Letters from Robert Edmund Antill to his Parents, 1916 - Part 12 of 13

Saturday Morning

1228 14 Batt A.I.F
No 2 Ward.
Brigade Hospital
Perham Downs
Via Andover
26.11.16.

Dear Mother
I am about to take a little
adventure on but hardly know how to go
about it yet
I am being discharged from this hosp.
tomorrow morning as the doctor said I am
about right & he is giving me another weeks
no duty, well now they wont give me
leave to come home so I am going to take it
Well now my trouble is to get home they
have guards & picquets all over the place
& on all stations up to London trying to catch
Australians without passes.
I have been trying to bye a pass but its 

of no use they have got them all
frightened here so what I was thinking
was this if I could get hold of some
civilian clothes I could manage alright
well now I think that trouble can be got
over what I want is a coat & a pair of pants & I think
if you would not mind you could send me
them down I have a cap & can bye a collar
& tie & shirt here so if you would send
the others down I could get out away quite
safely, I think this is my only chance to get
away so I am goin to give it a flutter.
This is the way I goin to come at it I am
goin out I will be over in the Depot tor
tomorrow or the next day & I have every
thing fixed up there & if all goes well I will
drop you a wire to send clothes down
I will put just "Send along Bob." & the
address will be 1228 14 Batt A.I.F.
Perham Downs No 1. Command Depot Via
Andover, please wrap them up as solid as
pos. put them in a box with one or two 

other small things so as not to let them at
post office think thy are clothes.
Live in hope & if all goes well as I expect
will be home next week for a few days
hope all are well at home as I am
myself, will now close as I am
goin to Church
I remain your very loving
son
Bob.
P.S. Put 1 Command before P. Downs
I have just decided that I will save
wiring & get you to send them along
at once. every thing goin first class
Bob. 

1228 14 Batt A.I.F.
No 1 Command Depot
Perham Downs
Via Andover
Hants
2.12.16

Saturday Morning
11. a.m
Dear Mother
I suppose you are anxiously waiting for a line from me, I hope you got P.C.
safely telling you all is well, well now I shall
be able to explain a little better.
Just after I left this camp for home they
came round & cleared out nearly all men
in these huts & sent them to another camp
called Park House which is about 12
miles away the only ones they staying
behind, were those on the sick list
well I was one of them & they were all
fell in & transferred to another part of
this camp. Beattie is the same as my 

self on this once a day report pass with
no duty he new I was in London & kept
putting them off with different excuses
so as they would not mark me absent
well it lasted up to yesterday dinner
time & his excuses came to an end &
I was put as absent so he wired straight
away & I was back here a 9 PM last
evening just made my self a general
pest for a while to let them see I was
here & I worryed the life out of them at
orderly room that they were glad to
get rid of me.
Am returning clothes to you, I have
just tried them on & they fit me A 1
I called in a Finsbury R. Station & they
have heard nothing about my tunic
so I dont fancy my chance much of
getting them back again
Will now close with best of love
I remain your loving son
Bob. 

Reg No. 1228
14 Batt A.I.F.
No 1 Command Depot
Perham. Downs
Via Andover
Hants.

4//12/16
Dear Mother
How relieved I feel once
more I have my pay book safe once more
in my pocket.
I returned Father's wire a couple of days
ago but did not get book until this
morning, they would not give me my
registerd letter unless I showed my
pay book, well how could I for it
was in the letter that was last night
so I paraded before the officer in charge
of post office & stated my case so
he let me have it if I would open 

it in front of him.
Well things are goin on much about
the same here & it is still of very
cold but I must say nice & dry, this
morning we had no water for all the
taps were frozen & it was about 9 before
we could get any water at all.
How is the bird goin on? I havent
wrote to Effie yet but intend to
do so tomorrow. 
Well I f will draw to a close as news
is so scarce hoping this finds all at
home the same as it leaves me in the
pink
I remain
Your very loving son
Bob.