Sunday, 4th October 1914

J.B. Priestley wrote to his family to inform them about recent events at Frensham (Priestley was a member of 'B' Company, 10th Battalion). He professed himself to be "dog-tired" and described a routine day in training as consisting of:

• Breakfast at 7 am
• Physical exercise from 8 – 9.45 am
• Squad drill from 9.45 – 12.15
• Skirmishing drill from 1 - 4.15 pm
• Route march from 5 - 6.30 pm

He also confirmed that he had received his first Army pay (10 shillings, of which he enclosed 5 shillings with the letter). He went on to confirm the general pre-occupation with the food provided to the men; he described Lyons catering as, ‘scarcely satisfactory. Breakfast is alright – tea, bread and butter and a slab of brawn or ham. Dinner is far from good and we have to fight for the grub. Tea consists of the eternal bread, butter and jam. We spend something every day on buns, on fruit and chocolate, to fill up.”

The rigours of Army life were also taking hold; “I take very good care of my feet, because the strain put on them is enormous, and an infantryman with bad feet is useless. I wash them constantly and rub any sore places with Vaseline every night”. 

Finally he passed on information which he had been given by his Company Captain that there would be a move into winter quarters at Whitley in about 6 weeks; following that he had been told that by late February or early March the Battalion would then be “due for special service at the front”.