Letter from [Unknown] to his brother Fred

V PR82/8
152 Devonshire St 
Sir
I am sending you
enclosed a letter I
received from my brother
If you wish to publish
it as an incentive
to volunteering you
are welcome. Of course
there are personal
matters which you
will naturally support
but otherwise you can
publish with name
& address if you
desire to make it
authentic
I am &c
Fred Davies

Fred
152. Dev
Sydney
Australia

DAVIES' HOTEL,
BROMPTON SQUARE,
S.W.

 9. Pownall Gardens

Middx Hounslow

PR82/8
DAVIES' PRIVATE HOTEL,
BROMPTON SQUARE
Telephone: 2591 Western.
Telegrams: Daprivo.

LONDON, S.W. Dec 4^th 1914

My Dear Fred,

I am landed

here on a wet day & while

waiting am fulfilling a

promise I made mother last

week & at the same time

easing my conscience of

putting off until tomorrow

what I ought to do today

by writing you -

We are altogether a funny

lot - I mean from a family

point of view -

See what a mixed lot of

professions we adorn-

Myself a some time

stockbroker - now on his

last legs & going down the

mile of life - Two parsons

of various grades - both

holding the opposite ideas

of life etc - Yourself a

bohemian or nomad, who

never writes home to any

one in the old country &

so on -

There is however one good

feature about us all. I believe

we are sprung from a sound

healthy stock, otherwise we

should _^not all have adorned the

world for as long as we have.

Am afraid I ought to have

sent you a line before, but

so might you to have done

the same so we are quits

on that point - and more

the less  better friends -

It must be a short life time

since you left England - I

forget when. and we, I mean

the family & its dependants

children etc. have altered

a bit with the passage of

years- My own barring

Ruth (11. years old) are old

enough to be Fathers & Mothers

of families - but none are

married so far - although

Th they have as far as I

can tell decided on their future

life partners -

Marriage now a days is an

expensive experiment for

young people - Girls have

grown extravagant & exacting.

Fault of bad bringing up

I suppose -

I cannot however complain

of my own, they are quite

up to the average of common

sense & intelligence -

My (2. eldest) boys are

both with the army since

the outbreak of European

war- in fact it is not

considered the right thing

for any young fellow who

is physically sound to be

outside the solider's uniform.

They are splendid soldiers

& now after 3 to 4 months

hard military training etc

I hardly know them -

Swedish Drill with hard work

regulars hours & early to bed

has done the rest -

It is wonderful the change

that has come over this country -

Hitherto as you know our

army has been the butt of

all our comic papers & cartoonists -

and until now the real

grit & sterling fighting quality

of Tommy Atkins has never

been realized- he has proved

himself to be now, the finest

fighting unit in the whole

world - and if we only will

live nationally up to the

standard lately created by

Tommy Atkins Esq. any nation

will think seriously before

throwing down the gauntlett.

The change that has taken

place will I hope last _ It

will do our young people a

deal of good- _^It will teach The future mothers

& fathers that they have a

heritage with worth fighting

for & keeping - In fact

any one today is proud

to say he or she is British

born. Just imagine we

have two millions of men

under arms in England at

the present time - working

night & day to graduate as

soldiers as soon as possible -

Tis a wonderful performance -

& such a change for quiet old

Merrie England - soldiers every

where - in every town &

hamlet - they are drilling

even in the roads just here -

by S - Kensington station -

We are making history, and

such scenes are not likely

to be repeated for a great

number of years - if ever

at all-

The colonial response is what

has struck us more than

everything- from every strip

of land that has British

Rule for it's basis. The same

free will offerings of men &

money has freely flowed in -

and the secret of it all is

embodied in one word -

"Justice" -

This has set the hall mark

of victory already on the

forces of the Allies, although

the end is not here yet -

Before I close I must tell

you how glad every one

was at the good luck of

The Sydney in bowling out

the Emden - may she live

to run down a good many 
_^more such boats -

We are all fairly well -

some of the community are

doing well in these hard

times & some the reverse -

My place of business has

been closed for over 4.

months & we are likely

to be wiped out if it goes

on much longer- I must be

off now. Have just had

a cup of tea with Lydia who

sends her best love & says

she is as bad as you are -

she never writes to you -

I think however you owe

me a line - when in the

mood send one along

saying how you are & what

you are doing - In the

meantime here's the best of

everything to you & good 

luck.
Yr affecte brother

[[?Isiah]]