"Just Friends" Don Anderson

 24.06.1916 

Dear Colina,

I received your letter on Saturday and was pleased to hear from you as I did not expect to hear from you.  We are not sailing till Monday next they have been putting us off every week. whatever their reason is.  But we are going for sure on Mon as they told us today this is our last week in camp and the boat will be ready on Thursday. The Ashier is the name of the boat we are going on.  I won't be sorry when we do go.  We are going to Sauldry Plains (sic. Ed I am unsure of the place that is being referred to here, but it could be Salisbury Plains) it is 45 miles from London.  There is three men in our camp that knows the place.  So we will have someone to show us about.  They will send all the Boys there now from Australia.  As it will be the main camp now.  I was to meet Lucy on Saturday night at the tower.  But it was too late when I got in so I went to a party out at Footscray.  She will recon (sic) that I am a bouzer (sic).  I will have to tell her some excuse.  There was about 500 of us went to a play on Friday night we went in by train with the band then marched up Burk (sic) Street.  We had a good time and it cost us nothing.  And we are going to another on Wednesday night.  I expect a letter from Doll tomorrow. Things must be very quiet up there now.  It is very cold down hear (sic).

Well Colina I will be very pleased to hear from you when I go away and I will leave it rest with yourself about only in friendship.  If I would have known you would have had me there would of been no 15 years about it.  But you would never give me a chance as you know you would never go anywhere with me on your own.  You always got Doll or Lucy to go with you.  And I used to think you only done it to choke me off so I took it that way when you went to - (ed. can't read the word)  So then I did not care how things went then that was why I left Rushworth.  But I would not let anyone know so I hope you won't.  You're the only one that ever I cared for.. or ever will.  But you need never worry about me been a pest to you anymore as its your wish for us to be only friends.  So the coast will be clear for you now and I wish you every happiness as may meet again some day.  If I have the luck to get through the war.

But if is a (text missing from hole worn in paper) day stop over there now if its a good place I am getting 2 or 3 days off at the end of this week.  I was going to take a run up home but I won't bother, I will stay in town till Sunnight (sic) as we will have to pack up 3 oclock Monday morning.  I have met a lot of my pals in town, there (sic) all coming to see us off Monday.

There is a concert in the next room hear and the noise would deafen you and yu cannot write either as there all around you like bees writing.  I suppose Bub will be a real cockey now when he is ploughing but he will be a great help.  Is George staying at your place yet?  I think Doll will have to make him hurry up or they will be like old Charlie Robertson, 29 years courting.  I have left all I have to Doll and so much a week so she will be all right after I go away.  She is the only one I care for and i will never forget her as she was always so good to me.  But keep it to yourself what i have said as I would tell no one else, only you.  I will write and tell you all about my travels.  So I hope you will keep your promise and write.  As I will like to hear how you are all getting on.  You may think I have wrote you a long letter this time but it will be the last hear so I hope you will drop me a line before I go as it will be a good while before i will hear from you again.  I only want you to write as a friend and I will never want you to write as I asked you before.  But if you ever change your mind there will be no waiting when I come back.

So now i must ring off I remain yours Faithfully,

From Your Old Friend Don

(note scrawled in top margin of last page reads:  You said I did not give you much news on the letter I wrote you well it was just as long as the one you wrote to me.  So I knew you meant something when I got it as it was just like a (can't decipher word... wire?)