Cocks letter diary, 1916-1919 / Verner Cocks - Page 41
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[Page 41]
kids about Jack's age all alone waving to us. It seemed to affect all of us in the carriage. By the way we had a very comfortable ride up in the train. Box carriage for six of us - third class as good as our second. Arrived at Amesbury - a village just outside Salisbury & detrained at about 9 pm. The sun had not yet set & we set out on a long march to camp arriving there about 10.30 still in twilight & got to bed at twelve midnight after having tea & biscuits. We had been awake since 5 am that morning & did not have to get up until 8 am next day when we were sorted out in proper huts & issued with blankets & beds. The huts are the nearest approach to civilisation one could imagine. Galvanised iron lined with wood & some stuff like brown paper & containing a room heater. The beds consist of two low tressles about 6" high on which three slabs are laid & have four blankets. I have acquired one extra. Electric light is laid on & we have hot & cold baths, big mess room connected with kitchen, drying room for our clothes artificailly heated & recreation room.
The whole camp is 40 x 20 miles in area & contains 60,000 huts - what do you think of that? There are many aviation schools about & aircraft are like bees. The food was anyhow for the first couple of days but now it is great. We are allowed 5 ½d per man per day mess alllowance & the Govt supplies bread & meat. A representative committee deals with the total sum & purchases of foodstuffs. Absolutely nothing is wasted in this place, Bread - bones & fat, tins - vegetable pealings - & "Swill" are put in separate receptacles & sold. The bones & fat are used in munitions making & the rest sold to farmers for pigs etc. The Govt takes 10% of proceeds & our canteen fund gets the rest. The sanitary arrangement strikes one after camping at Liverpool. Here they have not the fly problem to deal with & places likely to convey disease are between the huts and uncovered but perfectly clean, while at Liverpool refuse bins & such like are as far as 400 yards away. The discipline here too is very strict. Every officer must be saluted at all times and one dares not move outside the lines of his own camp without being in full uniform. Even to cross the road to the shops opposite we must be fully dressed. There are military police everywhere who do not hesitate to pull up anyone for the slightest breach of rules. While on leave we are to carry canes. This is English swagger & one must do as Rome does. All familiarity with NCO's is cut out - no christian names or nick names - but Cpl. and Sgt as the case may be. I believe the Australians in London are the favourites; the people are very much in love with our uniform. It certainly does look the best. I think the leggings & riding breeches & slouch hat does the trick. The Tommies we have seen are very small & many look young. We all seem to tower above them.
The prices of things here are very funny. Taxes are on all amusements. Prices to picture shows are 4d 5p 6d & 7d. All drinks - soft & hot - are 1d & sweets generally cheap. The strawberries are beauties & fairly cheap. We get four days' leave next week & everyone spends them in London. I am saving up everything till then for expect to have a great time.
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