Letters from Captain Walter Morris Felix Gamble to his family, 1917-1918 - Part 19

Regiment and each crowd

barracked for their own

men, something after the 

Stile of a Combined Sports

crowd on the M.C.G.

We had free drinks for

The men, and prizes were

3 Rupees - first, 2 & 1. for 

Second & third place.

We had the ground all

taped & flags all over the

place, a couple of large

E.P. tents, and The Colonles

sister, a jolly fine woman

dished out the prizes.

A chap who went on

service a while ago, left

me his pony (very nice of

 

him too) I may have to

pay for a chap to look

after it, and its grub -

somewhere about 25 Chips

a month, so now my

evenings are divided

between Riding & Rowing,

I ride down to the shed

have my row & ride home

across country! Its great!

Tennis & Polo are coming 

in now, so I'll have

my work cut out. I'm

lucky to be a Jack of all

Sports, at the present

moment The Indian Army

is rather a good thing.

and I'm very fit.

Ever Your loving son

Wally.

 

91st PUNJABIS

MANDALAY.

Rangoon

16th Oct. 1918.

 

My Dear Dad & Mum

I got

through my Hindustani at

a full gallop. I had gone

far beyond the standard

so everything was quite

all right.

 

I don't quite know

yet whether to treat it

as a big hit of good

fortune or not; but

I have been appointed

from Head Quarters

Simla, to a school

for young officers as

an ar instructor, you

can't imagine me.

teaching young birds

how to be officers. Can

you?

 

The school is at

Bangalore, somewhere

in Central India.

rather a good place

I think, but it will

have to go some to

beat Rangoon. The

 

Colonel said it was

rather a good thing.

I'll more or less make

myself known, as Generals

and all those kind of

people, are always

coming round schools

seeing how things are

going and I'll not

only teach a bit, but

learn a whole lot

at the same time, so

taking all things in, I

think it's the next best

 

thing to going on service.

The old Indian Officers

paid me a bit of a 

compliment, when they

heard I was going. So

with a bit of luck

I might manage to

toddle along in the

Indian army all right.

You know it sort

of gives me a bit

of confidence. - Rather

a knockout to get a letter

so soon after the last

What? Ever your loving Son

Wally.

 

Officers Training School

Bangalore.

2nd Nov. 1918.

 

My Dear old Dad & Mum.

At last

they have made me a bit of

a Captain. Rather a large bit

of fortune what? I'm sorry

I had to keep you waiting so

long. but to be Captain and

Instructor at a school for

young Officers well, it's not

bad for one so young.

 

It's very handy you know,

six hundred & fifty chips a

month or just over £500 a

year. - Gee!!!

 

The school commences again

in about two weeks or so.

giving me a bit of time to find

my legs. There are 350 students

Thirty five of whom, will be

under my wing. My particular

job, is to give a series of

lectures on Indian Military

Law. Which means a devil

of a lot of hard work. Still

I'll teach myself a whole lot.

Bangalore is not a bad

kind of place, beautiful climate,

never gets very hot. The morning

and evenings are quite cool.

Although this is much more

like a white man climate. I

thing Rangoon with all it's heat

is a far, far, better place.

but I'm quite happy.

 

My leave is a dud. - bad luck -

Love to dear old Mona, &

all the boys.

Ever your loving son

Wally.