Hard graft, music and dancing

"I received the sleeping cap from home today. Thanks very much. Draughts fly all about our hut and so it will come in handy."

"Today we received our full welt gear. ... They are all made of khaki canvas coverings so as not to be too conspicuous in the firing line... Things are coming to hard graft down here now. We now sometimes have nightwork - marching over all sorts of ground which is not easy work. If you could only see me now you would probably not know me. I am dressed in denhims [sic] with big hob-nail boots. I have a nice little mo, but of course am going to cut it off before I come to Auckland..."

"We now have a piano in our hut & evenings when we are disengaged we enjoy ourselves in good style. Last Thursday night we removed some of the bunks and fixed up a sort of a stage. We wrote out a programme & carried it out decently. We also had a bit of buck dance. But the 'light out' bugle goes at 10pm & so we have to cut things short."