Letters from Robert James Henderson, January - June 1916 - Part 9

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
AWM2016.30.2
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

mm Eayht. 6 mmmn Ulean tly dear mmuunmn stu Wou harcels Received ti the MMNYIMMMN Dn rnne C coummonnuncy umonene ets cigarittes chocolates card. socks hibe anuno imm Muina nnun cmmmn L ing bos ka mply oe t Mee a e 1 Cmmanenn C ly ether Mm mn f omne to here as at nnn nn n Christn slike a ked becon ting sderive the exciement is i 4 1 n every th We intense and a deeply appreciated get t dull last well ot dowg sowe suy forrowed the ill N.I. afterno mnen hrne had ih comptin ane f n n on mnnn an Toby Bartons also 1atre i who anmmn off cnenn mmmnmmmann X1 n ride long i now baltalun IWn for a imoumm mmm ann th ad lowarll os Tuz we had d blong t a a also a five sw Cmn a great afterno a ag imman wch n le so t as t comeereny a walk me there hao omme when cruke Balt. + a played the places D our beng the afterno Dednesdins mumuqmn manem ast comun Saterday holidla ae prnenmn e weekly 8 Half s you aemmnNeme ternon by memn 9y to wickets and i am oninum ap these coft romonmmemn cummen engan en enee onennee enn ff eemne
ell vl a saet my her lear stt Meretrccceeggees omnn the to and any o + other Tmmenn amomnn f nennin e hen AMIN Mmnm bere dividual seor t the highest an mmnEN omnmmmmmmmm mmmu withe suited wickets inunuccoi these sen amnnnommmn anannenenenen n Mon Drmn a great bowlers nevere us we had only le from also a an Y dunks fernoons 6 the dull an n a yern in the to by hade late seen Kana Have be ommmn mnnon Fommmum comummmmmn mvennynenmm o me t sain is comnummnmumnmumus eenmn unemmiun nm ann nnenenenen fenone sed whe knox other Cap anuoiou ommmuum mmmnnemm assisting been to and had ti oh mmman <umin Mn h C ommening boks th of par with delive cummen an nnmnt f Menene ene n ter ees ivunon der letters ruditin Crt inmumumum Sm e etc 2 Sir ecceience amn a ough addressed Mackine Gun 5t ele come to no forg atter that detur do amn Mmmn to Attachell ow Cy. as I am mnne o We are wtr vd niuithonn aive A 22f o mmuund may stay shot end same in the umnmanu anena mmmn till seeemmmement MMR are ttack Egegts me ler meummumm Cannonim Mn for short anen for espected frrm the furs her tho re Fmo very listance nm Mn ar notic at a minutes to move n commumen ready will not Dver erister ame Loh all iecum fr Cmmann Franc be required ou as bet a
would be se siied as t sme here which of course unile Cann mnen n n n n n nen ne fr t news io There mnunmm thn e drill drit we A wthi mnonnmn all an n n e on on Mtth at old hrm the 1 occasional sin CmonNN e And Mmn wdo even her without is ot o th shan a ti in ti td whe anon g lom best of health & spents lest all oumm nmmommm
Eyyht MMM NN 16 oum 143 cmunanmmn Dear Mick Comnning seems to me that it is some mnmn addressed a on mmtim ible Since I con Tmmonmn n de n let letter dated o you Received your Tmmonansmn n a couple 1 days ggo and much 31 mmund we ald hear te wit as glad bnswers contained 7o not worry ab 2t at am & do not thin all watters T aien bonmmn n nn sent Herve l wold dring at this munde snsencudununome a Uana yet br will M through letter TenTmmeen MM concenmunng ann f M out is he the opimmmm do so at the first opportunity muntme again so have not seen nehes the MM Fiiday the Last for abou 42 MMMgm I we hem smll as am to know M Lnm n n frnenen ne inte Pard that like to be conprived I friend MMMm X to it meant a day of also a tut to be conducted was Luer and the ceremony to deaided J Tersalein Be hop by the and wak become church of England an nnmn aMm to bastate the o aee other tree t Manm Te 6 oclock l my here Mn nn 10 my self left an hen
from on lere to norng rling distance Tree cnen timmerene mann there catching the train to n at We aceived these S mmnunuumm of some 40 wel 6 had lned Put ^ mm end Cnenmnnonen o mmmn hmnn such time to nt Annumnn clock in the afternon went 1 Borc & through the sevice I ret the Cha C TTHHNMM enfoyed in serre i immensely although th frent it was solemn to very how onaunem coot nice A down Sir ao minn MMMMMMM + Go msic usic Then uch with to an organ for Che onl thaly y A were 25 prsent ae sengthe ln Ciull sead hor + a Mne The Beshop is a 50 where abo mnen mn n en n n nrnn mmnn Mymmensm cmumm exceptunet me the yrs of age we all not hi after the t imem afternoon teo us be then took imunann to St t lac you A ill L at ault Mma the a mmmmmm 1 m hom An had we hadd of ues After the MMnnma we drove arall garry and M Ce Mmman m o mmnmne and St Terapern back Arswell 2t violent camb back M nid A hact a cmmuannn sivg C enof dust storm which wh Ca the o the lemderlare dun clarg he Mnnnannn he or ver M the whole never I ca being day Her Tensalen en tmn day besides weeting the Bishol of
