Empire Day
Chaubattia
Almora
India
My dear Mum & Dad,
Last week’s mail arrived safely & brought yours of April 27th, but yours of April 20th is evidently lost.
We have another Mail in tomorrow, bringing those posted about May 4th.
I am glad to hear you are both well. In your letter you said Doff was busy writing to me, but I didn’t get her letter.
What thieves the two “Bee-lees” are, they seem awfully clever at the job don’t they & being such chums evidently work the job together.
We have been very busy the last few days with Mobilization Stores, evidently on account of some confidential letter the Colonel has had from Simla. The idea is that about 800 of us are making a move. If we do so it would I should imagine be for Mesopotamia though the general idea is that it will be German East Africa though considering Mesopotamia is under Indian Govt. & Africa under British I expect it is more likely to be the former. I should very much like to go to East Africa but am afraid there isnt much chance of it, & Army orders are so soon altered that it is likely enough we shall remain here until the Autumn.
The Draft are now mixed with us & parade with their Companies – except of course the recruits of whom we have about 136. I don’t think we are likely to have any more Small-pox as since the second man went in with it there hasn’t been another case & all the German measles patients, (16 in number) were discharged from Hospital yesterday which again brings our number in dock to a much more respectable figure viz – 28: at one time a few weeks ago the number was 55 though of course more than half of these belonged to the Draft.
I expect there will be a bit of “scrapping” for a week or two between the Draft & the old hands. One of them on Sunday, got a bit talkative after having a few pints of beer & told one of the original 4th Wilts that “he came to India to get away from the War” – he didn’t half get a “hiding” too which was a very good thing because I think most of them now realise that if they get quarrelsome & cant keep their mouths shut, someone or other’s fist will soon do it for them.
What a poor sample the men recruited during the past 6 months are, and they have poor ideas of Military Discipline. Often until their arrival I have gone a couple of months without hearing the “Defaulter” call but now it goes half-hourly every evening from Retreat to Tatoo.
The next Invaliding Board consists of Sergt. Leppard and 5 of the Draft. They were not examined before leaving England & one who is going Home hasn’t got a chest bone & not many ribs, owing to operations for some disease or other, & yet the poor chap joined up voluntarily & without Medical Inspection was sent out here. I am sorry for Capt. Waylen as he must be having “the time of his life.”
I have moved (just for a day) to No. 46 Bungalow & tomorrow the 11 of us are going into our proper Quarters up by the Duftar, or rather Orderly Room. Our 11 is a nice sociable little party, comprising 4 Orderly Room Staff, 1 Orderly Room Orderly, 2 Storeman & 4 QM’s clerks, being 1 from “A” Company, 5 from “B”, 3 from “C” & 2 from “D.”
I should think that our troops joining up with the Russians in Mesopotamia will now hurry things up a bit wont it, & I shouldn’t be at all surprised if we take Baghdad before many months. The news on the West Front isnt so bad is it for although we can’t make much progress, the Germans can’t either.
The “Garrison Battalions” they are sending out here are a rum lot & no mistake & I guess the 1st G. B. Royal Irish Rifles take the cake. They are made up of all sorts of Regiments. I asked one man where he was before he came to Ranikhet & he replied “We came from India” & was quite surprised to learn that he was still in India. When I asked him what his last station was he hailed a passing Sergt. of his Batt. who informed him that it was Cawnpore. He said he thought he had been in India “a main long time” which proved to be 3 weeks & 4 days, he had had 3 weeks at Cawnpore & just come to Ranikhet & was evidently quite “soft on the cranium”, Dick offered him a cigarette & he said “Thanks so much, if you don’t mind me taking two, one will do for tomorrow morning. I met another Private who left India & went on the Reserve in 1886, he must have been 64 or 65 years old & looked it too.
Our last 3 men arrived from Delhi last week & Capt. Morrison who is Station Staff Officer there, is now the only one of our Battallion now left there. The 3 last to leave were Hospital Orderlies & they have been pretty hard worked.
Please kiss the cats for me & tell them that the day I come back they can steal anything of mine that they like as long as they “keep purring” without a “meow”. I think a cat’s purr is an awfully “comfy” sound don’t you? The Forests abound with their larger brothers & sisters but I would just as soon keep out of the sound of their purrs.
As you say, Weymouth must be pretty rotten for fishing now that the War is on. We must have a bit of good sport together when the War is over somehow or other.
I enclose you a couple of photos. This is a pretty place (for India) but at dinner time when we were discussing the prettiest places we had yet come across the names included Bratton, Erlestoke, Castle Combe & many others though the only place mentioned outside Wiltshire was Pangbourne. Of course no place can look nice without green grass, & there is none of that here: like the niggers themselves it is all brown & shriveled up.
Best of love to you both & kindest regards to all Lavington friends.
Ever your loving
xxxx Jack xxxx
xxx
The Jack Welch Diaries 