At Sea; December 1, 1916

My Dear People,

Just a few lines to let you know I am well, we left -------- Wednesday afternoon, it is a lovely place, the prettiest I have ever seen, but it was very hot while we were there, a sultry sort of heat we felt it a good deal in our heavy uniforms. The niggers there are very amusing, they go bare-foot & their feet must be as hard as nails, the rickshaw boys trot along on the metal & take no notice of it. I do not know how they stand running around like they do, pulling two or three passengers, but they say they only last about seven years. They wear horns & feathers on their heads and have a regular harvest overcharging our soldiers when they go there.

We thought fruit would be cheap, but we must have been too early as I saw grapes at 1/6 a lb, & other fruit was pretty dear. There is a Y.M.C.A. flat there & they give meals very cheap, tea a penny a cup & sandwiches a penny each that you would pay 3d. for in Australia. There is another place called the Wesley Hall where they give soldiers refreshments free & the girls sing good songs, it is a very nice place. The women & girls are much the same class as those in Australia.

There are electric cars there, double-deckers & soldiers ride free on them, but when you get on top they are pretty rocky, it would not do to go the pace in them that they do in Adelaide. I never saw the train service but I believe it is rather slow. I sent some post-cards to friends & some silver-leaves to mother I hope they get through alright. It is just about fall in now. So I must close, hoping you are all well.

I remain

Your Loving Son & Brother,

Tom.

At Sea, November 24th 1916

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 tomorrow 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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S.S. Afric. Sat 11th November 1916

My Dear People,

Just a line to let you know how I am getting on.

We left the Outer Harbor about Midnight Tuesday. I was well asleep. Next morning the sea was lovely and smooth but after we passed Kangaroo Island we struck a long slow swell which of course turned up a considerable number of our men, but, as I anticipated, I am a good sailor and love the swing of the old boat. Yesterday it was windy and rough but it is fine to-day.

Soldiers waiting to board the HMAT Afric

There are a lot of men on this boat, about 900 N.S.W. men and 600 S.A.s, besides the crew. I do not know whether we will call at the West or not, but a small boat might come out and take the mail. We are being well treated here and I am enjoying the trip splendidly. We saw some whales in the distance this morning. We have only seen one ship on the trip, a steamer making for Adelaide. Hoping you are all well as I am.

I remain

Tom.