My- Dear People,
Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well. I received two letters & a Record last mail. One letter from Mum & Kath of the 25th & 28th Dec. & one from Annie of Jan 4th. I was very glad to hear you were all well & doing alright. You must have a fine lot of hay at A.V. [Almondvale] now. I hope the wheat turned out well.
I saw in the record that poor old Mrs. Lomman died She seemed very ill when I saw her last. I got a letter from Bert Lilley the other day. He is still in France & is quite well, but it has been dreadful cold & sloppy over there. He saw Mat Griffen a day or two before he wrote - he was alright except for a cold. Frank Richards had a letter from Wally Arnolds a few days ago, he was well & had seen Lorrie Bell in France. He said Lorrie seemed pretty well. Frank has been classed CI here by the Medical Board on account of his knee. So he will not be sent to France but will be kept here on home duties.
I went to London as conducting N.C.O. for a chap who had been "doing time', for being "absent without leave" on Friday. He had been serving his sentence in the Wandsworth Detention Barracks & I had to bring him back to camp. Those Barracks are a red-hot place to get into particularly for an Australian as the Staff there ' have a set on us. They have the reputation of being able to tame any man no matter how wild he may be. But everything there is very clean & I think it is better for a man to go there than loaf around in those "clinks" here, where they are often filthy dirty.
Well when I got this chap we came back to Waterloo Station (that is our Station in London) & we had ten minutes to catch a good fast train to Wilton. But he begged me very hard to let him go & see his sister in Oxford Street, London. You see he was born in London & he has 5 or 6 sisters around about London. He promised to play the game & not try to duck off. So I told him if he did duck off & I met him again he would never forget it, as of course I would catch it red-hot if he got away from me. So we let the train go & I took him around to his Sister's. She seemed to be housekeeping for some people who kept a drapers shop. Her husband is at the war & she has her little son living with her. She was very nice and made us some tea. So after staying an hour or so we left & caught the next train back to Wilton. His name is Camp & he hasn't tried to get away yet but says he wants to go to France in the next draft. He has no money now & if you have no money the M.P.s soon pick you up. So when he gets a bit of tin he might shift out for a little holiday - but that has nothing to do with me now - although they have put him in my platoon.
I have been detailed to go to a bombing school at Lyndhurst. It is the best bombing school in England. I was mighty wild about it at first as I thought it would stop me from going to France with our unit. But it only lasts a fortnight or so & I am to go next week so it will not keep from going to France as I thought it would. When I found that out I never made any fuss but will do as I am told which of course all good soldiers do.
You see our Australian certificates do not count for much over here as all the Military work here is of a much more up-to-date style than we were taught in Australia. We are to go on the ranges & fire our Musketry course this week.
Hoping you are all well. I must close now as I want to get to bye-bye.
I remain
Your loving Son & Brother
Tom.
