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.
