This was a reserve area which 3RAR adjourned to following theextrication of 6 platoon from HAM SANDWICH. Also just after the flap when3 id got careless with their ownership of 355. The portly gentleman atcenter was Minister for Army, in the government of Bob Menzies.

Old Joshis mingling with the diggers around a 44 gallon drum, in which a warmingfire was burning. Winter was just beginning and this was no place for thinblooded Aussies. The very latest cold weather gear had recently beenissued, and it wasn't bad. For an example I shall use the gloves we wore.Seen on the digs are fingerless woolen under-gloves. Worn over the top ofthese were another thick pair which had a thumb piece, trigger fingerpiece, then the remaining three fingers enclosed in yet another section.They were so designed as to allow you to operate your weapon, without yourskin contacting the freezing metal. Finally there was a very large pair ofwhite, weatherproof gloves with just thumb separated from the fourfingers. These still allowed you to do some work, and came up to theelbows. The two gloves were joined by a long length of tape, long enoughto go across your shoulders. Thus if you needed to discard them in ahurry, they still hung in place over your shoulders.

Someone stole Josh's whiskey on this visit to keep the Diggers spirits up.To get the full storyof his visit to the boys in Korea, read Tim Holt's 3 short stories:FESTIVE SEASON 1951. I still laugh at the memory of it all.