The military recruit training camp at Armidale at this period contained a battalion, or 1,050 odd men, drawn from all parts of New England district and being an assorted lot of men naturally a great number of them were “wild and woolly” and took a good deal of breaking in to the discipline of camp life. The camp was always kept scrupulously clean by fatigue parties of men whose duty it was to collect every particle of rubbish and burn it in an incinerator and the cleanliness of the place was one of the first things that impressed me on entering the camp.

The men were quartered in the pavilions and cattle stalls on the Showground and the show ring was used as the Parade ground and Harold and I were quartered in a stall in the cattle stall department which was once used by a prize cow, so that we felt quite honoured, and as there was no smell and as we had straw to lie on, we soon became quite comfortable. The manger we used to hold our few odd items of equipment. It was rather awkward for us for a while to have to mix with a lot of strange and rough men who had no sympathies with us, or we with them, but we soon became used to it. We gave as good as we received on every hand and were rude to those who were rude to us and civil to those who were civil to us, and so on and very soon we found our level and became used to the routine of camp life. The routine of the camp consisted of as follows: Reveille – 6 a.m., physical exercise from 6.30 a.m. until 7.15 a.m. which consisted of physical exercises and running to stretch our muscles, breakfast 7.30 a.m. consisting of chops or sausages with bread and coffee.

At 9 o’clock we paraded in squads until 12.30 and learned the rudiments of drill, such as right and left turn and other simple movements and at 12.45 we fell in for dinner in our platoons. Dinner consisted of stew or joints with potato, turnips etc. and tea.

We paraded for more drill at 2 p.m. and continued as before to be instructed in the simplest of squad drill until 4 p.m. when we were dismissed to do as we chose until tea at 5.30. Tea consisted of plain bread and jam and tea and was not very tasty. All meals were drawn by mess orderlies selected in turn who drew the meals from the camp kitchen and served out a portion to each man in his mess and after the meal he properly cleansed the utensils and took them back to the kitchen. As only on certain days were we allowed without the camp, we mostly spent the hours after tea in reading, writing or washing clothes until it became dark. After dark, we either went to bed or played cards, etc. until lights out was blown by the bugler at 9.30 p.m. when all noise ceased and everyone obtained the rest he had earned during the hard day’s work and so the days repeated themselves until we at last became used to the humdrum of camp life and quickly settled down and became hardened.

On the camp was erected an huge tent which was used as a writing and reading room for the men and was run by the Y.M.C.A. who supplied the material free of charge to the men. A stadium was also erected and on more than one occasion during our stay in camp here we witnessed some good solid boxing bouts between the various men who fancied themselves in the ‘noble art.’

We had now been in camp for about three weeks and had learned a good deal and I had become quite used to my new title of ‘Pte. W. H. Elkington’ when we were considered qualified to be moved up into another squad where more advanced work was taught. Consequently we were judged well enough informed to be moved up five squads in one jump, so that now instead of being taught squad drill by numbers, we were taught semaphore signalling by hand; use of the rifle; compliments to officers; remarks on sanitary work and our rights and privileges as privates. So that they jammed a good deal into us in a very short space of time.

In addition, we were often taken out of camp on route marches of which the men were rather fond since the local townspeople used to follow us wherever we went, with clothes baskets full of sandwiches and cases of cordials, so that there is no wonder that route marches were popular.

One Sunday, the whole camp was paraded to one of the local churches, clad in dungaree suits, issued during the training period, and it can be imagined what a novel sight it was to see 600 men all dressed in dungaree suits and wearing service hats marching in fours to church with a band playing a march to lead them and to give them the step.

On one evening each week we were granted leave to visit the town, so of course we always availed ourselves of the opportunity to visit the local picture shows and hotels and other places of amusement. The following night after leave night we were placed on piquet duty; that is we were detailed to guard the fences and gates of the showgrounds and were supposed to arrest men caught climbing the fences, or men who came back the worse for drink etc., and put them in the guard room, but needless to say, very few men were ever caught as it entailed too much trouble to catch them.

Harold and I were now quite used to camp life, and we had palled up with several other Glen Innes men also, and since we were just about due to go to Liverpool camp, we therefore asked three or four others to join us as tent mates when we got to Liverpool, which was duly arranged, and our little fraternity now included six in all – Tom Thomas, Harry Carberry, Will Hookham, Bert Allen, Harold Mitchell and myself. Later on, we added three or four others to the number and the ten of us managed to hang together right through our training days until we finally went into action in France.

Altogether, we were in training at Armidale camp for over three weeks, learning the most elementary movements in military drill and generally having the A.B.C. of military life instilled into our minds, and at the end of the three weeks, we were judged fit by the training staff to be forwarded on to the training camps in the Sydney district.

On 15th October, all the recruits in the training camp were formed up in column of route and made a demonstration march in conjunction with the local rifle club and civilian reserves and marched to the Armidale town hall where a monster recruiting meeting was held, but although several orators made rousing speeches in favour of recruiting, only eight new volunteers came forward, so that the demonstration could not be termed a success. After the meeting we were formed up again in column of route and marched back to the camp as before with bands playing and the people cheering etc. Two night later, 150 men from the camp were entrained amidst much enthusiasm on the part of the local townspeople, at Armidale station, and amongst the number of the draft was Harold Mitchell, Bert Allen and myself. We were all very much elated at the prospect of going to a big military camp where we would complete our training which would enable us to make an early departure for the front, as by this time we were feeling very well and fit and I do not think there was one amongst us who was not really keen to get away as soon as possible to the seat of war.

Arrived at Liverpool, we caught our first glimpse of the big military camp there and the sight impressed me very much. Everywhere one looked, one could see big brown faced men in the easy fitting uniform and broad rimmed hat, some with well polished leggings and spurs and some with shiny tan boots, all going about their business; some laughing and skylarking, others doing sentry duty, but all looked in the pink of condition and were fine athletic looking figures. Then there was the Liverpool camp itself, at that time a conglomeration of rows of white bell tents and long buildings in which were stored the military equipment, etc. necessary for 20,000 men in camp at the time.

Being October, the weather was hot and a thick pall of dust overhung the camp and the horses which were drawing the G.S. waggons and limbers in and out of camp were reeling with sweat; the men who could be seen amongst the tents and buildings were, for the most part, half undressed and altogether the scene was a busy one and it rather awed me at the time to think that all these men were drawn together from all parts of the state and from every walk in life and were formed into battalions and companies and other units for the one purpose of ultimately going away over thousands of miles of ocean to foreign parts to fight the common enemy who was imperilling our national safety. All this we saw from the outskirts of the camp while preparing to march from Liverpool station to Holsworthy camp.

Since it was decided to send us to Holsworthy instead of Liverpool, as the latter camp was full up and could hold no more recruits at the time. Accordingly, the 150 of us were formed up again and marched over the Liverpool Bridge and along the sandy road for four miles until at last we arrived at Holsworthy camp, tired and hungry and worn out after the march and the night in the train without much to eat.