Letters from Robert Edmund Antill to his Parents, 1914-1915 -Part 9

1.
April 23rd, 1915. 

Dear Mother & Father
Well & how are you
all getting on I hope you all feel as
fit as I, for I am A.1, as fit as
a fiddle & ready for the fray, which
we are not far off, as you can gess.
I cannot give you any particulars
of wear we are or when we land
but its not far off because our letters
are all censord. I recieved a letter
from Mother writen on the last day
of the old year, its the one I have
been waiting for a long  time, in
it you say "I did the best in joining
the army under the circumstances &
so I am satisfied for it was the
best for things were so a bad in Melbourne at
the time & there are a jolly site worse
now for I saw a Melbourne paper
a few days ago & it said things
there were very bad especialy in our
line, so wear would I have been, not
too well off, eh. I must say I feel

2.
very sorry for you Mother because
in that letter you say that you
had even gone as far as to by a
box to put some of the things for
your trip. It must have been a terrible
disapointment to you when this war
broke out & messed things up like
this, but still never mind if I come through
this lot alright you shall all get
there, at because you see every day
that passes 4/- goes down to me & this
war I is bound to last a good while
yet, so I will have a few £ for you, if this
war lasts 12 months they will owe me £60 but I
think it will last a little longer than
that don't you, but of corse if I am killed
you will get what is due to me just the
same, as it goes to the next of kin.
You may think It funny me saying 4/-
a day but its like this, you see we
are getting 6/- a day by rights but
we are drawing 2/- per day here & 4/-
is book down to us in Australia, up to
the present they owe me £18.16.0
so you can see its mountaing up, but of
course I can't get it now, I dare

3.
say you could do with a few £ now
& I only wish I could give it you
but still it will come much better
in the lump. Well as I have said
before things are going tip top here
especialy the M.G.S. & I only hope
they are the same with you at home.
I don't think I have much more to
say because I can't tell any thing
about the place we are at or what
it's like so I will now close hoping
one & all are well at home
I remain
your loving son,
Bob

WA Hamilton