Letter - 3 January 1915 - Mena Camp, Egypt

This letter outlines the new Battalion system which came into place on 1st January 1915. Some of the desert training is detailed. Athol writes of his hopes for a commission and sends home chocolate to Mum for New Year.

As usual the letter has taken a circuitous route from Egypt via Melbourne to Wellington, New Zealand.

The letter is transcribed below.

Dear Mater,

Many thanks for your No1. It's the only Australian I've had so far. The postal arrangements are very rotten, we've only had about 100 letters all told in the Company. We have been doing the same old thing, leave camp 8.15am and return 3pm carrying one meal; doing mostly skirmishing, entrenching, and various forms of attack and defence. We have tea about 4.30, last post 10pm, lights out 10.15.

Last Tuesday-Wednesday night we did outpost work. We left camp 9.30am carrying one meal and took up day outpost positions. I had charge of 202 picquet and I got roared by the Major, and boomed up by the adjutant and Colonel also Capt. Carter so I did all right on the whole. Luckily we did not have to take up different positions for the night outpost as we had one that did for both night and day which saved us digging another trench. We stayed there all night and marched back to camp about 6am, just as it was getting light.

Since the 1st Jan 15 we have been re-organized. That is we are now working under what is called the double-company system. That means that each battalion is made up of four companies of 228 instead of 8 companies of 119, the difference being made up by having a larger Bn Headquarters. Old 'F' company is joined to 'H' company to form 'D' Company. Capt Carter (from old 'F' company) has command with Capt Walstab* as 2nd in command. The new 'D' Company consists of  4 platoons each of 4 sections and about 55 strong under a Lieutenant with a platoon Sgt as 2nd in command and each section under an N.C.O. I have become Company Sgt Major and the Col/Sgt of 'H' becomes Company Quartermaster Sgt. It will take us a little time to get settled but not very long I hope. They brought out a seniority list of N.C.Os in the Battalion a week or so ago and I was 2nd Col/Sgt on the list. The only N.C.Os in the Battalion above Colour Sgt are 4 of the A&I Sgt Majors who cam away with us, one as Regimental Sgt Major, on was Regimental 2 Sgt Major, and one as signaller Sgt, and one as machine gun Sgt.

I hear unofficially that I am next for a Commission. I have not heard anything at all of the other affair so I suppose its dropped. I expected to get a Commission here with a very short while but it is held over for some reason or another.

We have 'reveille' at 2.30am tomorrow in order to do an attack on an outpost position at dawn and next night at about 3.30, I expect, in order to defend the same trenches against the Company we attack tomorrow.

I got the pouch you sent me last night and also sox, shirts, scarf etc re-addressed from Victoria League, London for which many thanks.

Jim and Spery both send love. Jim only arrived from Alexandria today. I am sending you the tin of chocolate we had given us at New Year.

There doesn't seem to be much else and I'm pretty tired so I'll ring off. 

My love to all enquiring friends. Regards to Pater.

Yours lovingly, Athol 

*  Capt. Walstab. See http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/remembrance/hmat-orvieto-embarkation/faces-orvieto/orvieto-stories/#john