The Baker Boys Episode 2

Adelaide
23^rd January 1916

Dear Mother,

I arrived here safely on Friday morning.  A big crowd met us at the railway station.  There was a band there and everything.  They gave us a great reception.  The old Sergeant Major lined us up and we had our photo taken.  I will send you one up.  Then we marched round the streets.  There was a terrible crowd there watching us march past.  The balconies and footpaths were full of people.  They were cheering and clapping like the devil.  I was glad to get into the recruiting office to get out of the row.  Then we marched down into the Exhibition Camp.  I put in for forty-eight hours leave.  I will go back into camp and half past two tomorrow.

They gave us a great send off in the Hill.  Gave us all three packets of cigarettes a tin of tobacco and a plug.  One old lady came round and gave us all a newspaper.  You get meal tickets given to you at the recruiting office in the “Hill” to get a feed along the line.

Kilpatrick is in the Exhibition; we have been knocking about together. We are going to get a boat and go out on the river directly.  I think that we will go out to Henley this afternoon.

I seen Mrs Clune yesterday and also seen Mr Smith.

It is pretty hot here.  I think this is all the news so with best love.  Hoping you are all well

I remain your loving son, Les.

Tell Jack that Kil’s address is the same as mine, Mrs W Wells, 122A “Hinley” Street, Adelaide

Adelaide
30^th January 1916

Dear Mother,

I am still in the Exhibition Camp but I think we will shift out to Morphetville Tuesday.  I have been inoculated. They inject the stuff with a needle just about the heart.  A lot of fellows went out after it.  One chap fell against a tree and smashed his nose.  He is in hospital yet.  We have to get our teeth done and I have an issue of one pair blue woollen socks, a white hat and a felt military hat, overcoat, a balaclava cap, but it is a very good one.

We get plenty of good tucker in camp and don’t have too much to do.  It is a real good healthy life.  Twenty of us went up to the cheer hut yesterday.  We dug trenches and put up barb wire entanglements.  We made a firing trench line about six feet deep, then we erected sand bags in front with loop holes to fire through and support a trench at the back, with communication trenches zigzagging through it.  We put in a place for the cooks with room for two dixies,, a hospital at the end of the rear.  The idea of the trenches and that are for the Egyptian arrival.

Remember me to all the girls.  I think this is all the news so with love to all, I remain your loving son Les.

Adelaide
6^th February 1916

Dear Mother,

I received your letter and was pleased to hear from you.  We have been having a pretty good time.  It is a great life.  The exercises and drill you get is splendid.  I got a transfer from B Company to A Company.  Kil is in A Company.  I think I will be going out to Morphettville on Monday.  We should have had a shift last week but could not get away.

I got half a day off on Monday to go to the Egyptian fare.  It was very good.

I seen Mrs Smith the other day.  I have not seen Mrs Clare about lately.  I think she must be home. Did Jim O’Connor go down to enlist?

I did not get the first letter you wrote until yesterday. I got the other one on Thursday night.

I was on town picket and went into Wells as we were marching past.  I think we get our full uniform on Monday.  We only get one night off a week now, only twenty percent of the men are let off at a time. Of course, we get our week and weekend leave off just the same.

I had a double dose of inoculation and vaccination on Tuesday.  There was five hundred of us done in the afternoon.  We were dropping all over the place as we came out of the door.  One young fellow was inoculated the same time as I had my first dose is not expected to live.  He came out a fell and smashed his face against a tree and they think lock jaw will set in.

On Wednesday they lined me up and wanted me to have eight teeth pulled out but I would not stand them.  I told them I would get them done privately. 

I think this is all the news so hoping you are all well.

With love to all, I remain your loving son,  Les.

Mitcham Camp
Adelaide
17^th February 1916

Dear Mother,

I received your last letter and was very pleased to hear from you.  I suppose you were surprised when you did not receive a letter from me today.  I was on guard duty from 10 o’clock Saturday night until 10 Sunday night.  You don’t get much time to write at night since they started these night parades. 

We have just come in from fire fighting.  You have read about the fires in the hills around Mt Lofty and Belair.  There was 2000 of us out in the hills today putting out the fires.

We about 1500 of us marched down to Brighton last night and went for a swim.  It was about 12 o’clock when we got back.

