Cocks letter diary, 1916-1919 / Verner Cocks - Page 42
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[Page 42]
Have not yet broken into my spare money & as we were only paid on the boat twice & then at the rate of 1/- per day there is a fair amount due to us.
Since we have been here, although the middle of summer, the weather has been very cool & the constant wearing of uniforms rendered pleasant. Many of the chaps have colds but I have been so far lucky. We have had a fair amount of drill & route marches but we look forward to this kind of thing as the weather is so beautifully cold and fresh. The route marches are rushed. We are taken along beautiful roads, through the fields & villages & see all the sights. The village blacksmith's shop & chestnut tree are supposed to be around here somewhere but opinions differ as to the exact place. Every night we stroll around the country to all these beautiful old villages with their old English homes, thatched roofs, inns & churches. We wandered into an old place, & met the squire of a big estate who told us all about the country & to play the game & the English people would treat us well.
Yesterday we visited two old villlages, one containing a church 750 years old & the other containing one built in the thirteenth century. These are beautiful old places - the key of the front door is a huge thing weighing about two pounds & the lock is about a yard square. Inside were swinging kerosene lamps & an old pipe organ on which I played several things. This is the first time I had touched a keyboard since leaving Australia. Visited the belfry & saw the bells about 300 years old. The whole place is glorious & you must come & see it to realise what it is. We are going to church in one of these old places tomorrow. We are also going to visit Salisbury & Winchester as soon as we have time. Salisbury has a beautiful cathedral & Winchester is a very old picturesque town. There are many Australians camped near here
5.