Letters from Captain Walter Morris Felix Gamble to his family, 1915-1916 - Part 5

*Received
9.8.1916*
P.S. Thanks so much for smoking material
the hard biscuits have evidently
developed my jaw, for I have bitten through
the pipe already.
28^th january 16
Dear Old Dad
I wrote a good letter
(for me) about a week ago to you, and
with my usual carelessness lost
it. I don't think I will ever be
methodical but I will try to tell 
you all the news it contained.
On the eve of evacuating Anzac
sixty men were selected to man the 
firing line and cover the retreat
of the Battalion. Ivor and I were
included and held one post together
we mounted duty at 4pm on
December 9th and kept observing
and sniping continually for almost
a round of the clock, about 12 pm
it was reported that all was going
well on the beach, the next three
hours seemed like an age, I thought
the time would never come, but
[*( on 20^th)→*] about 3am the word was passed
quickly along, and we sneaked
through the tunnels (with six layers

of blanked wrapped round our
feet) out into the open, down
through winding saps to the beach,
onto the lighter and away without
halting for one moment, It was
a wonderful peace of work,
wonderfully carried out to the
 smallest detail detail, - even
to marking our track by a trail
of flour and salt, so that we
would not lose our track in the 
dark.
From Anzac we went to 
Lemnos Island, and spent a 
few weeks there resting. The habits
of the people are as old as the hills
which surrounds them, an one sees
the pictures painted by the Bible in
reality a man drawing water at
the well a rustic old ploughman 
homeward plodding his weary  body 
with his old wooden plough roped
to an ass and followed by his
two toil worn oxen.
In the vallies are quaint little 

villages crumbling with age there
are no shops for the people live by
exchanging their own products. it is 
an ideal communistic settlement.
Three weeks ago we returned to
doing six hours solid drill a day
on an empty s stomach. as I have
the eating capacity of a horse it
has been hard.
On joining the Battalion I 
was knocked down to the bottom 
of the my ladder, a week ago I
got my foot on the first rung
again; and now I am in charge
of a section of sixteen men, twelve
of whom are married, they are a 
fine set of men and we all feel well
together, and so thankless job is
made bearable. For Rifling spurns up
a "LanceJack" is half of nothing but
may be I will be a half some day
Wally. 

P.S. Please send me a pipe with an adamant
stem.
Wally.
"Nowhere"
15^th Feb 16
Dear old Dad
Probably by the time
you receive this you will Know
where I am writing from, but for
the present, we are nowhere, before
I came here, I gave Edgar Worrall
a couple of home letters to post
for me, I hope his memory is
better than mine.
My second stripe came
through orders this morning, so I 
am a corporal again. Ivor for
some reason of his own, would
not take a stripe and is content
to play in the ruck.
Poor old Malcolm got home
to Australia ∧but however lucky he
may seem to some, I think he
would sooner have stayed with
us. we miss him a whole lot.
I am waiting anxiously 
for the mail which will tell
me how Fred got on at I. P

I suppose he will have grown
out of recognition when I get
back and will try to keep me
in my place, but I am afraid
he will find me a little wild
and unruly at times.
I will find it pretty hard 
to put my nose to the grind stone
if this business lasts much 
longer, but I live in hopes of
next Spring ending german Germany's
career.
I have not come across
Dr Woollard yet, but I don't think
he can evade me much longer
I don't envy you having to
run the Asylum single handed,
but I hope for once in your
life you will take things easy.
I am on guard today, and
it is time for the next reflief,
so I had better make a move.
Wally.

Abbassia
21st March. 16.
My Dear old Mum
What's my future Study
looking like Mum? The little bit
of work I have been doing with
my Drill Books, makes me long
for those old familiar books which
once I hated.
I suppose by now the Tennis
Court is as true and green as
a cricket pitch, hidden from
the view of passers by, by a beautiful
tall Cypress Hedge, perhaps, when
I return, Dad will allow me 
to have a Tennis Party, once in 
a blue moon, and forget for
a while my studies.
Also, during the winter vac.
I know Dad won't mind me having
a few friends  xx up to the dance,
some Thursday night, of course
Mona will have to ask the girls
and Mum will have to keep 

their mothers busy.
For months I have been
sleeping on Terra firma and I
slept like a log but since I
landed in this - Hospital on
a spring mattress, clean sheets
and all the rest of it, I am like
a fish out of water, and wake up
several times during the night,
with my beautifully clean sheets
on the floor, and on the point of
following them myself, so you had
better get a waterproof sheet and
a couple of blankets spread
in the back yard for me, not a
bed.
I am feeling A.1. and could
hump my pack with ease, on a
20 mile route march, but just
because I have a lump the 
size of a Bantams egg under
my left jaw, I am confined to
my bed.
I have not seen Uncle
Horace since that Evening

on Lemnos Island.
How are all the Boys Mum?
I haven't heard of them for
ages. bye the bye I haven't heard from
anyone for about six weeks, this
reorganisation has upset all
my, and everybody else's mail.
For some weeks past, we have
been doing out post duty on
the other side of the Canal, the 
I loved that vastness and lonliness
of the desert as for as the eye
could see, stretched the trackless
sand and occasionally a
seemingly endless line of Camels
laden with provisions and
material for building trenches
would file over the horizon,
a soldiers life is a great life,
but a lazy one.
Well Mum remember me to 
Kate and Annie, and old Ben
Tons of love
Wally 

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE.
W.B.   Base Records Office, A.I.E.T
MELBOURNE.
25th March, 1916..
Dear Sir,
I regret to advise you that No. 2492 Corporal W.F. Gamble,
59th Battalion, late 7th Btn has been reported admitted 4th
Auxiliary Hospital, 18th March, Mumps mild,
and in the event of further information coming to hand, you
will be promptly notified.
In the absence of further reports, Egypt advises
it is to be assumed that satisfactory progress is being maintained.
It should be clearly understood that if no further
advice is received, this Department has no later information
to give.
Yours faithfully,
J.M. LEAN.
Capt.
Officer 1/c Base Records.
Dr. M. Gamble,
Asylum Reserve,
K E W. V. 

Reply to No. 2492 Coy "D" Bat 59^th
Stationed at A. 1
Zeitown
8^th April '16
Dear old Dad
I think after all, my
little spell in Hospital was a 
bit of unforseen good luck.
I was examined by the most
severe examiner in the School.
The first time I sat and only 
scraped 90%; shortly after, I
landed in hospital and on
being discharged, the O.C. allowed
me to go through the School
which  x had just commenced.
and this time I increased my
percentage by eight points.
If I can only manage to 
Keep up this standard my
promotion will be sure.
I had no idea mumps
were as severe as I had them.
I had onaritisitis (I think that is
what they called it and ran
a temperature of 105° for four