Pte George Hamilton (Lilydale), 1st Pioneer Battalion: Is evacuated from the field to hospital in England suffering from rheumatism and myalgia.
Cpl Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2nd Field Ambulance: On leave in England. In a letter to his mother in Lilydale – ‘I had a glorious time, my mate Frank Green and I were together all the time, we stayed with his Aunts at Surrey and Brockley and oh they did give us a great time by the way. I took Alice to see ‘Chu Chin Chow’. On Sunday morning they took us across the famous Wimbledon Common, a great place on Bank Holiday.
While on our way there I noticed a nice house standing by itself and I said that’s a nice house, whose is it? Oh, said one of the girls, that’s Coombe Cottage, Melba’s home, I said Melba’s? – then explanation followed and I told them all about Coombe Cottage at Coldstream, anyway I’ve seen Melba’s home in Surrey. During the afternoon they took us to Hampton Court, I didn’t know what Hampton Court was, thought it was a tennis court, nevertheless I said I did, when we got there I found it was a palace built by Cardinal Wolsey for Henry VIII and lived in by Henry and his various wives for years. It was a most wonderful old place, the wonderful gardens, altho it is winter, and all the old rooms with all the walls covered with old pictures of all the lords and ladies and the armies going into battle. Some of the walls were covered with tapestries and then all the old furniture, the Queen bedroom, sitting room, drawing room and all the Kings rooms, oh and the lovers walk where the King used to court his various wives’.