Transport A67, Private WH Elkington
No 4106, 10th Rfs 20 th Btn 5th Inf Brig Egypt
16/3/1916
Dear Mother
We arrived at Pt Phillip at abt 7am on Monday morning after a beautiful calm trip from Sydney which took exactly 40 hours. We steamed into Pt Phillip Bay about 4 o’clock in the morning while was it dark and I know it was very pretty to see the searchlights from a destroyer and the disappearing of the shore lights playing all around us. On the way to Pt Melbourne we past three other transports and a hospital ship, which had a lot of returned wounded on board. At 7:30 am we were moved up in Port Melbourne pile and stayed there to about 10:30. We filled in the time live singing cheering and poking fun at everyone we saw which was taken in good part by the people. About 11 o’clock we were disembarked for a leg stretch and marched up Beach St Port Melbourne into Melbourne Road and then down a road I don’t know the name of thence back to the ship where we arrived at dinner time.
We were well received everywhere and people threw us apples and they made us feel ‘just it’. In the after we repeated the morns performance exactly and arrived back at the Orsova at 4:30 pm and had tea. We were then granted general leave except about 30 men from our company. I was one of the poor dogs who was caught smoking on parade with the result that I had to go on the Melbourne picket to keep their own chaps steady and help them home if they got drunk. The picket job turned out all right though and we did not have much to do as we were told to just stroll about until 11:30 pm and then report at the Melbourne Town Hall. Of course that was all they saw of me as I just found my friends and became one of them and forgot all about the piquet work.
Next day I was granted a 1/2 holiday for the ‘strenuous work’ I had helped to do the night before so that I did not do too bad did I? On Tuesday morning we formed up on board call the roll and found all present and then went for a route march around Melbourne and I think we made rather a big hit with the people of Melbourne who clapped and cheered and photographed us as we marched in great style up Flinders Street, Collins, Bourke and Swanson Streets as far as Royal Park. At Royal Park there is a small artillery camp and we paraded on their parade ground and got our dinner. It was here that I was dismissed with the piquet and the rest of the reinforcements marched back to the boat.
When I was dismissed I went down Elizabeth Street and had a feed and then went and saw the museum in Swanson Street. This place consists of the Art Gallery, Technological Museum, Public Library and a ordinary museum all rolled into one. I think it is a beautiful building and the contents are more varied than in the Sydney although I much the Sydney places contain more items and are better set up.
When I got tired of this place I jumped on a motor bus and went to Luna Park out at St Kilda Beach and I think it was about the prettiest stretch of road I have ever saw. It was one lovely long esplanade all the way out with gardens and trees in the centre of the road all the 3 miles out with asphalt road on each side. I stayed out at St Kilda for about 1/2 hour and then caught the cable trams back Flinders Street railway station. The trams are about 20 years out of date and are run by a private company which is to hand them over to the municipality at be end of the year. We boys call the tram ice cream cards and ride on them for fun with their feet protruding out of the windows much to be tram drivers indignation. On Tuesday night I went to a picture show and saw a lot of Sydney pictures which I have seen in Sydney about three weeks ago. On Wednesday morning we went for the usual routine March to Albert Park and had lunch there. This was provided by the Red Cross ladies and was rather a big contract as there were at least 1000 men although there was quite a enough and to spare for all.
We thoroughly enjoyed the feed too and cheered the Red Cross girls to the echo when we left. We then came back to the boat at 4 PM and were informed that there would be no leave granted that night. This made the boys a bit wild and at the present moment they are beginning to pick up a bit and I would not be surprised if they all cleared out altogether.
I have had a good look at Melbourne and I like the city very well although I like Sydney better. I sent a book of views of Melbourne which I bought in at Coles Book Arcade in Bourke Street just to remind her of the spankings she used to get. I hope you received them. Well Ma the next letter might be from Fremantle so you may not hear from me for a while yet as you see it takes five days to go there and then it would take another 10 days to come back to Sydney. I just heard that we were not going to Fremantle but to Columbo and I think that it is right too so you with one from me. The ship is just on the point of steering off to go to Williamstown about 8 miles away to pick up being Victorian soldiers from here.
We have just loaded up with 24,000 cases of apples for the troops in Egypt. They are beautiful apples too I tried some.
With best love to all from your affect son
Walter 16/3/16 Orsova