LIFE IN CAMP.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 25, 31 January 1916, Page 2

LIFE IN CAMP.

AN APPRECIATIVE SOLDIER.

A Christchurch soldier, who enlisted in the Artillery, and is now in camp at Trentham, describes his experiences as follows: — I have now been two days in camp and am enjoying myself thoroughly. There is no doubt about this being the life. It is “the life” as far as I am concerned, and I expect that the four months which I will spend here will be a very enjoyable time. The Artillery fellows are a very decent lot, and we all get on splendidly together. At present I am separated from the other Christchurch men, being in a hut full of Aucklanders; but I will be put with the other Christchurch fellows on Monday.

I received my uniform to-day, and when I obtain brass buttons and badges I will be set up. The equipment is very good, and the accommodation and the food much better than I had expected. Everything is as good as the most particular could : hope for in a big camp, and now that 1 have had a taste of the life I wonder why I wasn’t keener before and why so many others are waiting still. The drill is given in easy stages at first, and I think I will be able to stand it without any difficulty. I had no idea that Trentham camp was a- I have found it. The conveniences and the places of timusement are simply splendid ,and there is every facility for letter-writing. In fact, unless a fellow has friends in f Wellington, he has no need to go to Wellington to spend his evenings. The picture show is open to-night, and I believe a very good programme, quite up to the Wellington standard, is being shown. The bathrooms here are very good, and the system with which avg are 'taken to the shcwers is splendid. On Friday night there was a compulsory -'.hewer bath 'parade,, and about fifty 1 went in at a time. The water avas Avarm at first, and it gradually became cooler until it Av'as quite cold, but we did net feel any chill Avhateyer. The felloAvs Avhom I Avent in Avith declared that there av as no need to make it compulsory as far as they Avere concerned.

This morning we were addressed by f P -i' n Commandant (Colonel Potter), who gave us some good advice,

-nt. !?->ve it to us in such a friendly w-.y that I tor one, feel that it would be most foolish to ignore it. Pie stressed the importance of discipline, and pointed cut to us the tremendous importance of discipline in a military camp.

While going through the pockets of my tunic to-night I found a neat little note in one of them from a girl in Christchurch, who apparently works at the Kaiapoi Woollen Factory, where the tunic was made. The note was as follows: “Wishing you good luck, God-speed and safe return home with best wishes from The girl’s pane and address were given, so I will write to her saying that I was the soldier who received her good wishes. When I showed the note to the fellows in the hut them all commenced making a thorough search of their uniforms for similar messages, but without success. Evidently I was the lucky one among them, because I had come from Christchurch.