We are supposed to sail early next month but I don’t think we will. I will know better by Sunday when I write again. If we are I will soon be up that way again. 

Kilpatrick is in the new battalion.  He will not be going till June.  We did not go to Morphettville as we expected.  Old Major General McKay inspected us and we were sent straight out here.  A fellow got a nasty wound in the forehead here yesterday with a bomb.  He was fooling around with it and it burst.

I will write a long letter on Sunday.  I am quite well, hoping you are all the same.

With love to all, I remain your loving son Les.

Tell Jack that I seen Hanna and George Bennet.  Has Girlie got any socks ready yet?

Les

Adelaide
20^th February 2016

Dear Mother,

I received your letter and was very pleased to hear from you.  We are going to sail on 9^th March so I will not have very long here now.  I am going to put in an application for long leave next week.

There is some talk about them picking the smartest men out of the 16/10^th Battalion and transferring them to the new battalion.  So, if I am transferred I will let you know as soon as possible.  They did not give us our uniforms when they promised, but we will get them and our full equipment on Tuesday.

I seen Harold Jackson this morning at Grant’s Coffee Palace.  I have not seen the Monaghans yet.  If I am transferred to the new Batt I will not be going till June, if they do not transfer me next week.

I am going to try to get into the 14/16^th Batt, if I do I will be with Ross and Kelty in Egypt.

I was on town picket last night.  I will send you up some money as soon as I can.   There is some talk of them making us pay our own fare when we are on long leave. So if we are going to sail on the 9^th I would like to get up there again before we go.

We have a real good lot of officers, they will be going away with us.  We were on duty until a quarter past eleven last night but I am off now till twenty five minutes to nine Monday.  I picked up a few old mates while I was in the Exhibition but we all got split up when we went to Mitcham.

I was telling you about the fires in the hills, well there was a big bush fire on each side of the camp.  Mitcham lay right in between. There is supposed to be a German cruise just off the coast and they think these fires were started by Germans to show the positions of the camp.

We were expecting to be bombarded.  Nearly all of us had to sleep in our clothes with rifles and fixed bayonets alongside of us, and twenty-five rounds of ammunition each.  There has been trouble at a place called Hahndorf or some name like that.  Six hundred light horse were sent up there.  There must have been something in it when the commandant sent 2000 of us out to put the fires out.

I am having a good time and am quite well.  I wish you could all come down here for a while.  If the chaps up there knew what a great thing this is they would not think twice about enlisting.  The only thing I am sorry for is that I did not get away with Ross and Keelty. But I will stand a good chance of being with them before they get to the firing line.

The war news seems to be better now.  We never talk about the war in camp, you hardly hear war mentioned.  I was always wishing for the war to end before I joined but now the other way round about.  I don’t care if it never ends.

Kill and I are going for a walk down to the Botanical Gardens directly. 

Is dad still working for Taylor?  How is Aunty?  Tell Nell I will write to her tomorrow. It has been pretty hot down here but we have a cool change this last day or two. 

I will get my photo taken next week.

How is Jack getting on?  Tell him to write to tell me all the news.  I will get the latest Patriotic song before I come up.  I have that photo that was taken of us at the railway station.  I have not seen Mrs Smith lately. I am going round to see her some time next week.

Remember me to all the girls.  Is Rosy still staying there?

Well, I think this is all the news, so with best love, hoping you are all well.

I remain, your loving son, Les.

You can address the next letter to Private LJ Baker 16/10^th Batt. AIF Mitcham Camp

Les

Adelaide
February 27^th 1916

Dear Nell,

I received your letter and was very pleased to hear from you.  I thought we would be going away on the ninth of March but we are not going now. I am applying for a transfer into the signallers.  If I get into them I will not be able to get away for a long time, but I will take on a lot of things that will be useful to me when the war is over if I come back.

I will have my photo taken sometime last week.  I will be a pretty looking kid in the uniform. I saw Rhoady yesterday, he was looking a bit sick on it after the inoculation.

I will write you a longer letter next time.  If I get into the signallers I will be able to tell you all about it.

With best love.  Frank Mac is in camp.

I remain your loving brother, Les.

Tell Aunty I will write to her next week.

