The Ammanford boys at Kildare are evidently looking on the bright side of things, if one may judge from the letters they send home. We publish below extracts from a long letter sent by Ike Evans, a footballer of no mean order, and who last season captained the Ammanford cricket eleven, to his father, Mr. D. C. Evans, of Wind Street . It contains much that is interesting, and signalling falls within Ike's duties. The Morse code is explained and utilised.
He states :-
I am pleased to say we are all feeling quite well. I have just blown the Fall in' for the battery 9 o'clock and they were marched down to the hospital to have the second dose of inoculation. There will be some groaning tonight again. I may say I have not had my first done yet, but think I shall have it tomorrow. We are generally given forty-eight hours off duty after being inoculated, but those who feel fit have to go on parade.
I was in church this morning. All the trumpeters marched in front, playing martial music on the bugles. I have had the bugle now, and, after a little practice, I can blow it alright. It is used in field work, but I think they do the drill now by blowing the whistle and making motions with the hand. So, I have only to blow March at ease and Attention as we are on routine march.
I have had another enjoyable week, and come to like it more every day. On Friday the major took the whole battery for an outing. We were in full service dress with bandolier and overcoat rolled up and flung over the shoulder. He took us right through the Curragh, and them we went up to see some trenches constructed by the Engineers.
It was a treat to see them. One half of the battery were allowed to inspect them at a time; the other half holding the horses. I had the major's horse to hold, but managed to have a good look at the trenches. There were kitchens and bedrooms dug right underground. It was marvellous to see.
On Saturday morning a lot of us were taken out on horseback without the guns. After getting out on the common' which is miles and miles long, the major allowed them all to go on their own, while he and myself (swank) proceeded together. He handed me a pair of field glasses and told me to learn how to use them.
After a little while we started looking to see if we could find the men, but they were out of sight. However, at last I spotted them with the aid of my glasses far away on the horizon, and the major told me I had excellent eyesight. As the men seemed to be going further from us, I was dispatched by the major to fetch them back.
Oh, how I love to go on a gallop! I was not long before catching them up, and giving them the order. So of we started back, and I had reached my destination before they were half way. The major told me I had fastest animal in the whole barracks and when the men came up he asked them what they had seen, and one of them said he had seen a hare crossing the mountain. And we all had a good laugh.
The major is proud of our football team. In the afternoon we went up to Curragh in a transport wagon to play the Irish Munster Fusiliers, and we beat them by three points. I knew I had a cousin there from Maesteg. So I went to look for him, and I found him in the next room to where we were changing.
His name is Morgan Morgans. His brother was there too. Morgan himself was playing against us. He was very glad to see us.
Well, I think I could go on writing for ever, but I shall have to stop some time. Sergeant-Major Young has just come into the bunk. He asked me if I was writing home to my dad. I said, yes; and he asked me to remember him to you and tell you that he was doing his best to make me a good by and a good soldier. He is a fine man, and I like him more every day.
I have to learn signalling with flags what they call semaphore and also the Morse code. The former is with two flags (he illustrates the method by three sketches) and the latter is with one flag, to represent dots and dashes. A dot is a short cut with the flag from shoulder to shoulder, and a dash is a bigger cut with the flag.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
I have learnt all this. It is the code they use at the post office. You may show it to Dai and Emlyn and see if they care to learn it.
About furlough, I knew nothing more that when I wrote last, except that there is some talk about giving a start next week. You can rest assured that I shall let you know as soon as I come to know something. It will be all the better the nearer Christmas it goes.
He goes on to say that the boys landed back safe, but came without Danny Walters, respecting whom he shows some solicitude.
Well, I think the Germans (he says) are now getting the final black eye by the Russians, as we have had some very good news lately, and I am afraid the war will be over again before we may have a pop at them. I must now conclude,
I still
/ / / / / /
So I think all is well.