Tuel li s confilived him seeig and iE mn n n n nin Aee the in of and getting away o i few Lour rly rdoy in 50 Donmn fo omn nn fi Manan immm day Murummemum wh ven hotter than th M day We knocked off for the oa b mmmNN Cmnmmnnmnnnend the in The taen 30 Spent most o day the 8 we clock ee then abo in AMAMN MTTMmMa mnnfe playing t that I rin SrbR p dinner Tmma t Austiala of curse I got brong ao che by al rbut is generally cavied m £ err wa bly hot and I was 4 t th conforta Mrs yrg mnnu A it w umannum M Lend slewed to nyfames Crmnenemend ef K mene mnten body mad after dinner every t Ct even Conunmnce ancy dless swe Mnan Prneny got into some sord then MAni times, py jamas of all colors sts to had a wers Temammemm the S ve stel incrrmm edm the wa o Xwortell them an armnn rand M en n n nnn nen nn nn nne nene 6 t the back mmmmmmnn t ed on end we commen look the then & invited nf sonenen nnn de nannn drink 1 mnt e amnmnane ought then fuell ambulance at I the t wie d in the along. All assemt & Sor his it some dinks thee S mn e e nmnmn Sec tgether 4 cases to in al an fr mn nnen nenenene Cumum at b 9 ccem
conderved bettler ble severe munbummmm if whish amn ern en erber Ruperd Esgrove dack the n nnen nen hermng mnthim cmeneenm te omen by lame a bert mmunn 1t Fol e the bee an Tmminemmemmm nmen Fmnm long yor to Rupert tho time in thart nconmno officer ir here ats mnt en n him present 2 ion no oe an n formn mmmenne off T anen en tak boy even 2 lost in of And bely ✓ very and D Gelo fi whs very mnmanm Mmnn St will your lear wragination what w like abm 50 he would be Mn nnn mn mn ter on ngen n from verd at all striffed ber o down Colon F m anng mas speeches & generally shorts singing relascati gud a was mat m conummoni 7 ann e ne ne ne enenenmnes T weather T Con mgim by ter the intensely hot day 1 be ity by an onte ender to anonan enenenenend clowm bine We are la kng our MMMM please X ter the das the an forn enenen MMn to the canet & sndg Thirron again will Eke Receenenm tmmoe anmn e at wll 4 mmnmnmmnte hert the is of snnnmonnn state tell yon abod Mmmmumm immaem but & eche orders letter no ned t mm an commanm live da a or France Miamumn to eave here nm AMAMMNM Mn fr < to al we kill her Cherss now l mmmnumn 1 of Bo M
Egypt 32.5.16 My dear Tane Dags letter from you & Wik lowe Received a ago and was glad to himr + a corple days the newe The next letter you receive from all be from Egipht all being well not me will move on for France some we expect to 9e1 a week this Law into Austen yesterday he time from received told me he another young farced wes greatly pleased about Sam And you The 45 triches ching in from the See me 2 days ago wp Kank Chrve looking very well we exchanged letters he they had beavy work and but a bit thenner ut there & bye the bye ofcurse terrible heat now lance corporal will be a coloner he is a through your Turt glancell I expect swilty to who will letters Mana them giving beforig noticed that thought lated return them 46th if now with the io Jack Edggle next that they are camped So mile 144 oa about a 25th the dovr to us to shall look him away up from have first fortunity at the 120
Sandlon with get te thad tnt fienie grent down the look mess cart cenal the on V then Ewain proves wns & drinks with caut the on the played bank of bridge hot durryan so much it terit was imprisible to enjoy any thing that it was so week the heat and dust fr last 5 days but the last few has been terrific here better. We had a been great have days last 4 as Capt-Mark Wellnesdey pience on M self each had Phillan a Sts Henry nicl + lunch Rode to a horse book our lunch the a nice yoing crnal had spot on several swre it had bridge played firrst te as we also lss great 4 England to She the Mooltan through 90 to her and hall Conversation 6 Swan nut board from a nice looking lars on with ive unet water she asked what the the the told her 5 from Clime waved generily med went her arms + Comfort fund knew the The 15t saying nave catel to is great not could her through going boats these seing from a had Then again Sanller We list the Counal this all day on another menic be expect the last we all will we one lat & drink to had great day plen X