Adelaide
27^th February 1916

Dear Mother,

I received your letter and was very pleased to hear from you.  I was sorry to hear of poor old Mrs Smith’s death.  I think Mrs Bonnett is very foolish not to let Ted go if he wants to.  I believe Jim O’Connor has not enlisted yet.  He must have cold feet.  Hanna and Bennett are in Mitcham.  I don’t think we will be going on the ninth now, there was some mistake in the orders.

We were on musketry all last week.  It was alright.  We used to get into a trench, fire a round rapid fire then out of the trench and go for our lives and flop down on hard ground and stones and pour in another pretty heavy fire then up and go for our lives into the next trench, tumble down into it the quickest way. Most of the chaps are very poor shots.  They reckon your life depends on your getting up and down smoothly and on your shooting.

One fellow flopped down on a stone and cut his knee, then he stood up and started rubbing it.  The Sergeant Major who was instructing us said “What the hell are you doing man, are you lousy?” 

I seen Rhoady yesterday.  I did not put in for a transfer in in the 16^th Batt yet.  I am applying for a transfer into the Signalling Corps.  You learn all the morse code, the use of the Telegraph instrument, Heliographic Signalling and a lot of other things that may be useful after the war.  If you pass your examination after a month at the school you have a good chance of getting in as a divisional signaller.

Well, I think that is all the news so with best love, I remain,

Your loving son, Les

Tell Jack that Kil will write next week.

Adelaide
27 August 1916

Dear Mother,

I arrived here safely and had a good trip down.  I was disappointed at not getting away Thursday although I half expected it.  I received your wire.  I am sending you up some photographs, one of us with our flag in Rundle Street and one of us leaving Mitcham Station in the train for the Outer Harbour.  I went down as a standby but did not know if I was going or not until 6 o’clock. 

I hope you got the music alright.  It rain here pretty heavy last night and it looks very much like rain this afternoon.  I might be up again before I go.  I will get those glasses for Dad next week.  I have another pair of boots I will send them up to him.

The old lorry started to go bung just as we were getting near Sandy Creek.

There’s not much news to tell so I will say tat-ta

Your loving son,

Les

Mitcham Camp
7^th September 1916

Dear Mother,

I received your letter and was very pleased to hear Jack has a good shearing shed run.  I will get those photo and Dad’s glasses sent up.  I was pleased to hear Lill liked “Pull for the Shore”.

I think we will be going on the 21^st but not quite sure yet.  I am going to see if they will do my teeth tomorrow.  I fixed up my allotment today.  You will be able to draw 3/6 a day, that is 7 days a week.  It will amount to 1/4/6/a week, you will be able to get it as soon as its due after I sail.  Don’t forget to shake them up if they keep you waiting for it.

I don’t think I will be able to get up home again before I go. 

I was pleased to see Ross’s letter. Would you get me Ted Bonnett’s address?

We have been on bayonet fighting this last two days and have two more days to put in on it next week.

We are going out on the horses down to the Bay tomorrow to give them a swim in the sea.

Well Mum, I feel a bit tired after the bayonet fighting all day so I will say good night.

With love to all at home,
Your loving son,
Les

Give my love to Auntie, I will write to her on Sunday.  Tell Girlie to write and also John.

Adelaide
11^th September, 1916

Dear Mother,

I received your letter and was very pleased to hear from you.  Cheltenham is on the Port Line just between the city and Alberton.  Pleased to hear Ross is well.  I was pleased to hear that Jack got across alright.  I hope Dad got the glasses alright.

You see the cold-footed mob rolling up and reporting here.  They don’t like it either.

That is only a tale about that boat that Connors sailed in going down.  Mrs Wells had a letter from both Johnson and Connors, they were both quite well, they might be in England now.  Some of them have nothing else to do but spread yarns about.  I suppose Mrs Connors would be worrying.

I hope the girls will soon be better.  I think I will be home for Christmas.  Well Mum, I am quite well. Hoping you will all be the same.

Your loving son,
Les.
Address Sergeant LJ Baker
Care Mr Wells,

101a Hinley Street. Will be back in Mitcham next week.

Mitcham Camp
5^th December 1916

Dear Mother,

I arrived here safely this morning and had fairly good trip down.  I saw Lizzy at Iduna.  We are not going to sail until the sixteenth now or we might not go until after Christmas.  I have to go up before the blooming Camp Commandant in the morning.

All that last lot off to the school, the one I was in, are reduced to the ranks.  I am a common private now but I don’t care so long as they don’t clink a fellow.

