Letters from Norman Griffiths Ellsworth to his Mother, 1916 - Part 20 of 28

No 1 Battery. 
Australian Artillery Training Depot 
Bulford; Salisbury 
Wilts; England 
July 31^st 1916 
  
Dearest Mother, & all at Home, 
Just a few 
lines to let you know that I returned to  
Camp after my 7 Days Leave at Gravesend  
& London, just too late for a Draft to France, 
& I have been saying nasty things ever since. 
Yes, on arrival in Camp, most of the  
boys were gone, & only 7 of us are left now, 
of the 1^st Division, so we show our disgust  
by not getting out of bed until breakfast 
time, & by not going on parades, & the "coots"  
in authority here are afraid to say anything 
to me, because they are only acting Sergeant 
Majors, & have not seen a gun, or active  
Service, so I take no notice of these "cold 
footed cows", who won't leave England. 
This 
is supposed to be an Artillery Training  
Depot, so I asked the Sergeant Major?  
where were the Instructors, & he said 
they they hadn't any just yet, & he also 

2 
said "that he expected me to instruct", so I  
got suspicious of him & said "Oh, I have  
come here to be instructed myself, as one 
was always open to learn Artillery work", 
& he said that he would report me to his 
O.C. (who, by the way is always drunk), so 
I said to him, "that if he was a genuine  
Sergeant Major, he would instruct the men" 
but I found out later that he is only  
a reinforcement Ammunition Column Corporal  
& doesn't know one end of the gun from  
the other, so I turned on my heel, & went 
back to my room, so is it any wonder  
that I am "fed up". 
I was surprised to  
find Bill Moon here, on my return; - 
he had only just arrived back from 
Australia, & he told me that he was  
treated very badly in Melbourne. 
When 
he got to Melbourne, he was a physical  
wreck, & expected to be discharged, but 
was only given 12 days Leave, then packed  
into Camp at Maribyrnong, & sent off to 
England with some re-inforcements almost 
at once, & his wife went almost crazy.

3 
When he found that he had to return to 
the front, he applied for a Commission, 
but was "turned" down, because the officer 
at the Camp could not give a good 
report about him, & yet poor Bill had 
stuck it out on Anzac from 26^th April,  
until 30^th November, & was then a perfect 
wreck. This same Officer?, he said, 
was only a kid (war baby) & had  
never left Australia, so if this is the 
way one is to be treated in Melbourne, 
then one doesn't feel inclined to return 
very soon. 
I wrote to you last week from 
Gravesend, & the day following the posting 
of the letter, I received one from you, 
& one from Mab, posted direct to Kent, 
& these contained Mabs splendid photos 
& I'm pleased to see that she is looking 
so bonny; Harriet also got some  
by the same mail. I kept 2 and  
sent the others down to Cousin Jessica  
in Cornwall. 
You speak in your letter 
Mum, that "you fear that you will be 
having an English girl in the home yet"

4. 
What makes you think that? - I hope  
that you don't that I will bring one 
home, altho' I have had several chances,  
but I could never "run" a wife, & if I  
could, it would be an Australian girl,  
so you can dismiss that idea from your 
head at once. 
Am glad you got a letter 
from Ruby Davidson; - she is a bonny 
girl, but I'm afraid my letters are very  
"dry" & uninteresting, so the other chaps 
letters can't be up to much if mine are  
better than his. 
Oh! re promotion, I  
was over to see the 8^th Brigade (Victoria) 
Artillery, just arrived from Melbourne, 
& saw Major Churchus, (who wants me  
to transfer as his Sergeant Major) Colonel  
"Billy" Mailer, (who shook hands with  
me); Charles Meates (my old I.M.S.  
in the old Windsor battery) & several 
of the other old boys, & all seemed 
glad to see me, & I was, of course, glad  
to see them. They have done no training  
yet, & expect to be at Lark Hill for 
3 months before they are ready for the  
front

[*I have not received my other mail yet*] 
  
5 
I have not made up my mind yet what 
to do about it, as I am praying night 
& day for a Draft for France to take  
me, but if I can't get away soon, I may 
go over to him. Mailer has charge of  
the 8^th Brigade, & Churchus commands 
the 29^th Battery in it. 
Old mailer said  
to me " I think I know you", so I said  
"I went thro' your riding school in 
Melbourne Sir", & he said "Damn it! 
I thought so", a ______ good man thru!' 
Very characteristic of old Billy". 
Yes Mum, I have enough money 
thanks, & to give Harriet a little now 
& then, so please don't worry. 
Well I  
have reached the "end of the letter" for this 
week, so will close, with love and 
all the rest of it, hoping you are  
all well so good-bye for the present  
from 
Your loving son 
Norman. 
PS. 
I have written to you every week since 
leaving Melbourne, & will continue to do so. 
Norm

Would have written a 
longer letter if there was 
anything to say about 
this place 
  
Great sympathy for poor  
Amy Ellsworth. 
Give her my love, etc.