Letters from Alfred Sydney Burvett to his Family, 1914-1916 - Part 4

5 
24th. Battalion 
6th. Inf. Brigade 
(Australia)
EGYPT. 
  
like in Melbourne on Australia Day, it 
must have been just the thing for anybody 
who was not a hunted down & long looked 
for recruit, and all this we hear about women 
and girls going about hunting for recruits 
ought to be stopped, I reckon they would 
do better if they stopped at home and 
made a few socks or something. they want 
to put themselves in a young chaps place 
and see how they would feel - it is not every 
body that can go, besides that I think they 
are pushing things too much and will find 
one of these days they should have kept a few. 
Well Dad I think I have said all I am able to 
so will now close with love to all 
Your Affectionate Son 
Sid 
PS. Remember me to all friends, and ask Mr Nash 
if he got my letter.

Gallipoli. 
I will perhaps have more to say next week. 
Dear Dad.  
I wrote you and 
Reg last week I hope you got 
them alright. I am still feeling 
very well and hope you are 
all the same.  XXXXXXX 
XXXXXX  (Treasury yet.) 
I am still going in and out 
of the trenches, I might say 
more in than out.  But it 
is wonderful how the time 
does go, just on a month now. 
Have you heard from Bert yet 
I have not.  Love to all  Sid. 
  
CAIRO - Sailing boat on the Nile at sunset. 
LE CAIRE - Voiliers sur le Nil au coucher du soleil. 
  
Had a couple of cards 
from Aunt 
  
5/10/15 
AS Burvett Esq 
3 McKenzie St 
Melbourne 
Victoria 
Australia

On. Active. Service 
20/10/15 
6th INF. BDE. FIELD P.O. 
23-OC-15 
A.S. Burvett Esq 
3 McKenzie St 
Melbourne 
Victoria 
Australia 

Abroad. 
20/10/1915. 
  
Dear Dad. 
It is with a sorrowful feeling toward you all that I write 
this letter, and my hope is that you will be able to stand the awful blow 
you must have got - as bravely as you have stood all your previous troubles. 
I know how you will feel it and needless to say my feelings for you 
are the same as those you have for me.  I received your letter dated 
on the 14/10/15 and in it the first news of dear Berts death. 
it hit me very hard - for I had been under the impression he was only 
wounded - the fact that I had not heard from him did not worry me 
much because I know he does not write much and time passes so 
quickly here that I did not think for a moment he was dead. 
But it is as you say death must come to all of us sooner or later  
and I say the same as Mr A.E. - it is a great consolation to know that  
his mother was there to meet him.  Well Dad he died the best and  
most honourable death any man can die and I am sure he would  
not have changed places with anybody.  I have not had a  
chance to cable you these last few days but I will as soon as 
I get a chance, I suppose you know by now that I received your 
cable.  I have had a letter since the above and I am sure any 
more XXX following will reach me - but some of mine must have 
gone astray because some of a few people I have written to have not 
answered - Mr Nash has not written - I wrote to Miss Green and several  
others before I left Egypt and they have not replied.  It is good to have  
an Aunt like Aunt Dorcas - she has not missed a mail for a 
long time and she writes very welcome letters.  I have written her 
a few times but they too must have gone astray, at any rate one of 
them did, for I wrote it before I received her first which 
was the first received since I left 
home.  Well I received one from Ruby 
and Aunt Dorcas this mail and they both 
enclosed a sheet of paper and an envelope - 
being short of paper (this pad is not mine) 
and leaving their letters in my dugout

I will have to wait until I come out of the 
trenches again before I can write them - I 
will send them a line when in a couple of 
days - you can tell them. 
Some of Berts mates I believe are in Shrapnel 
Gully.  I will go round and see if any of 
them can tell me anything you might like 
to know.  As far a I can gather he was put 
straight into the charge and was shot 
while on his way to the trenches we now occupy. 
Well Dad I must now close with much love to  
all and try to look on the best side of things. 
Your loving son Sid. 
  
PS 
I had a a letter from Aunt Alice & Grandma this mail also some cuttings from Ballarat papers which 
they very kindly sent.  Grandma works it in about us not sending more letters & photos - by 
the way I have often thought and wished that those photos would have got lost but 
I see they reached their destination.  if they were any good they would not have. 
It is getting on the chilly side over here now and I even find it hard to write, according to the chart the snow lies on the ground for six weeks about January. 
  
