Letters from Albert Charles Cox to his mother, 1915-1916 - Part 6

by Mr. Murdock that he had more than he wanted & had cabled for
all so stop work for a month.
One of the chaps here named Edgeley is engaged to Jane
Mills, I discovered the other day. The world seems so get smaller
every day.
4 Feb.
Managed to get the day off to-day & went all over Masprero Freres
tobacco factory. It is most interesting to see the different procedure
necessary to turn out the finished article, & it is wonderful how
quickly the workers can use their fingers. There are little kids of
not more than about 6 years old going for all they are worth &
earning from 2½ 4o 3 piastres per day (about 7½^d). They fill the
papers with tobacco so the extent of about 3500 per day. All the
better class cigarettes are hand made, but the cheaper are made
by machinery. The manager is a great chap (an Englishman)
who could not do enough for us & we have an invitation
to go again. I think I shall, for he gave us 100 cigarettes
each as well as half a dozen calendars, a couple of which
I will enclose as souvenirs. I need not go further into details
as you know as much about the manufacture as I do after
seeing them it in Manilla.
Jack Mills just came up & made himself known to
me again. I could not think who he was, but remembered
him as soon as I heard the name. He is as present in hospital
 

but is practically O.K. again, &  gets leave now & again. No
matter what the ailment happens to be, I believe your name is
put in the papers at home as soon as you go into a hospital, so
don't get alarmed if I take the rest as suggested by Aunt Dill. ?
Hope Eric has been fixed up satisfactorily. I had a long
letter from Syb. a few days ago telling me that he & Cb. were
having a pretty decent time together. (Here we say "top hole" or
"toppy" instead of decent etc, but I thought you may not understand?)
All our English friends have left us for the present, & on the whole
they were a great lot of chaps.
Am now waiting for a letter from you acknowledging
the receipt of my first, which seems to have taken a good
time in arriving. Give my love to the Begg's & thank them for
their letters, which are most welcome.
Shall have to ring off here dear, with heaps of love
to yourself, Tim & Eric & others.
Your loving son
Bert
 

Zeitoun
11/2/16
Dearest,
It seems quite a while since the last mail arrived,
but I dare say it appears longer than it really is owing to the
fact that your letter must acknowledge the receipt of my first.
As anticipated in my last to you, I am at the School
again, doing a Machine Gun course. After all I don't think it
is as strenuous as the Infantry course, & I find that mechanism
is not as hard to drive into my head after all said & done. Eric
would be in his element at it, & if he happens to enlist, I don't
think he could do better than have a shot at this branch.
Had a great trip to the Pyramids t'other night with
Harry Leitch in his car. A ride is much more pleasant when
one has not to think of the number of piastres to be paid at
the end of it. Harry was talking to Sandy Jaques younger
brother, when I picked him up, who got his commission over
here, and is a fine chap. Taylor, whom you no doubt
 

remember having met at Liverpool, is doing the M. Gun course
also. He was fortunate enough in belonging to a battalion which
needed him shortly after arriving, but I don't know when the
fourth will want us.
For the information of any officers, whom you may
know coming away, the following may be of use to them,
but of course you understand that anything I may put in my
letters is private, & not for publication etc. as J.H.McL. used
to think of Geoffs. dear. They can bring their officers' tunics,
Sam Browne belts, bright buttons + stars, & in fact any outfit
which they are entitled to wear in the C.M.F. One must wear
a belt at all times, & if an officers' tunic is not worn, your
C.O. will probably ask you to do so. Several chaps came over
without their belts + had so buy one, so it is worth while
bringing one. Of course you do not want several trunks full
of luggage, as articles can be bought here just as cheaply, (if
not cheaper) & more applicable to the conditions. These are
the conditions in vogue at present, but I don't think there will
be any change in the immediate future. The last, & none
the least important, is the question of the allotment; don't make
it too large, i.e.  if they stay here as long as I have. And
that reminds me that I am still waiting for the cash I
 

cabled for a fortnight ago, to-morrow. I shall send another
to-morrow if it has not arrived by them.
You get plenty of eggs in this part of the world, no matter
where you happen to be dining, but I think the school beats the lot.
We get either fried eggs or omelette every morning which becomes rather
monotonous after a while, but I have managed to put on half a
store in weight on it all the same. Don't think that we do not
get enough to satisfy ourselves, for one can have as much as
he likes, which is never less than eight; - seems a bit extraordinary
to you no doubt.
12th (Sat. morning)
Have just finished the first exam on the description of the Gun &
got 18070 which will give me a good start, & have till Sunday
night off. A couple of us are going to the weekly dance at
Shepheard's to night to try our luck for the first time.
I hope you are not getting tired of the "I" element in my letters
now, but there is nothing to say really unless I relate my doings,
Discovered this morning that "Ossie's" brother had been promoted to
Lt- Col. You know whom I mean; - we cannot mention names.
Shall close here now dear, with heaps of love so all from
Bert
 