Egypt.
6.5.16.

My dear Mum.
Received the two parcels you sent
containing pipe socks cards chocolates cigarettes etc
together yesterday they were simply boska one
becomes like a kid at Christmas time here
when there things arrive the excitement is
intense and everything deeply appreciated. We
were out doing some night drill last night
so had all the afternoon off. I borrowed
Toby Bartons horse and in company with
Ken Patrick (who is also an officer in
the battalion now ) went for a long ride
along the canal towards Suez we had
a great afternoon also a fine swim to
boot it is ever so much more enjoyable
when one has not to walk to these
places We played the 16th Batt. cricket
last Wednesday afternoon that being our
weekly half holiday instead of Saturday
afternoon the 13th won by 18 runs.
I am afraid these soft sand wickets

 

do not suit my peculiar style
or any other then persons for that
matter the highest individual score being
8 these desert wickets are suited for
bowlers only nevertheless we had a great
afternoons fun also a couple of drinks
and a yarn in the 16th mess.
Have not seen Nana lately but had
a yarn to his company commander
the other day Capt. Knox who said
he was tip-top and had been assisting
him with the pay-books of the
company auditing same etc. All letters
etc coming through now are addressed Machine Gun
Section do not forget to alter that
to A Coy. as I am now attached to
same doing infantry work. We are
still in the same spot and may stay
in Egypt for some time as attacks are
expected from the Turks shortly at a
very short distance from here we are
ready to move at a minutes notice.
but all hope our assistance will not
be required as our trip to France

 

would then be delayed and the summer
put in here which of course would be
absolutely rotten. There is above no news
at all we do nothing but drill & drill
with an occasional swim the same old
sand & heat, & flies every-day without
any var change whatever. Am in the
best of health & spirits best love to all.
Bob.

 

6/5/16 

 

Egypt
14.5.16

Dear Mick
Seems to me that it is some
considerable time now since I addressed a
letter to you Received your letter dated
30th March a couple of days ago and
was glad to hear all the news it
contained. Do not worry about business
matters at all & do not think I am
doing so at this end. Have not sent
your letter through to Nana yet but will
do so at the first opportunity he is out
at the trenches again so have not seen
him for about 3 weeks Last Friday the
Pardre wanted to know if any of us would
like to be confirmed I found out that
it meant a day off also a trip to
Suez and the evening was to be conducted
by the Bishop of Jerusalem so decided
to become Church of England and make
the trip. Three other officers from the battalion
& myself left here about 10 o'clock in

