The Weather and Chemical Warfare (continued)

Both Lloyd and Fifer agreed that, although life in the camp was strenuous, it was interesting and varied. Meteorological work was conducted on a round-the-clock basis, leaving very limited time for extraneous pursuits. Entertainment in the officers' mess after dinner, according to Lloyd, included bok, a vicious form of rugby, introduced by a South African army officer who had represented his country at Rugby Union—a more genteel version of this game. Scrums on the wooden mess floor were frequent and violent; miraculously, no serious injuries were suffered. Incidentally, the ball was usually an empty beer bottle!

Another feature of mess entertainment was perpetrated by Reg Taylor in the form of assorted tunes played atrociously on bagpipes. He made even the most jolly tune sound like a lament, and most of the listeners heaved a sigh of relief when the strolling piper ran out of gas.[14]

A familiar scene in tropical officers' messes was the playing of slippery sam—a cut-throat card game that seemed to draw in everyone. Money was not of much use in the remote jungle, and a certain generally pervading attitude of fatalism induced men to be more reckless with material things than usual. One didn't have to play high, but a false move could immediately cut one's stake to zero. The casino-like atmosphere was enhanced by hordes of insects winging about the mess lights and the numerous cane toads hopping in to form a host of spectators.

Bureau of Meteorology