Reed, Sidney Hayter (Lieutenant Colonel : b.1895 - d.1971); Blackburn, Arthur Seaforth, VC, CMG, CBE (Brigadier, b.1892 - d.1960)

Letter signed by Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Hayter Reed and Brig. Sir Arthur Blackburn of the 2/3 Machine Gun Battalion. The letter was written to Mrs Richards to thank the Willunga community for the food and troop entertainment provided by the local Comfort Fund. Dorothy Way (daughter of Mrs Richards, who had organised the event) was 11 years old at the time. She recalls that her mother organised the event, with the women of the Willunga district cooking over 1000 pasties for the troops. Dorothy's father brought a piano to the party in his truck to provide musical entertainment. The camp was held about 4 miles from Willunga on the Mt Compass Road. The troops had marched from Woodside Campt to Victor Harbour and surrounding districts as a training exercise. Many of the troops in the 2/3 Machine Gun Battalion were from the local district.