2/Lt A. SCOTT DANIELL
1021 Docks Operating Coy., R.E.,
GALLOWSHILL CAMP
LANGBANK
PORT GLASGOW
RENFREWSHIRE
My Dearest,
I LIKE this place. It is situated, as I told you yesterday, on the top of a lot of hills, with the most convincing Scottish landscape around, the Clyde 600 feet below us, and mountains of paling shades of blue in tiers on all sides, with heather and gorse and bog-topped hills around. Deer, grouse, partridges, quail and hares leap and hop about nearby and a man got a deer with a .22 and we have venison coming off soon, and a Court of Enquiry. It is new and small 168 other ranks and seven officers, and it is refreshingly keen. The Mess is gay and mad and slightly alcoholic, and decorous in the day time, and we are like parents, us officers, with a new family to bring up. The men are happy and sing about the place, the old man is splendid, and their life is good, apart from our acute isolation which enhances the family feeling of it all. The office works efficiently and everyone is not very clever but tries so hard. Our job is to make them soldiers, most of them have only been two months in the army and are eager to please. We are a merry crew and I do hope I can stay, and Peter, and see them through and make them a real corporate body, keen and useful to tackle any number of ships and Germans,
We had interviews this morning, with the Old Man, very pleasant and mine led to two propositions, that I get up a Signals Squad and train them up in Morse and instruments, Which I shall love doing, and the other that I am either Education Officer Or Entertainments Officer or both. I said I’d consider the work, with the A.C.I.’s relevant in my hand, and let him know. I like both ideas, prefer the Education, and doubt if both can be done by one man. Peter is to be P.A.D. officer, Eastwood is M.T. Officer, Captain Maguire is Messing officer and P.R.T. and Sports officer will be Reid I expect. I like the idea of working out a syllabus and getting the men really going on useful education, Army tradition and history, Local Government, British constitutional procedure and literature seem useful subjects for now. I am thinking hard and happily.
We had a shock this evening, when the Old Man sent for Chris and sent him on Embarkation Leave at once he reports in fourteen days to Longmoor with Tropical kit. A Blow, but for your and for May’s sake, thank God it wasn’t myself or Peter. Chris doesn’t mind but he’s pale at the thought of his wife’s reception of the news. Its not a habit here, so don’t get alarmed, we had one officer over War complement anyhow. But also get the right frame of mind. But I do hope we can train up this unit and stay with it. We get our sections tomorrow.
This morning we had interviews and walked about and saw the training and met the W/O’s, this afternoon we typed out amendments to text books, Peter and I, while Chris went with Reid to see a farmer about timber, and this evening we saw Chris off, and played darts with the men in a competition and I put a call down at seven and found a four hour delay and cancelled it and played more darts in the Mess, had supper and here we are, in our room, with the stove going, and the typer on Peter’s protesting bed while he writes to his wife. Dear nice fluffy Peter.
Its a healthy place this, but inclined to be Spartan in temperature. A sweater would be a good idea, even a red or a green one or even the School sweater which would not show under the Battle Dress. We have two extra blankets issued, making five and manage. A warm wife would help. Oh dear it would. And a real hunt for you, for my shiney black note book, exercise book, you know, on signalling. Its somewhere, maybe in the cupboard upstairs, maybe in the cupboard downstairs. A fattish black shiney narrowish book I think it was. All about Signalling. Can you have a hopeless look-see?
Apart from being so far from my wife, whom I adore, I am likely to be very happy here, especially when I get a section of my own. Tomorrow we go to Port Glasgow, marching there, to see some special craft and to play with some winches. We have weekends free, and I hope to see Bertha and Jenny on Saturday or Sunday. I’ll also get some writing done for these scripts. It can be done here when I get a table put up by the carpenter. You just send for him and Lo and Behold. Quite nice and such fun the Mess, Maguire is vehemently rude about everything but such a gay spark, he’s fifty and has a Master’s’ Ticket and know ships and docking backwards and fought through the last war. He says wicked tantalising things just to be tough. The Old Man is very sound, efficient and clever at his work and simple at everything else. Suspicious of clever young subalterns but appreciative of keenness. The food is excellent.
Bless you, dear heart, and all my love. Ever you own, expectantly awaiting a letter, and always thinking of you..