TOMMY'S SPARE TIME.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 144, 11 February 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

TOMMY'S SPARE TIME.

HOW HE SPENDS IT

"All work and no play makes Jacli a dull boy." The sound sense contained in that excellent old truism has always been thoroughly appreciated by Milord 'lomniy—as well as by his brother Jack. And, whenever and wherever it is possible to do so, he is by no means loth to put the pleasant precept into pleasant practice. Next to work, and —but tell it not in Gath —perhaps a long ?.ay in front of It. there is simply nothing Tommy like.s so much as—play. That is why, when the work, the real work of the soldier, the glorious work of fighting arm winn'dig battles for his country conies along he is able to tackle it so magnificently; to show that, by his predelection for play, bo has not allowed himself to dull and rust —that on the graver fields of war, as on the I'ghter fields of sport, he is an adversary whose prowess is of inapproachable brilliancy. Always whether in peace or war, at home or at the front, the soldi.>r (Uarly loves his playtime, his 'pare time, the little fleeting periods when lil- is temporarily released from the iron collar of discipline, and is, for i Irev.y, an individual with a soul of hu r.wn. and not a mere cvphcr in 'lie lap of Mars.

The pleasant reaction and feelings of relief that follow in the wake of strenuous martial labour and excitements bring to the soldier such an appreciation of his leisure as is never dreamed of in a civilian's philosophy. Yet, highly as Tommy esteems and enjoys his spare time, he never spends it slothfully. Bather docs he act on Mr. Gladstone's famous principle—that a change is always as good as a rest. Unless absolutely exhausted by his labours he invariably devotes a goodly portion of his leisure moments to play that is, in his particular case, closely akin to work —the rendering of himself, physically, fitter nnj fitter for the splendid" profession to wh'ch he belongs.

OFFICIAL ENCOURAGEMENT OF SPORT.

In this direction his natural tastes and inclinations are greatly fostered by the' authorities—War Office and regimental; by the former, whenever it is possible, placing at his d : sposal very reasonable facilities in the way of football grounds, cricket grounds, gymnasia, recreation rooms, l.braries, etc., and by the latter energetically encouraging him to take the fullest possible advantage of such facilities.

In the piping times of peace every unit, at home and abroad, possesses Us own regimental sports club, maintained so'e'.y by the voluntary contribution (a few coppers a month) cf the Tommies in the unit.

The funds of such clubs provide for the upkeep of regimental, squadron, company, brigade, and battery football, cricket, lux-key, running, and other teams, and for the purchase of the necessary sporting outfits and requisites. Sets of boxing gloves are also purchased from such funds. Gymnastic paraphernal is supplied direct by the Government; Tommy, though he is allowed the use of it in his spare time, as well as in his compulsory gymnastic framing, iocs act nave to pay anything for the privilege.

Towards the provision of indoor recreation for the soldier the generosity of the War Office is limited to the allocation of special quarters for the purpose. The cost of furnishing these quarters, and the equipp ng of them with games, such as draughts, chess, dominoes, cards, and a billiard table, hr.s to 1)0 met by the men themselves —out of the " regimental institutions'' fund; another fund to which every Tomniv contributes monthly.

FOOTBALL. Prime favourite among al! Tommy's .spare time recreations is—football. No matter where a Tommy may be h'a inevitable football is to be foind along with him. Practically the only place where he cannot indulge in a game is on board a transport; the very narrow limitations of space then absolutely prohibiting it. But, even on a transport, Tommy docs not surrender his (sporting proclivities; he there devotes his superfluous energies to hammockraces (a game in which the competitors endeavour to beat each other in the speed with which they can jump out of their hammocks, roil and stow them, and dress themselves), mop and pillow fight tournaments on slippery poles, boxing tournaments, etc. Next to football in point of popularity with Tommy, at any time and anywhere, is—boxing. In every unit this good old British pastime has always a large number of adherents, some skilful, and others, well —not so skilful. It is a most appropriate past : me for a soldier, for, in a greater degree than any other game or sprsrt. it promotes the martial qualities of courage and confidence. Running, I should say. comes an easy third with the soldier after football and boxing, and then cricket hockey, and other outdoor sports share about an*equa] measure of favouritism When it comes to indoor recreations, pride of place is always accorded by Tommy to —card.;. I verily believe that With a football, a set of boxing gloves. and a pack of cards a detachment of Tommies stationed at the North Pole would lie perfectly happy. "A Tommy's Bible'' is what a pack of cards is generally termed. To be perfectly frank. Tommy likes a pack of cards so much simply because they afford him a medium for gambling. Nearly every Tommy is at heart a gambler; he will gamble his all on the turn up of a card at a game of "banker'' or ''pontoon.'' as cheerfully as he will gamble with death in the face of an enemy.