I came down in the train with Bill Larkins and Chickken W Clarke.  He said John was going over to see me but of course he didn’t get a chance.

Well Mum, I will let you know how I get on next time I write.  I am just going over to wire you now, so I will say tat ta.

With love to all, Your loving son, Les.

Adelaide
12^th December, 1916

Dear Mother,

I received your letter and was pleased to hear from you.  I also got John’s letter and the socks.  I will be pretty well off for socks now.  A chap gave me four pair today, one was a good pair and the others were issue but I will wear them and a few odd pairs I’ve got. I will have about seven odd pairs when I lob in England.

I was pleased to hear that John got home alright.  We have to march through the city on Friday.  We get off Thursday afternoon to do anything we want on the boat.  There is some talk about us not going till after Christmas but as far as we know we are going Saturday.  We ought to know for a certainty tomorrow.  I will wire as soon as I find out, but you will have my wire before this letter.

I’ve got my number but have forgotten it, but will let you know what it is when I wire. 

We will most likely call in at the west.

Well Mum. I am going to keep and account of everything that happens on the voyage over and send it back so it ought to be a good long letter for once.

Well Mum, I will say tat-ta.
With love to all,
Les.

14^th December 1916

Dear Mother,

I just received your wire and was very pleased to get it.  I am sending Girlie that brooch I promised her so long for a birthday present.  It’s a bit late but better later than never.

I wired this afternoon that we sail on Saturday for a certainty.  We are on our last leave this afternoon.  We have to march through the city tomorrow and then go to the Exhibition and give a Military Display, then we have to march back to Mitcham about 12 o’clock midnight, then we have to get up at four and prepare for embarkation. So, we are having a bad time for our last day.

Well Mum, I will say tat-ta, hoping to be with you all again soon and wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Your loving son, Les. 

My number is 7099

16^th December 1916

I am just going to write to Ross.  When you are writing tell him I am going to put on to get with him as soon as I lob in England and tell him to put in a claim and do all he can.  We are just getting ready to embark.  I left that broch with Mrs Wells to send to Girlie.  I hope she gets it alright.

Well I will say goodbye, with love to all, hoping to see you all again before too long.

Your loving son,

Les.

At Sea
19/12/1916

Dear Mother,

I received your wire before I left and was very pleased to get it.  We are having a good time on board.  Plenty of games and a piano.  We have a concert or a sing song every night.  The food is better than we used to get in camp. There is a canteen on board, you can get nearly all extra that we want from it.

We are having a splendid trip, the weather is beautiful and the seas a calm as a mill pond.

The two Larkins and Billy Goodeye are on board.  I can’t tell you anything about where we are likely to call.  I suppose you got that wire alright.  The first thing of interest to us were the porpoises, they get about in the water alright.  We have a flock of albatrosses following the boat today.

Our letters are censored so I cannot tell you much news.  I am quite well and enjoying the trip.  So I will say tat ta.  Hoping you are all well and wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Your loving son, Les

Address number 7099 Private Leslie James Baker, 23^rd 10^th, 3^rd Brigade. AIF

Freemantle
23^rd December 1916

Dear Dayde,

I got off yesterday.  They took us for a route march to Claremont but I nicked off at Cottesloe and caught a train to Perth.  I had a good time there.  Went all over it.  I got back on the boat about 11 o’clock last night.  They had everyone else’s name taken but I got on without any trouble.  I just walked past the guards.  I said, “It’s alright lads”.  They thought I was a blooming officer and let me through.

Perth is not a bad place but the streets are very narrow. A lot of chaps nicked off and got drunk and the clink on the boat is full.  There was a half-cast here chased two of the sergeants with a knife.  They ran for their lives.  One fellow jumped overboard.  There was a regular circus all round.  They would not give us leave.  The fellows would have behaved a lot better if they had.

The Swan is a bonzer river.  Cottesloe is the chief watering place here.  Freemantle is not much of a place.

The Western Australians are just starting to come aboard now.  We sail again today.

Well, Dayde, I will write again from Durban.  We are calling there and will probably be there a couple of days.  I am just going to throw this letter to someone on the wharf to post.

So, with best love to all at home, wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Your loving brother,

Les.

