CAMEOS OF CAMP LIFE

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 23, 28 January 1939, Page 7 (Supplement)

CAMEOS OF CAMP LIFE

"Trooper" Looks Back

'J'l IERE ia possibly no phase of modem military ]jf e that calls for more in the matter of appreciation from the troops than the service rendered by the post office in delivering mail. We New Zealanders, possibly the furthest away from the scene of operations, were well served indeed in this. Among all the changes in address of soldiers, due to movements injury or sickness, those looked for letters from home always seemed, and did, turn up in a surprisingly prompt, way. "Mail's in, boys." The pleasure this rows produced would have gladdened the heart* of the senders as much as it did the recipient#. Expectancy and realisation for many; disappointment for the very few. Parcels, too, arrived with regularity. These contained just those things that the peoplo at homo knew we would •njoy: tobacco, good cigarette#} cakes —home-madej and socks. Every parcel •eemed to eontnin socks or balaclava caps. Mail days were indeed a joy. Crown and Anchor Anny life, more than any other, may b« conducivo to gambling. So doubt, the soldier confined to camp and otherwise disengaged must find something to while away the tedium. "Well, what about the old square of calico?" So the crowd gathered round for a game. Of all the soldiers' games, with the possible exception of "two-up," crown and anchor seemed to take pride of place. It is purely a gambling game; frowned upon by authority, no doubt, but unpreventable. There are among the soldiers those who have seen hundreds of pounds depending on what turned up as the result of the throw of the dice.

Individuals became recognised as crown and anchor "kings." These fellows made a regular btisine«i«i of it., and many amassed quite considerable fortunes through it, which were sent home as occasion ottered. One "kinsj," who arrived in Egvpt in the curliest days, made such a business of this gambling, running a "hoard," tiiiit he siicccfsf nll v wangled himself out of ever doiris anything like line Miviro during UH4. 1'.i1.",, 1!I|0 and in tiio latter year was transferred, with the unit lie was nominally attached to, to hngland. Here lie came under the eagle eye of a strange officer, who

With the Maorilanders in Zeitoun

saw no reason why the gambler should not do a spell in France, and marked him for a draft. His nibs of the "board" had other ideas. Life had been too pleasant—and profitable — for him in base campa to think of doing anything other than continuing, if lie could. He paraded "sick," when an equally eagle-eyed medico spotted him. "A malingerer, ha." The doctor marked him "fit." However, the "king" had a friend somewhere, and gained his point to 3ueh an extent that he managed to be sent

home "unfit for further active service" —a "war profiteer," no worse and no better than many of his kind. Vaccination Parades ' Moat Diggers will remember tile appalling number of times they paraded for vaccination or inoculation, particularly the latter. We "bared our arms on so many occasions that it seemed there could hardly Ik; anything left for which we could yet be "prodded." "Fall in. Inoculation parade." We passed alone:, had the familiar dab of iodine, ar.d then the needle. The results were sometimes unpleasant, causing painful swelling and a feeling of being very unwell. But who will doubt and who can estimate tue benefits derived?