THE FASCINATIONS OF "FAT." Tommy's favourite card games, when gambling, are "hanker," ''pontoon." "nap," and "cribbage." When not on {.'ambling intent he plays a fascinating game that is peculiar to soldiers only, which he calls '' Duffy Up" or "Fat." I have no space wherein to exp'ain th's game, but t is somewhat akin to the ordinary game of "Don." Another gambling game of Tommy's is "Crown and Anchor." This is played with special dice. It is seldom resorted to in barracks, but finds a largo vogue in camps and on board transport - ab'e game, and the Tommy who plays : t is most foolish ; the odds against him are impossible, and are all m favour of the banker (the man who owns the dice'). Compared to this form of gambling, card games are the acme of respectability. Gambling of any k'nd is, however, strictly prohibited in the Army, and the soldier who 's discovered spending h s spare time and cash in such a foolish manner is always more or less severe'y punished.

THE GAME OF HOUSE. A pooling game called "House" is n ■ "mi-gambling game which finds much favour with Tommy in camp or on loard ship. Most commanding officers ( penly perm't this game, having come to the conclusion that it is a perfectly innocent one. The comoetitors rooeivo cards with rows of different numbers

on them, for which they pay a penny each to the organiser of the pool. Then the poo! organiser's assistant picks out of a bag little discs of wood bearing numbers, correspond ng to those on some of the competitors' cards, which ho loudly calls out. The competitor with the card whose row of numbers are soonest called out id the winner, and takes the pool, less a small commission for the organiser. About 12 to 24 competitors usually take part in a game or "House." On long transport voyages, such as to India. Egypt, South Africa, etc., many men spend every available moment of their spare time at this game.

BILLIARD CHAMPIONS. In barracks, billiards is a game that greatly attracts the boys. The billiard table (or tables) in the recreation room is seldom idle. For each game played a small charge (a penny or twopence) is made, and the money so received goes to the credit of the '•regimental institutions'' fund. A surprisingly large number of soldiers are cuests of no mean ability, and, in many cases, are well able to hold their own with expert civilian exponents of the game. Rifle shooting is another spare time sport very much indulged in in times of peace. In war time, too, it is very much indulged in, but the targets are slightly dfferent! Rifle chilis exist in nearly every regiment, and from the funds valuable money prizes are offered for competition. All Tommies must subscribe to their regimental clubs.

PRETTY LADIES, MUSIC, ETC. In addition to the various methods of tilling up their spare time to which I have made reference, I may add that many soldiers devote what time they have to themselves solely to the study of music, foreign languages, drawing. painting, and other equally interesting hobbies. Outside barracks or camp the average Tommy appears, to the average civilian, to spend most of his spare t me m cultivating the good graces of the pretty ladies. And, as 1 cannot in this case say that appearances are altogether deceptive, 1 am afraid I must admit that the average civilian is right in this respect. All the comment I will offer on the point is that by so doing Tommy shows decidedlygood taste. What eay the ladies? SPARE TIME ON ACTIVE SERVICE. Now, in conclusion, a few words about what spare time means to the gallant lads at the front. There Tommy's spare time is a very different matter to what 'it is at home; he doesn't get so much of it, and what he does get is of such mighty short duration that it is hardly worth making any fuss about. First and foremost, however, spare time at the front usually means the most glorious luxury of a bath and a clear, change of underclothing. Next. letters —the writing of letters; first, a letter to the dear old folks whom ho knows are nil the time anxiously awaiting the postman's rat-a-tat that heralds the delivery of the good news that he is still safe and sound; next, a letter to the sweet little wife, or girl, who is also anxiously waiting for news of him; then, perhaps, a letter to a dear old pal in "Blightey," or, maybe. saddest of all spare time tasks, a let tcr of sorrowing sympathy to the parents, sweetheart, or wife of some other dear old pal who, having "gone West," will never again return to "Blightey." After letters, pe'rhaps, a sleep! Then, when he wakes, probably the old favourites of either football or cards for the briefest of brief snatches before once again he goes back to the firing line, to resume his glorious part in tlie great, great game of heroes in which he is engaged for the sake of — England, Home, and Beauty.