June 1915

June 21

My dear Mother,

I am to Sail on Friday or Saturday. We go to the Boat on Friday but probably don’t Sail until next day we will be a big crowd on the water. We are going on a big boat and are looking forward to the trip which ought to be splendid. I had a trip to Wentworth Falls on Saturday came back Sunday night with Aunt G & Fell. He is doing well. Bertha was there too. I saw Gavin? the other night. He is Sailing with us & Moorehouse came into camp with me. He is looking well. We are going to Egypt. Some of the 5th Brigade are there now. There are others in camp that came from there. We are to have three months there before going on. And probably will lend a hand at the Turks after that. We are to use periscopes for reading signals from the trenches and can use them to send out too. They are only little ones about 2 feet long. I and a lot of others were marched through the city to a theatre party given by one of the big shows on Friday last & had a good time.

Has the grass helped the stock trouble yet? I’m glad if it has. Your letters haven’t mentioned losing stock the last time or two.

G. Hay, a young man in Wentworth Falls is in camp as Captain he sent word round to me to look him up and made an appointment for half an hour. He is a chum of Aunts and nice fellow. We used to write to each other occasionally. He is in the Army Medical Corps. I will send you a picture of the boat we are going on. It is not much of a one but they won’t let people photograph it. So it’s only a postcard. I haven’t it in my pocket now. I have about a dozen knitted socks. And am quite proud of them. They are good too & will be useful in Egypt. People who make them seem to like seeing who they give them to and a lady who gave me one pair is going to send me more while I am away. It’s good of her isn’t it?

Love to All

your loving son Stid

Salvation Army envelope

Sig 18th Battalion

June 8

My Dear Mother

I expect we us & Co will Sail on or about the 20th and we think now that we are going to India to do some frontier work (for a start at any rate) Fell came up to camp some days ago. He is a Lieutenant in some force or other and carried a star the same as the Officers here. The men about camp were Saluting him. He must have felt pretty big.

I spent Saturday afternoon or Sunday at Wentworth Falls with the Aunts. The mountains are really great as usual and we had a good bright day and could see the country around Liverpool and was a bit inclined to ask the O.C. when I came back to find a Signalling Station up for practice. Some of us are going on a three day jaunt to a hill that is visible from here to signal back. Per Helio this work is getting more interesting the more I get on at it. The Officer listed some of us Yesterday and I was pleased because the speed was 3 words a minute faster than is necessary to be classed as 1st class.

We are to sail on the Ceramic on 18000 ton boat. She is cooling in the Harbour now.

Per Your new teacher via Aunt ?? sending you a photo you probably have it by now.

We have been getting a good bit of practice on a buzzer that makes the same sound as the wireless expecting to get wireless work later on the flag? is a quick method of Signallers but on account of leaving will not be used in getting ready.

We have been signalling from trenches with the helio too by putting one instrument up on the bank and reflecting the sunlight on to it with another so the operator is under cover.

They give us a good lot of this so to get us quick because of the time spent in sighting. The top one leaves us exposed. On account of getting night work with one of the camps we get the weekend off. I hear the ranks don’t get leave now for fear of them deserting.

It’s rotten having to off poor stock each day. But guess it won’t be too long now although the grass grows slowly in winter. That old grass in the reserve ought to help the new to come along quickly.