{"id":142,"date":"2013-05-05T20:02:36","date_gmt":"2013-05-05T20:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/warletters.falkor.gen.nz\/?page_id=142"},"modified":"2013-06-26T20:22:07","modified_gmt":"2013-06-26T20:22:07","slug":"neil-mother-30-mar-1917","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/warletters.falkor.gen.nz\/?page_id=142","title":{"rendered":"Neil – Mother: 30 Mar 1917"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fri March 30th 1917
\nDear Mother,
\nI have been writing and telegraphing and shifting about so much lately that I am blowed if I know where to start to tell you about our movements. \u00a0I am writing this 10 a.m. in the Medical Inspection Office, Featherston with the boss sitting at the next table and not worrying a scrap over the fact that I am not working. \u00a0I have extremely easy work here, entering up results of Medical Board’s examinations and attending to the clerical work connected with the men who report sick from camp. The boss is a staff sergeant major who happens to be also a gentleman – a rather unusual case. The work is extremely pleasant, the office is big and warm and bright and I have no slusby (?)\u00a0work to do – there is a special orderly who does all the sweeping, scrubbing, emptying waste paper baskets etc, \u00a0There is every likelihood of the job proving a permanent one til the end of the war – the boss says, but one never knows with these defence people. \u00a0Anyway the prospect of spending a number of years in this camp, even with a fairly comfortable job, is not a very pleasant one, because although there is not much discomfort or fear of accidents, there is not much amusement or excitement either. \u00a0However I am not going to risk burning my fingers and so I shall just wait on for a while and see what turns up. \u00a0I think a hospital ship business managing lieutenant’s (?)\u00a0job would about suite me, but I am afraid Headquarters is not keen on my having it yet. I get no more pay – only 5s a day. – office boy wages. \u00a0The tucker we get now is as good as any 25\/- \u00a0boarding house. \u00a0Three couse meal once a day and a clean plate for each course. \u00a0Cheese & jam each meal and porridge & chops or something like that for breakfast. \u00a0The only fly in the ointment of the present job is that it is very probable that that I shall lose Easter leave. \u00a0Both Norman and I are attached to the Home Service Corps probably indefinitely unless we barrack to be put in a Medical Reinforcement on board a Hosp ship. \u00a0Trot is permanent hut orderly for our hut and has practically nothing to do but sit and see that no one comes in and takes our shaving gear. \u00a0Trot was telling me that he told you not to send any cake because we had nowhere to keep it. \u00a0That’s all dam rot. \u00a0We’ve got a hundred places in which we could keep it. \u00a0The real reason why he told you not to send any cake yet is that he has smashed his false teeth to bits and cant eat anything hard until he gets a new set in a week or two. \u00a0Never take any notice of anything he says. \u00a0He has become a frightfully hard case since he came to camp. \u00a0It is a frightful job keeping him out of clink. \u00a0If any outsiders ask you what we are in now dont say anything about Home Service. \u00a0Say we are attached to the Medical Corp and that we do not know definitely yet when we will be going away. \u00a0I have received no mail for a week but I expect it will be chasing me around from camp to camp. \u00a0By the way, if you want to know what an appallingly clever son you have got, look in the chess column of Sat 24ths Herald or of this last Weekly News. \u00a0I have already reached one of those “periods of enforced inactivity” that the editor talks about.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Charlie Musker is at Tauherinikau about a mile from here, but I have not seen him yet. \u00a0The only unpleasant part of the life here is getting up at 5.30 am but I think that is going to stop before long. I have nothing more to say but I might as well go on writing because there is no work to do, and I think the boss likes us to write letters because it looks at first glance as if we might be working, to any doctor who may happen to drop in.<\/p>\n

As far as I can understand I shall have two days work a month and nothing to do but keep my buttons polished the most of the time. \u00a0I am being supplied with a made to measure tunic from Awapuni. \u00a0In coming down from Awapuni \u00a0here a 1\/6 bottle of ink in my kitbag was smashed with the natural consequence that nearly all my gear is now at the laundry. \u00a0Well nothing more<\/p>\n

Yours
\nNeil<\/p>\n