On Active Service 
20/10/15 
A.S. Burnett Esq 
3 McKenzie St 
Mebourne 
Victoria 
Australia 
  
6^TH INF. B.D.E 
23-OC-15 
FIELD P.O. 
  
PASSED BY 
N^o 3019 

1 
"A" Company 
24th Batt 
6th Brigade 
A.I.F. 
8/12/15 
  
Dear Dad 
Very pleased to receive yours containing 
definate news of your resignation from the C.I.D. 
They say a change is as good as a holiday and 
knowing you don't go in for pleasure trips I think 
it will do you a great deal of good - you ought 
to have got away from that chamber of horrors 
ere this. 
Well Dad I think I have received all letters 
from home lately but I have got far behind in 
answering them -  I have not written for over seven 
weeks and not always for want of time - paper 
& envelopes are scarce but the reason is that I have 
not felt as if I could - I started three or four to 
Aunt Dorcas but they were never finished - I know 
how she would take Berts death and I could not 
find words to reply to hers. 
I received a very interesting letter from Roy last 
mail also a few papers which we are always glad 
to get - I receive the "Australasian" pretty regularly 
from a Miss Sullivan  a friend of Aunt Dorcas's. 
(always very acceptable.) 
I have had (including your box of cigarettes via 
Miss Robertson) 8 parcels sent to me - two of which 
were registered and not received any - but I 

2 
have not given up hope of receiving some of them yet. 
We all hope to get a pudding and a billy.  I 
suppose some of us will if we are lucky but never 
mind we'll make up for it next Xmas. 
For the first time in my life I saw snow fall 
and knew what it was to handle it - it was about 
10 day's ago and remained on the ground for 
a few days - quite long enough for most of us under 
present conditions.  The weather now is good again 
quite warm during the day and early part of the 
night - let's hope it lasts. 
It was very thoughtful of you to send me all those 
cuttings per Reg'd post but Aunt Sydie preceded you. 
I received hers a good three weeks before yours. 
Berts Battalion is back here now after having 
a spell - there are not many of the old chaps left 
but I may strike one or two who knew him - I got 
a letter from Ballarat demanding particulars of 
Berts death but I could only read half of it - it was 
like a Chinese puzzle (small writing crossed) it  
looks as if they are short of paper - you had better 
send them some and put it down to my A/C. 
(second thoughts you had better not.) 
I made out that they were determined to get away from 
there and am wondering where they intend going - 
however they had their chance of a good thing 

3 
offered on two or three occasions by you and they 
refused - after all the trouble you went to for nothing 
they deserve all they get in the way of weather - that 
seems to be their main trouble. 
I am glad Clare is going on with the piano it seems 
a waste to have it there and nobody to play it - 
very pleased Reg is has become so efficient 
with the typewriter.  I suppose it was quite like old 
times to have it home again -(what happened to 
the tickey typewriter truck.) 
Tell Rene I hope she is nearly out of the "Abes" 
and growing a big girl - Dorothy always was 
a bit dull unless she had a wheel or something 
to play with but she will be alright - she's 
the only one I have not had a letter from yet 
tell her to enclose a few lines in one of the others. 
By the time you get this you will be well into 
the New year - I have wished nobody a 
happy Xmas yet but I hope you all made the 
best of it - I can at least wish you all a  
prosperous and more happy New Year and may  
it bring forth success to you in your new position. 
Well Dad I think I have said all for the present 
will write again next mail.  Hoping to receive 
another from home next mail.  I will close  
 with love & best wishes to all.   
Your loving Son Sid. 
PS I have not received your cigarettes yet but I may  
at any time.  Best wishes to Mrs Walsh for Happy& successful New Year. 

"A" Company 
24th. Battalion 
6th. Inf. Brigade 
Tel-il-Reber (Australia) 
EGYPT Jan 23^rd 16 
  
Dear Dad 
First of all I must thank you 
very much for the fine box of smokes you  
sent me for Miss Robertson -  I received  
them while in Lemnos and you may 
be sure they were more than acceptable - 
I have still got some left in  
fact I am at present smoking one. 
I am very sorry I caused you so 
much anxiety as to my welfare & 
causing you to go to the expense of another  
cable - but it was not my fault this 
time -  because for some time before and  
after my departure from the peninsula 
no letters were taken - this is the first  
I have written since then.  However 
I was very pleased to receive it although 
I have been hearing from home regularly -  
no doubt it will be a relief to you 
to hear I am still well and in good