No. 4106

10 Refs. 20th Battalion, 5 Inf. Btn,

A.I.F., B.E.F. France.

27/5/1915?.

Dear Mother,

Paper is a bit scarce today so hope you will excuse the dirty piece. It is taken from that little pocket writing tablet that Aunt Evie gave me and has come in handy too. In fact all those articles that were given me have proved used, especially the balaclava and muffler, while the ‘housewife’ has been almost always in use, as I am beginning to fall to pieces now.

We are still in quarantine but hope to get out shortly as we were fumigated yesterday with all our belongings and that is a sure sign that we will be leaving soon. While in quarantine here we have been treated very well and have been marched down to the beach nearly every morning for a dip in the salt water, while we have also had plenty of concerts at night in which we were assisted by items from the Sisters from the Hospital. We managed to have some time off in the city the other day and were treated real well by the French people. We invited ourselves to a concert given by the business people to some wounded French Soldiers and although all the items were sung in French, we managed to have a good time. They shouted us 2 bottles of Champagne among 3 of us and seemed rather sorry when we had to go as most of the gentlemen had been in Sydney before and liked talking about it. If you get this letter safely will you get Father to cable 5 pounds to Aunt Clara so that I can get it from her if I want it and if I don’t want it she can send it back. I will write to her and let her know what to do with it.

I am quite well so far and hope all at home are also and I will write again soon. From your affectionate, Walter.

P.S. In your last letter you mentioned sending me a billy and I advised you not to do so. If you care to chance one I might mention it would not get to me for three months and then there is a possibility of it being pilfered. It ought to contain all tinned stuff cigarettes etc. and then be sewn up in hessian with rag label sewn on to it so that it won’t tear.

We will possibly be leaving here shortly and will have a long train journey before we arrive at our destination. It is fairly cold at night here but otherwise it is good weather, something like Sydney in October I got grabbed again today for not going to church parade. I am afraid I will be very religious.

Yours affectionately,

W.H.E.