Letters from Albert Charles Cox to his mother, 1915-1916 - Part 13

15/6/16
Dearest,
If I have much more of this you will hear of
the discovery of a grease spot in my tent, apparently
the remainder of one Cox. I always could perspire
pretty freely but never like this before. I was under
the impression that the heat in this part of the world
was dry, but the moisture pours out even sitting
down, at the present time.
I sent you a week-end cable yesterday. Informing
you that all was well. Hope you get
it.
It is wonderful how swift we can travel at
times — can be in Asia at 7.30 & be sitting down
to dinner in Africa at 8 o'clock. What do you think
of that? & it has been done more than once. Also
[[??]] from one continent to the other a few
times. Wonderful isn't it?
Am sending my black steel trunk to Cook's
Shipping Agency Ltd., London for safe custody as
it is only in the way. No charges have been paid,
& I told them you would pay any, should I peg out,
on taking delivery. I don't know whether there are 

any relations in the firm, but may find out
some day. Don't think I mean you to collect this
box just yet.
17/6/16
Glad to receive a cable from you last night - "Cable well love."
A funny thing that we should both send one about the
same time.
22/6/16
It is a week to-day since I started this note, but
I can account for that by our post office closing up &
for the last few days I have been "at sea". I left
the Canal on Sunday night & spent about 9 hours in
the train (cattle truck) but slept remarkably well. You
cannot imagine what pleasure it is to get away
from the sand, for during the last few weeks there
it became awfully monotonous, probably due to
us knowing of the coming departure.
[*1DRL 220*]
We are having a great trip & the heat is very
comfortable - much more so than the one I came
from. Australia in, & there is plenty of good tucker
provided. Dr Boukitt, whom I have not seen since
when in Liverpool is on board. He asked very kindly
after you. The weather is becoming cooler every day
& I expect we shall have our winter clothes on very
shortly, for France will be a bit cool after the heat
we had before embarking. Shall get this short note
ready for the first mail & will write again shortly.
[*Expect a fairly good batch of letters on arriving. Bert* 

DOMINION LINE
S.S. "xxxxx"
24/6/16

Dearest,
just a couple of lines before I
close the envelope. In mistake I put the
name of the boat at the top, hence the
blot appearing there now.
We expect to disembark to-morrow
& I must say the trip has been most
enjoyable, with a little submarine
excitement thrown in this morning. We
ran into a bay off the coast of Sardinia
this afternoon for a little while in order to
wait for an escort, but of course did not
get ashore. It boasted of a very fine
looking town called "Algheria" or some
similar name, & a large lighthouse on
a magnificent cliff at the entrance.
The weather now is quite cool &
pleasant & a most welcome change after
Egypt.
Hope you have not been worrying
over the non appearance of a letter for
a while, but I think you understand
it is not possible to send one regularly
although I write them every week of
oftener. Expect to have a little more
news for my next.
Best love to all from,
Bert.
1DRL 220 

France
26/6/16
(11 o'clock)

Dearest,
The motion of the train makes writing
almost impossible as you will observe, but
I feel I must make an attempt.
We arrived in Marseilles yesterday
morning after a very pleasant trip &
without having a brush with a submarine.
The harbour is quite large (but not like our
harbour) with a good number of breakwaters
& endless wharves. On marching down to the
train who should I meet but the purser
from the boat on which I came from Australia
& we had quite a decent yarn ^over the times on board. We camped
in the station till 2 a.m. when the train
left on our three days journey. We are better
off than ^on our previous xxxxxxxof train 

2
txxxxy journeys being in first class carriages.
The "daylight saving bill" has been
introduced into this part of the world &
all clocks are put on an hour. We had
breakfast this morning at a very nice
little buffet along the line, with an
excellent cup of coffee.
I can't boast of having seen much
of the world, but I don't think any
country I have seen excels the South
of France "as regards" being picturesque.
Our trip to Russell Falls (Xmas 12 months)
was very pretty, but it cannot compare
with this. The small farm surrounded
by hedges & rows of poplar trees are
absolute models, with vegetation of
colours ^ranging from light green to ripe wheat 

3
no block of each exceeding perhaps more than
an acre. At present xxx we are travelling
along the valley of the Rhone alongside the
river of that name with vegetable gardens,
vineyards, & farms on either bank & on
the slopes of the hills, with what looks
like a very old castle on the far side, to
say nothing of the innumerable trees. No
wonder the Frenchman is proud of his
country. The fact that the war is on
does not slip one's memory though, for
most of the labour is done by the women
& old men. Have seen quite a number of
the former driving hay rakes & strippers.
I wish I were better able to express in
words what my eyes see, but perhaps I
shall when a little more of the romantic
side is driven home. 

4
It was amusing at breakfast this
morning with all of us asking the
waitress for eatables in Aussie
instead of french. It is very hard
to remember we are finished with
the 'Gyppies.
You will be sorry to hear that
we are absolutely forbidden to take
any photos at all here. It would
have been possible to get some
beautiful photos had I my camera
with me, but I think the upkeep
would amount to more than 8/- a day
if I was able to take all that I
wanted to.
D^r Burkitt is in the next
compartment, & I dare say we shall
1DRL220 

5
have a few yarns before the journey is
over.
27.6.16
Still going strong and the scenery almost
the same. D^r Burkitt told me last night
that he had never seen anything to excel
it, even in England. Next time I do the
trip I think it will be in a car, but so far
the train journey (36 hours) has been anything
but monotonous. We pulled up at Valence
probably where the lace comes from for about
an hour yesterday, & Lyon for about the
same time where we had some tea, provided
by the red cross. There were a few very
nice little girls there, but the strawberries
beat all the largest I have ever seen.
We went through a couple of pretty long
tunnels after leaving Lyon, one took 

6
us about three minutes to get through.
Had a dinner & good glass of beer at
11 p.m. last night at "Paray-le-Monial" for
4½ francs = 3/3. The xxxx currency of
silver had been reduced in France which
accounts for a difference in the value of a
franc of 1½^d - now 8½^d instead of 10^d.
Have passed numbers of fields of poppies,
mostly red, which as you may imagine
look A1.
Forgot to mention that at xxxx we
saw quite a number of women working
in the railway sheds, & one in a signal
box. It is wonderful how they are turning
to.
It rained again last night & is almost
cool enough for warm underclothing this
morning. A bit different to Egypt at this time 

7
of the year. Just drawing in to Montargis
where breakfast is to be taken.
29/6/16
The journey came to an end after 
57 hours travelling & no part of it
became monotonous. It must be
one of the prettiest in the world without
a doubt. We are now billetted in farms
"Somewhere in France" out of range of any
guns, but a big aircraft duel seems to
have taken place by the number of shots
we have just seen over — . This way
of living is certainly better than in
tents, in any case it is certainly novel.
It is quite a pretty English looking little
village (so I am told) & pretty old. The
farm ^house I am in was built in 1683, but
still sound. There is a decided change
in the weather from Egypt here, & we all