Letters from Captain Walter Morris Felix Gamble to his family, 1915-1916 - Part 6

Y.M.C.A NATIONAL COUNCIL

H.M. THE KING

For God, For King & For Country

Y.M.C.A.

WITH THE 

MEDITERRANEAN EXPENDITIONAARY FORCE

COMMITTEE FOR EGYPT AND NEAR EAST

CHAIRMAN

H.E. SIR HENRY McMAHON

PATRON

MILITARY CAMPT DEPT.

H.R.H. DUKE OF CONNAUGHT

Reply to NO. Coy. Bat.

Stational at

days.
I am quite recovered now, and
feel as fit as ever.
My clothes have all been
through the fumigator. Thus, for
a time, at any rate, I am free
from my undesirable friends.
The monotony of camp life, is
becoming absolutely unbearable.
I am longing for something to
do.
I could not help thinking -
last Saturday evening, as I
sat in "Groppi's"  - a most
dainty French Cafe - with a
"cobber", each with our choice of
the delicacies before us, and as
light hearted as school boys on
holidays - of you sitting in your
red chair, dreaming hell fires to
be, and of me enduring hardship
and all that silly business, I

Y.M.C.A NATIONAL COUNCIL

H.M. THE KING

For God, For King & For Country

Y.M.C.A.

WITH THE 

MEDITERRANEAN EXPENDITIONAARY FORCE

COMMITTEE FOR EGYPT AND NEAR EAST

CHAIRMAN

H.E. SIR HENRY McMAHON

PATRON

MILITARY CAMPT DEPT.

H.R.H. DUKE OF CONNAUGHT

Reply to NO. Coy. Bat.

Stational at

have had hardships certainly,
and Ivor has shared them
with me but we revelled in
them, they were an experiences
which we felt we would
benefit from afterwards. I
haven't felt any benefit yet.
but with the few more we
hope to have (in France)

I dare say it they will have 

their good effects.
The both times I was idle
in Egypt  for any period, I got
crook, so the moral for me is
"Don't be idle". 

Well, there goes "Last Post"

and I haven't written to Mum
yet, so I will have to wait

till tomorrow - so tell mum

I missed half my writing 

time by attending a Church meeting

(which is true) and she won't
mind.

The same old Wally.

Abbassia
2nd April 16

Dear old Horace

You will have to

work hard old chap when

you become a new boy at

Wesley, and not let Herbert

beat you.

You will beat him easily

in the water, and probably on it

but you will have to learn to

use your xxxxxxxxx old feet a

bit better.

For goodness sake profit

by the lesson I learned and

don't run away with the des idea

that sport is the only thing you

have to learn when you go to

College and sport lessons are

only a matter of course, it's just

the other way about, you will

find it hard to stick to your

books, but you will be as

sorry as I am, after, if you don't.

Wally.

"Sandville"

26^th -4 -16

My dear old Mum

Yesterday

when I landed in my tent

after a morning digging

xx under a blazing sun

and in a wind that blew

an unpleasant mixture

of sand and flies in xx ^my

eyes and after plodding

wearily up hill and down,

through about a mile of

sand a foot deep - I

expected to satisfy my

hunger with the usual old

stew which by the way 

has to be brought to us

on Camels from a place

beyond the horizon

I went temporarally insane

when I saw a canvas

covered box addressed in

that old familiar writing

lying on my bed (I mean 

on my blankets).

You old dear, Mum, I

think you must have

known I would xxx be

out here in the desert, about

umpteen miles from nowhere,

when you sent the parcel.

It was great.

Ivor is a Corporal in the

Machine Gun Company now, and

has great opportunities.

I am feeling as fit as

a fiddle now, and can lump

my pack with the best.

With tons of love

Wally 

P.S.

Paper is very scarce "The Hobbs of Hell

in these barren parts.   29th - 4 -16

Wally.

Dear old Dad

My glorious holiday

at the School of Instruction

is ended and I am back

again with my shoulder

to the pack.

I did well, but my 

old Laryngitis came on

just before the company

drill [[xxxx xxxx xxx xxxx? examination??]]

spoilt my word of command

which up to then was pretty

well developed, and I only

got 90% although I knew the

work thoroughly. This 

pulled my total down to

96% I managed to get 100%

in the final written Examination 
for the ^ whole of the work done during the

Course and was about 20th

on the list out of some 220

N.C.O's -from the whole army

[*P.S. I still have the charm though it is beginning to decay.*]

I don't know what I 

will get out of it, but

hope for the best.

We are at present

out in the desert, working

in the day at trenches, and

doing sentry [[??go]] at night,

The temperature is on [[??]] 

average  112o in the water bottle 

there are about one hundred 

flies, and half as many

lice, to the ∧sq foot and the 

[[xxxx is full xxxxx?]]

and jam as thick as I

used to spread the butter.

But we are all happy

enough, living- like Davy Kerr -

on the hopes that we are 

getting out of it tomorrow.

The army seems to be

getting into better shape, for

now they manage to feed

us on full rations, (army)

although all transportation

is done on Camels

3

Did Malcolm come to see 

you? I expect he did.

I am longing to see him

again, but the Australian

Army is a big thing now,

and my chances are pretty

small.

Old Ivor has got a 

couple of  stripes in the 

machine Gun Company and

as Stan Neil is his O.C. he

has an excellent chance

for promotion.

I nearly cried when

I rejoined xx the Battalion

after an absence of two

months. It had all been

split up again all the

old fellows had grown 

tired of foot slogging, and

had transferred into

Artillery etc. - and I 

knew about 2 1/2 chaps

4

It was just like leaving

the old School when the

old 7th Battalion was

broken up and I had

to go into the 59th.

I was loved the old

Regiment, and felt proud

that I was part of it and

now I have to start all

over again, in a new Regiment

of strangers.

I am tired of plodding

[[xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx?]]

the Sand waves of the

desert sea. I am longing

for something real.

Well Dad, I am like

"Johnnie Walker", and at

present live in hopes,

one is to get out of this

and the other is to get on.

Your loving Son

Wally.

Sandville

10^th May. 1916.

Dear old Dad & Mum

You will think

perhaps because I am

writing to you both

together that I am grown

lazy, but you will be

wrong - fact is, paper is

very scarce in these

barren parts.

This old frame's

still on the ball, and

things aren't too blooming

worst. - You can judge

for yourselves - Yesterday

I had for breakfast