I shall name some
of the places I have been to in Scotland
Ayr. Troon. Irvine. Kilmarnock. Kilwinning.
Dalry. Buith. Salcoats. Stevinston. Largs. Fairlie
Ardrossan. Glasgow. Edinburgh. Paisley. Perth
Port Glasgow. Aberdeen. Dundee. Arbroath.
Montrose & lots of other too numerous to mention.
& I can tell you it is worth spending the money
to see the places so if you have got another
wire asking you to send Blanche money you
will know what it is for.
Look mum if you are ever short of
money just take what you want of mine &
don't even bother about paying it back because
I am young yet I shall be able to work for
it.
How it that block of hand getting along. 

9th (Scottish) Officer Cadet Battalion,
Gailes, Ayrshire.
I suppose it is still in the same place. Are the
cars running down Ring street yet?
I shall look up Bob as soon as I get down
to London again & if I have any money to
spare I will give it to him.
I'll tell you what takes a good bit of my
money. over here we get sent away on leave.
& it costs us about 30/- a week for a room alone
let alone meals & I can tell you everything is
twice as dear as in Australia.
Although I have been mixed up with
chaps. who drink a lot & smoke. I don't do
either yet. so none of my money goes that
way. Have you seen Ev lately & is she looking
alright yet & by the way is Dad getting about
alright again. I hope he is.
Look here is another thing I want you
to do will you buy Ev & yourself a Christmas
Present & you can buy yourself what you
like a coat & skirt or anything up to £10 or
more if you like but there is only one.