Chaubattia
Almora U. P.
India
My dear Mum & Dad
Very many thanks for your letter of May 4th and the one of a fortnight previous (which as I told you had gone astray) which arrived by the same Mail.
I am writing your letter early this week because I shall not hear from you again until the Mail leaves, the postal arrangements seem just anyhow & for the last 6 or 8 weeks we have had two Mails within a day or two of each other & then none for a fortnight.
We have now got into some very decent quarters, with a nice bit of garden which S. Mjr Thorne (who has been here since we came to Chaubattia) had planted with peas, sweet peas, raddishes, & African Marigolds. I hope that we shall have a few months up here now that we are settled down.
The Bungalows here are much better than Kailana, but this isn’t such a nice Station & no interesting walks anywhere near like Kailana Waterfall & Mount Deoban, & for a Hill Station it is pretty hot here, and a walk during the afternoon makes you very sweaty. I expect it will be much cooler here when we have had some rain.
As regards any immediate move to Mesopotamia I think that things have now “blown over” for the time-being. Last week it looked as though we hadn’t many more days up here but the Colonel had a letter from Simla which evidently altered the situation a bit.
Poor old Bill Apps must be having a time of it cleaning dixies &c – what a change for him, but amongst the sample who join up now I dont expect it will take a smart fellow very long to get an Acting-Bombardier’s stripe, which of course will get him out of any dirty work.
Charlie & Mr Street didn’t have much luck at Weymouth did they, but, as you say, I expect it is awfully difficult to find anywhere there where you are allowed a free hand.
Dick Drury is pretty rough again. He ought to have reported “sick” several days ago, but I think he has gone up to the Hospital this morning. I went down see him last night and he seems to have a good deal of fever about him with Ague as well. India is no place for a white man although it agrees with me very well. I rather wish that Dick had gone home “time-ex” for he hasn’t been very fit since we left Delhi.
Our little “Mess” is going fine, & we have bacon for breakfast every morning. We each pay one Rupee a week extra & have a hot supper every evening at 6.45 – when I lived with the Company I used to spend more money than that on Breakfast alone.
I daresay by the time this reaches you, we may have had a bit of better War news, for I am afraid that the last few days hasn’t been very grand. To hear of the Austrians forcing the Italians back so much must have been a great surprise & disappointment to everyone for nobody thought that Germany had enough reserve troops to relieve such a large number of Austrians on the Eastern Front. The Huns are a fearful barbarous lot, with no respect for the rules of Modern Warfare, but they must have most wonderful organization mustn’t they?
It is a jolly good thing that we have now quieted the Irish. They must be an awful lot to rise against us at a time when we are in the middle of a job like the present one and our casualties close on to a million, or perhaps just over it.
I hope both cats are in perfect health, please give them each a kiss from me.
How is it that Henry Pinniger is unfit for service. When he told me that he had attested he said he didn’t pass the Dr. but didn’t say what was wrong with him. Considering the poor old crocks of which the Garrison Battalions are formed I should think they are sure to call him up for some service or other.
Is Charlie likely to be called up? If so I do hope he will be able to get into a decent crowd. From what I have seen the last 3 months I am jolly glad that I am in a Battalion which was formed before the War. The only prisoners we ever have are men of the Draft but it won’t take long to break their hearts. Ten days pack-drill for cheeking a N.C.O. & comparatively small offences, will I should imagine teach them that they are not still in billets at Bournemouth.
The Draft Officers, too, are pretty slack and one of our Corporals told me this morning that he is reporting a Lieut. for not returning his salute.
If Dick had been well I was going to have his camera this morning & take the Battallion in Column of Platoon on Church Parade, but must postpone than [sic] until next Sunday.
Very best love to you both & hoping you & the Apps family are in the best of health.
Ever your loving.
Jack
xxxxx xxxx
Herbert xxx
Black Cat xxx
The Jack Welch Diaries 