Lance Corporal J. W. James, of Ammanford, who threw up his important duties, public as well as private, in order to join the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, sends us a highly interesting letter relating to his experiences, from Sherrington Camp, Codford, Wilts. He states : -
I see by your paper – which I get weekly – that Ammanford boys are writing you their experiences.
I hardly would have credited when I left Ammanford, what things were going to be, if I had been told.
I joined the Royal Warwickshire Regt., and was amongst thousands of recruits arriving at Warwick barracks from Birmingham . I slept the first two nights out in the open without any clothes but what I wore, the accommodation for recruits being far from sufficient. I was luck in billeted out in Warwick after the first week and then had a splendid time.
Last Tuesday we were recalled to Warwick barracks from a route march, and we were given half an hour to get our things together.
We (350 of the Warwicks ) were put in a train without being told our destination, but eventually found ourselves in this place, and transferred to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.
Yesterday (Saturday) I went out to the little village near by and was surprised to hear a shout in Welsh. I replied to it and found two Ammanford boys. They told me that there were a couple of hundred of them camped near by. I was please to know this, as I had not heard a word of Welsh since leaving home.
Life under canvas is interesting, but one has to be careful this cold weather. I have three small blankets to keep me warm and off the damp grass. The hard work we do nullifies all the minor incidents of camp life such as skimming the dust and grass off the tea in the “dickey.”
Today I found there were 20 or 30 South Walians in the Devons camp near by. There are, in all, about 35,000 troops here, all for Kitchener 's Army, and of various regiments.
I am in charge of a tent of twelve men of the D. C. L. I., but most of them are Cockneys. What they wouldn't like to do the Kaiser isn't worth doing.
