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[Page 104]
Gallipoli
5th December 1915
My dear Father,
There is a type of man who thinks of nothing but his own advancement, & the advancement of his flatterers. One fully expects, & is not surprised, to find this individual abounding in drawing-room soldiering, but its hard to credit, that men who come away to fight for a cause, should forget their side & confine their energies to the betterment of themselves & their satilites. These men do exist some of them you have known for some time, & you have been introduced to others. I think it advisable not to mention names but don't for a moment think I am referring to the Colonel, who is a fair, strong minded man, & as good a commanding officer as could be wished for. Unfortunately a battalion is too large a unit to be entirely managed by one man. You might infer from my tone that I have been getting into trouble. I have not, but if some men continue to be treated as they have been up to now, I'm afraid I'll have to open up my mouth. Everything I have to complain about is being done in an underhand way, & I have the consolation of knowing I'll have a good backing. I myself am well & enjoying life now that were neither pestered by flies nor suffering from frozen feet. After several hours consideration I thought it best to keep my little worries in my mouth & get them off my chest in writing. Today I've been doing myself proud by feeding on tinned chicken, at two shillings a meal. A day or two ago I spent two shillings for a loaf of bread & 3/6 for a 6d packet of chocolate. Give my love to mother & Dorothy
Your affectionate son
Arthur.