SS Orsova at sea 22/3/16

4106 Pte WH5 10 Reinf 20th Battalion 5th Brig Egypt

Dear Father,

I have a chance to scribble a note home and must seize the opportunity. We are not allowed to say anything in our letters about the place of destination of the troops on board or where we came from etc. so that this letter must of necessity be rather dry. We left Melbourne on Thursday and are now well on our way having it fairly rough. I have not been seasick so far although felt very squeamish once or twice. One night I was on sentry, go on the top deck ? the foremast about 20 ft above the water and it was in the Aus Bight too that I felt bad and was jolly glad when I was relieved.

The routine of work is not too strenuous on board ship. We rise at 6am, stow our hammocks in our mess racks and then have breakfast at about 7:15 am. We do physical drill from 8:45 to 9:15 and I have a rest before doing another hours drill at 10 O’clock and dinner is at 12 O’clock, more drill from 2pm until about 3:30, tea at 5:30 and bed or lights out at 9pm which ends the day. We get good food, far better than we got in camp. We have rolled oats or oatmeal and a stew for breakfast. Dinner consists of soup ? ? and meat and for tea we get stew or tripe or something and bread and butter and jam so that we are alright as far as tucker goes. We are allowed to sleep on deck or we can swing our hammocks on the troop decks down below. I always prefer the decks.

I don’t think I will be able to write for a few weeks. Don’t be surprised if you don’t receive a letter as you ? time must come when we would be a long way from Sydney.

Please give my best wishes to all the family. I must close now and I hope to be able to write something more interesting later on.

Your son Walter

on Orsova 1916.