My Dear People,
Just a line to let you know how I am getting on during my sea voyage. I am still very well and enjoying the sea splendid, we have had a lovely fine trip so far and we have not called anywhere since we left Adelaide but we will be making port for coal within the next three or four days. I don't think the censor will allow me to say what port.
Some of the fellows are very keen on getting off for a run but I don't care much, this ship will do me very nicely. The general health on board is very good a few cases of mumps etc. but nothing serious. We had a dinner and concert in the Sergeant's Mess last night. I am enclosing the program and menu. On the menu area lot of gags at different Sgts in the mess. The concert went off very well but it was very hot here, it has been hot today - like Summer. We have mass on board here every Sunday, there are quite a lot of Catholics on board.
Saturday 25th.
We are still going along, it is lovely and warm again today. Our mail closes tonight. So I suppose we will strike port to-morrow or next day. Some of the chaps have written thirty or forty letters since we left so I guess there will be a considerable mail. I have only written one letter card to you and this since I left, some of the stuff on the card might be struck out by the censor. When we were going through Pt. Adelaide, the little girls were holding up pieces of paper with their address on and instructions to write. I got four, but I won't write till I get to our training ground. We have drill parades on the ship but you cannot do a great lot; as there is not much room. But we do a good deal of lecturing.
I suppose hay-making is in full swing over at Mt. Bryan by this. We have to put our watches back about twenty minutes every day, they alter the time on the ship at midnight so we get that much longer in bed. I do not know whether you will get this by Christmas or not but I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Hoping you are all well and enjoying yourselves as I am.
I remain
Your Loving Son and Brother,
Tom.
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This is one of our ordinary breakfast menus so you see it is our own fault if we do not live well. We have stewards waiting on us and generally live at about second-class mail-boat standard which does me very well. The corporals do not get many privileges on this ship. They have to eat with the men, of course this would not trouble me but some of them do not like it much, seeing that it is only bad luck that they were not allotted as sergeants.
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A19
SS Afric - 25th November 1916
Oatmeal Porridge
Smoked Schnapper
Jacket Potatoes
Grilled Mutton Chops
Boiled Cambridge Sausage
Mashed Potatoes
Irish Stew
Rolls
Jam - Tea
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