 

the morning riding to Serapeum station from
there catching the train to Suez, a distance
of some 40 miles We arrived there at
lunch time went to a Pub had lunch
and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon went to
the Church & through the service I
enjoyed the service immensely although it
was very solemn it was a treat to
go & sit down again in a nice cool
Church with an organ for music There
were 25 present we being the only Australians
The Bishop is a real sport and an
exceptionally nice man some-where about 50
yrs of age we all met him after the
service he then took us to afternoon tea
at the Pub and had a yarn to each
of us After tea we had half an hour
so got a garry and drove around we
arrived back at Serapeum at 7-30pm and
had a ride back to camp in a violent
dust storm which was the ending of
a very hot day the temperature during the
day being 117° However I enjoyed the whole
day besides meeting the Bishop of Jerusalem

 

and being confirmed by him seeing Suez
and getting away from the desert if
only for a few hours Yesterday in
camp was even hotter than the day
before We knocked off for the day at
8-30 in the morning. Spent most of the day
playing bridge then about 7 o'clock went
into dinner in my silk pyjamas that I
brought from Australia of course I got
a cheer but was generally envied by all
it was terribly hot and I was the
most comfortable which we is not saying
much However my pyjamas seemed to send
every body mad for after dinner everyone
got into some sort of fancy dress, swimming
costumes, pyjamas of all colors etc we then
visited the 16th mess sang songs & had a
drink & invited them up on the way
back called on the 14th mess had
a drink & invited them up then looked
the 4th field ambulance up & brought them
along. All assembled in the 13th mess
we had some drinks & speeches & songs
about 60 of us all together 4 cases of beer

 

& several bottles of whisky being consumed
bye the bye Jack Cosgrove & Rupert Furber
are with the 4th Field Ambulance had a 
long yarn to Rupert he has only been
over here at short time Every officer who
was not present was brought in from
bed and every bodys shirt taken off
It was a great evening and very funny
will leave to your imagination what
things would be like about 60 officers
from Colonels downwards all stripped bar
shorts singing, giving speeches & generally
going mad it was quite a relaxation
after the intensely hot day. The weather
is cooler to-day but very dusty &
unpleasant We are taking our lunch down
to the canal & spending the day in the
water it will be quite like Thirroul again
shall tell you about it in the next
letter. We have no orders yet but I expect
to leave here for France at any time
now. Cheers kid best of love to all
Bob

 

Egypt
22.5.16.

My dear Jane
Received a letter from you & Mick Lorna & Dags
a couple of days ago and was glad to hear
all the news. The next letter you receive from
me will not be from Egypt all being well
we expect to get a move on for France some
time this week. Ran into Austin yesterday he
told me he received another young parcel from
you and was greatly pleased about same.
The 45th came in from the trenches
2 days ago Nana came up to see me
we exchanged letters he is looking very well 
but a bit thinner they had heavy work and
of course terrible heat out there & bye the bye
he is now a lance corporal will be a Colonel
shortly I expect. Just glanced through your
letters before giving them to Nana who will
return them later thought I noticed that
Jack Edgyley is now with the 46th if
that is so they are camped next
door to the 45th about a ¼ of a mile
away from us, so shall look him up
at the first opportunity I have.

 

Had a great picnic last Sunday week all day
on the canal took the mess cart down
with provisions & drinks then swam &
played bridge on the bank of the canal
it was terribly hot & dusty and so much
so that it was impossible to enjoy anything
for 5 days last week the heat and dust
has been terrific here but the last few 
days have been better. We had a great
picnic on Wednesday last 4 of us Capt Marks
Lts Henry McPhillamy & self each had a
horse & took our lunch. Rode to a nice
spot on the canal had a nice young lunch
played bridge & had several swims it
was great just the 4 of us we also
saw the Mooltan go through to England
swam out to her and had a conversation
with a nice looking lass on board from
the water she asked what unit we
came from told her the 13th she
waved her arms & went generally mad
saying she knew the 13th Comfort fund
could not catch her name. It is great
fun seeing these boats going through
Then again last Sunday we had a
another picnic all day on the canal this
one we expect will be the last we all
had a great day plenty to eat & drink

Last edited by:
Jacqueline KennedyJacqueline Kennedy
Last edited on:

Last updated: