Mexborough and Swinton Times, September 6, 1935

Hands Across the Sea
From India
Conisborough Man at Karachi

An interesting letter has reached us from Signalman A. Hallworth, No. 1, company “B.” Royal Corps of Signals, who is at present stationed at Karachi India. Signalman Hallworth writes “I have read with interest your hands across the sea: week by week, and I thought you might like a few lines from a Conisbroite who is right now serving with his Majesty’s forces in India.

I am a regular reader of your paper, and I can sincerely say I should be completely lost if I did not receive my copy every week from my home in Conisborough. My chief interests are the sports page and the Mexborough, Conisborough and Denaby columns.

I joined the Army in 1931, before which I was employed in the check office at Denaby Main colliery. I attended the Rossington Street boy’s school, Denaby Main, until 1928.

My stations in the service prior to coming to India six months ago, were Catterick camp and Bullford, Wiltshire.

I was posted to Rawalpindi for Karachi. Karachi is a large and growing city, an important airport, and a growing seaport. We get all kinds of ships year, mostly British and Japanese. We can get bicycles made in Japan for nine or 10 shillings. We have plenty of sport, the order of the day being work in the morning and sport in the afternoon. I’m particularly interested in swimming, hockey and football, but owing to an accident to my knee I have not been able to play as much football and hockey as I should have liked. We swim quite a lot, and passed many an hour in the surf of the Arabian Sea, the water being quite warm.

The climate is very consistent throughout the year. Temperature is between 86 and 94° in the shade during the summer, and drops a little during the winter. But the sea air is very clammy making things tarnish easily.

I should welcome letters from old friends in the Mexborough district, and new ones, too. I would very much like to hear from Mr. H. Watson, headmaster of my old school, and also from Mr. A. E. Unsworth, one of my old school teachers.

I was very sorry to see that Denaby United had such a hard time last season, but I was very pleased to see that, although Mexborough were dogged by ill look at the beginning of the season they pull through by the determination that is typical of them, and finished in comfortable position.

I am looking forward to seeing both the club start off well in the 1935 to 36 season. I enclose a snap which I had taken whilst on leave at Manora, near Karachi, on the seacoast. We have 10 days leave there every year, for health reasons.