Letters from Captain Walter Morris Felix Gamble to his family, 1915-1916 - Part 13

in a similar condition,
only more so, burnt matches
were floating all round
him, and also was the
bad language, except that
which had been so heavy
that it had sunk to the floor.
he was vainly trying to
coax a few wet bits of wood
to burn, ultimately with
the help of more matches,
- some of mine - and a
little stronger language,
he succeeded. It took me
some time, to point out
to the unfortunate beggars,
that I had something to
laugh at.
If you want to put ten
years on to your life, get
"Fragments from France" by
Bairnsfather". They are 

humerous sketches, by a
chap who has seen the show.
No matter how many times
I look at them, I laugh. They
are so real, many of them
have been my lot, but
at the time, I was blind to
the humour of the situation.
I am back with the
Battery again, I only missed
one stunt by going back to
the Battalion, and as I have
been in about twenty, I can
practically say that I have
been right through with them.
You were quite right when
you spoke about dealing out
Hell to Fritz. we give him
particular Hell, and he shows his
love for us, by throwing an
arsenal at us. But "the whistling
balls went wide" 

I say Dad, why dont you
go to any amusements? I'm
having the time of my life
over here. It's as good as a
"Comic Opera" every time we give
Fritz at bit of Straff, its good
fun seeing duck boards, sandbags
wood work, and sheets of iron
belonging to Fritz, flying through
the air, Just imagine it yourself.
I was pleased to hear that
your work had eased off a bit,
it's about time anyhow.
Poor old Mona is having
a pretty rough time of it,
she was ^never troubled, so consistantly
with "Flu" etc. while she was
under Mum's wing. I'm very
afraid you will have your work
cut out to keep me in check,
concerning the poor old girl.
Well Dad, this is a bit of an
effort, - 6 pages - what!! Your loving Son
Wally. 

[*P.S
Tell, all the boys,
I will write soon,
and also Send Horace his cards
I've had them in my pocket for 10 months.*]
France
30^th August 1916.
Dear old Mum.
Four mails in
succession Mum! Just put
a mark on the wall, will
you. Things like this cannot
happen more than once in
a life time.
I've had rather an up
and down kind of life here
lately, at least, until lately.
I didn't write home and
tell you about it, for
fear that you would be
upset, but now that I
am settled down, and I
might add quietened down,
I will tell you what I
mean by ups and downs.
I have been a Sargeant 

three times, three times a
corporal, and a private
twice, not a bad record,
but for da Dads ease
of mind, I will tell you
that none of them have
been entered up in my
book, against me, but have
merely come out in orders
vis - "Sargeant" Gamble
reverts to the ranks at
his own request" or -
Corporal Gamble "The C.O
has approved of the following
promotions, "Pte Gamble to
be Cpl," and a couple of
days later, I am made
Sargeant again,
You will think,
no doubt, that I have
been getting drunk and
disorderly, or generally 

6 sixth time."
Excuse my wandering,
I must be in love - to
come back to the For
instances. -
Once I was on guard,
and just after having
returned to Egypt from
the Peninsula, and a new
School made Officer, just
arrived from Australia, not
liking the "turn out" we gave
me him, turned to me
saying - "You'll never make
a Soldiers"! "What"? I said.
"You've just come out from
- Australia, and tell us we'll
never make Soldiers" Then
I waxed eloquent, and was
a private next day,
Another time, just after 

running wild, - both wrong -
Fact is, a few things
happened to me, which I
didn't like, and promptly
voiced my disapproval.
For instance, - I can't
help smiling, when I think
of them, even at the time.
I thought it was a great
joke, although I was a
private, or a corporal,
I was always called
Sarge^ant by the boys.
My notoriety even spread
to outside the Battalion,
for one day, as I was on
my way to see Ivor, I
passed a batch of fellows
of another Battalion, and
heard in pure Australian
"_____"! "____"! He's got 'em
back again, it's about the 

getting two stripes back,
I "jobbed" a Sargeant, who
call me something he
shouldn't, - it was very
unwise of him - but anyhow
"I reverted to the ranks
at my own request."
They evidently grew
tired of writing my name
in Orders so often, because
I am de now a sub, and
will take some shifting. In
fact, I think Fritz is the
only chap who is at all
likely to reduce me now,
and he hasn't got much
chance.
Thanks so much for
the parcel, I had just
written for one, when it
arrived on the scene,
I think I've missed the 

one with the pipe in it, I
need a pipe too - thats a
gentle one, for a good pipe,
someone kindly sat on the
last one and broke it. so
and as a good pipe is not
procurable in these wild
parts, I must per force smoke
a cheap one.
You only wrote me a
page last mail, Mum, and
this is s the sixth, so to
counter-balance, you will
have to write three letters
to my one. What?.
Don't forget to tell Dad to
choose me a good pipe with
a long straight stem. Will
you? I wont write any more,
because I will not be able to
finish another page. Tons of love
Your loving Son
Wally. 

France
9^th September 1916
Dear old Dad.
Evidently you
have not as yet recieved
my letter, thanking you
most heartily for the
"Tenner". I was very
fortunate, in that I
was able to get into
Cairo just a few days
before leaving for here.
Fritz is very quiet
along this front nowadays
he takes all we give him,
without saying a word.
The Padre told us a
very good yarn the other
day, the most remarkable
part about it is, that it