Date: Not given (October 1914?)
Address: No.9 Platoon - A Coy. 14th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, Halton Park Camp, Bucks
From: Private Thomas Gray
To: George
Dear George
We have not had a reply from you to our last letter which we sent just after we came to camp. We are still getting on champion and we have had fine weather until this week when we had some real Houghton Feast weather. It has rained off and on for 2 days, and yesterday we only put in 3 hours drill. It wasn't very comfortable - just imagine 14 of us in a bell tent all huddled up together in the middle, sitting on top of our blankets and kits, and singing hymns and ragtimes. We have a Scotch lad in our tent and he gave us a Highland fling to the accompaniment of a mouth-organ, in the tent during the rain. The weather has faired up now so we are allright.
Last week I was acting as a hospital orderly, as the two R.A.M.C. men who were stationed at the camp, could not deal with the sickness. However I am back in my own tent now. We got our uniforms last week and we sent our own clothes back home. Our uniforms are the new uniforms of Kitchener's Army - navy blue serge tunics and trousers with a Scotch cap. There are no brasses on them and they are only for training, we will get khaki after we are trained. I got my photo taken on the day I left home and I have written home and I have asked them to give you one. We have not started to learn to shoot yet. At first we drilled in squads (16 men) then in platoons (4 squads = 70 men). Now we are drilling in companies (280 men = 4 platoons).
The following is the daily routine of camp life.
5.30 am - Reveille (Get up or you get kicked up)
6.00 am - Hot cocoa
6.0 to 7.0 am - Shake blankets and pack them up, wash and tidy the tent
7 to 8 am - Parade (drill)
8 to 9 am - Breakfast (cocoa, dry bread and bacon)
9 to 12.30 pm - Parade
1 pm- Dinner (boiled meat, taties, turnips, carrots)
2 to 5 pm - Parade
5 pm - Tea (tea, bread and jam or cheese)
After tea we are free to go out of camp.
9.0 pm First Post (time to come in camp)
9.30 pm Last Post (time is up)
9.45 Lights Out
10 pm to 5.30 am Snoring
Anybody coming in to camp late is put on guard tent and put on defaulters drill (extra drill) the next day. We do not have any supper unless we save some bread from tea. A small quantity of broth is made every night from the leavings of the dinner and the different companies get their turn in getting it.
There is a mess orderly for each tent every day to get the rations for the other men in the tent and to wash up the dishes. Bob has been mess orderly today There are 5000 men in this camp, made up of the following - the 9th and 10th Battalion of the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, the Winchester Rifle Brigade, and the 14th and 15th Battns of the Durham Light Infantry. There is another camp 3/4 ,mile away of 10,000, some Northumberland Fusiliers, Lincolnshire Regiment and some West Yorks. Both camps are in Hal;ton Park the estate of Baron Rothschild, the millionnaire, it is 5 miles from Aylesbury and about 36 from London. There are several orchards round about here and I have seen hundreds of damsons on trees and also a lot of apples. The climate down here is so much warmer than it is up in the North of England. I am writing this in the Y.M.C.A. Tent; the paper is supplied free and the place is full of tables for writing and magazines. It is a very large marquee. Father wrote and said that you had been for the bike, you may as well have it when I can't use it. If there is anything you would like to know of camp lifeand soldiering which I have not told you, just let me know, but be sure and write, let me know how you are getting on with your work, etc. Letters are very welcome in camp and are eagerly looked for at every post, but seldom received.
I remain, your affectionate brother
Tom