4^th January 1917

Dear Mother,

I am just curled up in the shade of the drum the anchor chain is wound on.  I have been out in the sun but my feet are sunburned and too sore to stand it any longer.

I had a good time in Perth.  We get the war news through now and again on the wireless.  We are having a splendid trip.  It was a bit rough the night before last but it is bonza again now.

We had a very quiet old Christmas and New Year.  The YMCA gave us a piece of cake and a packet of cigarettes and some nuts for Christmas and a piece of cake, packet of cigarettes and lollies for New Year.

I was on guard on New Years Eve and saw the old year out and the new year in on guard.

I had just settled down up on the forward deck to write and have had to get down off it.  Just not going down on our troop deck and then want us all to shift again.  The only place you can get any peace is on the well deck and you get splashed there every few minutes with spray.

We only have one hour’s drill a day but you don’t get any peace from the time you get up until you go to bed.  I never bother to rig my hammock, I sleep on the floor.  First, I get rolled out of bed on one side then the ship will roll the other way and I will lob back in bed again.  I used to scramble back but I won’t worry now, it only means wasting a few seconds and you are rolled back.

I got an extra day’s guard to do for nicking off at Freemantle but it was worth it. Perth has very narrow streets and the trams look as though they have never been painted since year one.  The don’t charge soldiers anything for riding the trams there.

We are a long way from dear old Australia now.  We expect to lob in that other place I mentioned on Sunday 7^th.  We will get off there, I think.  We have seen some flying fish and a few sharks since we left the west.

Billy Goodeye is on this boat.  I hope you are getting that allotment all right.  Did Girlie get that brooch I left with Mrs Wells to send up.

Well, I have not much news to tell so will say tat-ta.

Your loving son, Les

4^th January 1917

Dear Jack

I received your letter before I left and was very pleased to hear from you.  I was sorry you could not get home.  I would have liked to see you before I left.  I seen Chicker and that mob at Bancannia.  They went down to Adelaide the same night as I did.  I don’t know Bert in the school.

We have been having a good time over although it was a deadly old Christmas and New Year.  It gets very monotonous on the boat, see nothing but water day after day.

I bet it was a lovely scrap between Mac and old Bart.  I was pleased to hear you won the gold watch.

We don’t have much to do on the boat, about an hours drill every day except when we strike guard.  The main guard is pretty rotten, two hours on and four off, but the submarine guard is alright, you only have one hour and a quarter on and four off.

We seen plenty of porpoises and flying fish and have seen a couple of sharks.  We will see a bit of land in a day or two.  I will be jolly glad to see it too, I can tell you. 

We had a bit of fun yesterday, the sea was a bit rough and the spray used to dash up and give some of us a dunking. See nothing but water day after day.  I am feeling splendid.

Jack Larkins was feeding the fish yesterday morning.  I would give a quid for a good drink of tea.  The tea we get is awful.  I always drink water.  The next place we land at I am going to get about a hundred gallons of good tea into me to make up.  The food is not as good as it was a first but I suppose it is as good as we can expect under the circumstances.

Well, John, I will say ta-ta.  Hoping you are all well at home. With love to all,

Your loving brother, Les

PS Burn these letters as soon as you read them on account of infectious disease.

Capetown
January 15^th 1917

Dear Dayde,

We are on submarine guard today.  I am sitting on the hatchway, looking at the city with the mountains rising straight behind it.  Just a little strip of water between us and the city.  It makes one feel like jumping over and swimming in to the shore.  It is great to get off the boat for a few hours to stretch our legs.  We are off here for half and day and had a good look round.

I got a good supply of butterscotch while I was ashore but I have been making welter of it and only have one tin left.  I gave my mate four pennys to go up to the canteen for a bag of biscuits.  He brought back the wrong sort and I have just been using a bit of language more forcible that polite.

It does not get dark here until about 9 o’clock. The town is built round the sea shore.  It is jammed in between the hills and the sea.  The highest mountain is 4000 feet.  We had great fun in Durban with the rick-shaws.  They have a lovely town hall in Durban.  It is a splendid building. 

We published a paper coming over, a souvenir of the voyage.  I had posted one, I hope you get it alright.

It has been jolly warm here today but it is cooling off now.  I think we will be getting a move on again soon.

Well Dayde, the mail closes directly so I will say ta ta.  We sail again tomorrow, 16^th. 

With love to all, your loving brother, Les