Marsh letter diary, 14 January-2 March 1917 / Henry James Marsh - Page 16

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[Page 16]

are plenty on board caught with interferring with the bad women about Capetown. I am glad I never did such a thing yet since I left Brisbane, I could have got the rotten disease in Qld before I left many a time, but I think more of myself to lower myself so low down as that. There was a tram ride 11 ½ miles in length 1/_ fare, it was a round trip, 1 ½ hours run. The first day we arrived in Capetown myself and two other mates went on this tram route, it runs to a place called Camps Bay, stays ½ hour there, and returns by another route, to the city. Myself and my mate struck a young lady round there, and after staying for awhile there with her we saw her home, with the result we both got an invitation to her home.

At Camps Bay soldiers got their tucker free and free warm water baths, in some places they were deep and some shallow, and then the waters of te Atlantic Ocean wash up on its beach I didn't trouble to have a swim in them as it seemed a bit too cold. A few days before we left we went for a route march out to Camps Bay, and it was very solid marching, in the heat, it took us three hours to get there. After having a swi, booze, dinner, and a chat to some tarts we started for home, and we tacked a bush road uphill all the time, we were dismissed half way to the City, and it was the worst route march I have struck since I have been in the A.I.F. although I have been on a good many. Our clothes were simply wet through afterwards. There are 3 mountains on the march, Table Top, Devils Bank, & Lions Head, all 3,000 feet above sea level, but I didn't tackle climbing

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