Letters from Captain Walter Morris Felix Gamble to his family, 1917-1918 - Part 12

most charming woman  

I got the £100 all right

and it just fixed me 

up nicely.

I will be staying

in England for some

five of six weeks before

sailing for India.

but still address my

letters to the Old Battery.

and they will forward

them on to me, I will

let you know as 

soon as I change

my address permanently.

By all accounts, I

will be home of leave

before next Xmas, so 

things are not going 

so badly for me

after all.

I will probably have

a fair amount of time

to write up here, so

I will give you a

full account of my

doing later on.

Excuse this wee

note, but my cobber

has been worrying

me for the duration 

of the writing to come

& play play him

Billiards - Love to

Mona, & all the boys.

Ever your loving son,

Wally

[*P.S. Address still 13^th A.L.T. M.B.*]
TELEGRAMS COLMONELL.
STATION PINWHERRY. 
KNOCKDOLIAN.
COLMONELL.
AYRSHIRE.
19.12.17.

My Dear old Mona,

I'm having

just a glorious time,

I'll write and tell

you all about it,

The first day it is too

wet to venture out,

but up to the present

golf, shooting, fishing

and Billiards have

just about filled 

up every day.

Today,   tooo  two

of us went out with

guns and dog, and

brought home, snipe,

Partridge, Grouse,

Pheasant, hares and

rabbit, but it took

us six hours walking

to do it.

I have just remembered 
that I haven't

told Doc Woollard

anything about my

Indian Army stunt

so must do it.

Tons of love & good luck

Wally

[*Same old address.*]
TELEGRAMS COLMONELL.
STATION PINWHERRY. 
KNOCKDOLIAN.
COLMONELL.
AYRSHIRE

29^th Dec. '17

My Dear old Dad & Mum

It is a

most beautiful morning.

and I have an hour to

spare, before going down

to the golf links. We are

to take our lunch and

make a day of it.

For the last four days

we have been shooting

from nine in the morning 

till four in the evening.

A shoot is a great

2.

affair. - I missed my

first shot, I was so 

bewildered -

Four of us set out with

guns just in the ordinary

way, but after we had

walked for about a 

quarter of an hour, we

were met by the Keeper.

who was leading a

band of about twenty

beaters and some half a

dozen dogs.

Having decided which

paddock we were to

shoot first, the beaters

spread out across it

in a straight line, and

3.
we took up our places

at intervals along the

line, - All I had to carry

was my gun. The man

on my right, being my

ammunition carrier -

Then we started, and

every tuft of grass & every

bush, was beaten till

The calls "snipe in front, Sir"

"rabbit behind sir", could

be heard at intervals

along the line, followed

by the bang of the guns.

After doing all the

paddocks, around a wood,

the beaters line along the

top end, and drive right

through the guns being 

4

posted at suitable places

to blaze awas as soon

as a Pheasant, woodcock etc.

tried to xxx escape.

It is great sport, up

to the present I have killed 

woodcock, snipe, partridge,

pheasant, grouse, duck, rabbit

and hare.  Not a bad

variety, is it?

I wonder if you

could both spare the

time, to write to Mr. &

Mrs. McConnel, and thank

them for the glorious time

they have given ^me , I would

have been absolutely 

lost in England, having

5

lost all  the addresses you

gave me, Mum.

Mrs. McConnel is a

most beautiful old woman

she said she would

be my mummie, until

I was able to get back

to my real mummie.

She has been kindness

personified to me, and

on Xmas day both Mr. & Mrs

McConnel were so splendid

that I - after three years

of the roughest - became

absolutely homesick.

I am going to spend

the New Year with them

and then shortly afterward

I am going down with

them to their English home,

where I will probably

stay till I embark for

India.

I might add that there

are two jolly fine girls

- Australians - staying 

here also, daughters of Mr

McConnel's brother, who is

a station owner in Queensland

My poor pen cannot

describe the pleasantness

of the whole show, but from

what I have written you

will probably gather that I

am being well cared for,

in a beautiful home, I must

away to golf.

Ever your loving son,

Wally,

[*P.S. Same old address*]
WELLBANK.
PRESTWICH.
MANCHESTER.
Jan 14^th, 1918.

My dear old Dad & Mum

I got

my home mail today.

and I can tell you

I had some appetite

for it too.

If the Indian Army

people are always as

lavish with leave, as they

are at, present, I don't

think I'll grumble very

much, I have had

2.

over six weeks,

already and will

probably have two or 

three weeks more,

Kelly from Geelong

Grammar, is coming

to India with me,

but as he was wounded

in our last stunt, has

to wait till his wounds

have healed. we will

probably get into the

same Regiment.

I'm afraid all

your hopes of a Captaincy

are hit on the head, but

had I stayed in the