[Page 50]
4 April, 1916 Tuesday
Same old routine today & this life is getting frightfully monotous, got a letter from young Al & he gave me the news I've been waiting for.
The CO is pretty crook & very feverish, men are leaving for hospital every day with fever & this camp has been condemned on account of its unhealthy surroundings.
[Rest of this page is a continuation from diary entry of 5 April]
[indecipherable] to present to the CO. Norm then called Jack Latham up & he soon made short work of Ford & gave him something to apply a leg of mutton to, he was then taken in charge of by a couple of his Sgts & Stiny & Norm reported him to Berry & Downing on their return to camp, he at present is awaiting the decision of a previous court-martial, he is a rotter out & in & is always to be seen with niggers no one else will associate with him, he goes straight up for court-martial.
April 5, 1916 Wednesday
87 wks of soldiering
Revielle as usual
Horses went out again as usual & nothing whatsoever doing only got word that our CO was due tomorrow.
After tea Norm & Chas went down the street & went on donkeys, whilst they were inside having a feed in one of the restaurants one of the A.S.C. fellows by the name of Ford bought in & tried to influence the Donkey boy to let him have the donks. Norm then appeared & explained that the donkeys were hired by him & Chas, who then strolls up with his hands in his pockets when he was turning round Norm's mount Ford quilted him one in the optic, one under the chin & outed him, Norm hopped off his mount & informed him that he had struck an N.C.O., after using a few strong adj he jobbed Norm one in the neck & another in the peeper, making two lovely (opposite page)
[continued at foot of page for 4 April.]