Item 03: John Duncan McRae diary, 10 February-6 May 1917 - Page 91

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[Page 91]

Englishmen, & whenever possible, they "pull their legs". An English sergeant generally wants everything "spick & span" & quite up to the mark, but the boys insist on taking things quite easily. They do not believe in standing too long in the lines, for instance, & if half a chance is given them, they all take a seat on the parade ground. This practice has become so general that no notice is now taken of it & it is quite common to see the Tommies all standing in a row, quite the thing, & the Aussies sitting all over the place. One of the instructors was telling the boys what an "organised army" was, and illustrated his point with the sarcastic comment, "Just like the Australians, you know". I didn't over hear the remark that one of the lads passed about it, but you can well guess its nature.

An instructor became quite desperate one day on account of the apparent disinterestedness of the platoon & in sheer desperation, after having tried all that he knew in order to gain a keen

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