Zeitoun
17/2/16
Dear Mother
So glad to hear you received my first letters & now I
feel we can start a correspondence & discuss things more or less.
Don't worry about your letters arriving here, as I have everyone
up to date, but the papers have not come to hand yet. I believe
they very rarely reach their destination though if the title
page is not covered up so as the name of it cannot be.
seen. I only sent you a postcard yesterday as the mail was
closing a few minutes after I heard that my letters had arrived,
but a letter was posted to you earlier in the week.
I think a bit of luck has come my way already (only
think because one cannot be sure) for I have been transferred
to the 53rd Batt. which is a new one, & join it in about ten
days. It is a great stroke of luck so us reinforcements officers.
I shall send you a cable if there is any necessity to alter
my address, but in the meantime let it remain as it is
for it is possible that it may not eventuate. If you get a cable
saying" alter address to fifty third battalion" you will of course
understand to cut out the 11/4th & substitute the other, & let
any who writes know of it. There really does not seem to be

[* Just found out another mail closes to-night so will send this scribble along, which
should make a couple of letters & post-card by the one mail. Love to all from

Bert*]
 

any necessity for explaining this at such length, but I know how very
easy it is so misconstrue the meaning of cables.
The ten pounds I cabled for over a fortnight ago had not arrived
last night, so I sent another last night  for "thirty" on the strength of
your letter. The reason for sending it through Cook's is that they
are much quicker in getting it over & ^ it is
much easier to collect there
than from the Bank. With regard to my allotment; it is 10/- per day,
so to 16th of this month which is 126 days from 14th October last, there
should be ₤63, less any amounts you may have drawn. I asked for
thirty pounds as there are a few things I would like so send you, so
don't worry about extravagance, & I might just as well get a few things
here which one cannot elsewhere. I will do my best with the bed cover
& pillow/covers when next in town.
It is wonderful how things tum out. A couple of weeks ago
I got a letter from the McLaughlins telling me of Dave Storey's romance
but not who the girl was, & now you tell me it is Connie Bennett,-
that is another slipped through my fingers eh! All the same give Marjorie
OBrien my love when you see her. As you say I should not be at
all surprised to hear of Molly putting up with "the mad fool" after
all. Things very often come round like that, don't they?
further
With^ further regard to my account the odd 3/6 was left in the bank by me to
open it with, & there was to have been an extra 30/- or so paid in by
The Mess Secretary at Liverpool, but it is not worth while worrying
about if it is not there. Of course any exchange & money for cables;
you will take out of the account. There is 3/- per day deferred pay
which is supposed to be paid on our discharge, kept by the paymaster,
so I am really only getting of per day here, which accounts for the difference
you mention of ₤4.4.0 per week. At any rate 10/ per day should be
paid into my account every fortnight dating from & including 14 Oct.
We do a bit of firing on the range with the guns 

to-morrow & 20
of us have made arrangements to ride
 

Zeitoun
20/2/6
Dearest,
Your letter of 15th Jan. to hand yesterday, & pleased to
hear you had a letter from me. You did not say that
you had received any I wrote on the boat. As there
should have been two, with a copy of the paper we got
out on board & several pape  photos, I am anxious to
know whether they arrived.
Hope I find the chap with the cake, for it is
great to get some from home. What Oh! Leith becoming
engaged; I have not seen anything of him & did not
know anything  about it till you Letter arrived. I don't
think anything like that will happen to me dear.
Don't make me laugh with the drink question, for you need
not fear of it running away with me, as up to the present
at any rate,  it have xxxxx  I have not come in it have contact with it.
It is very cold here to -day &  looks like more rain.
Several of us with some Canadian sisters had a great
trip out to the Pyramids last night. The moon was full
 

& the night clear as possible, but it is beyond me to describe
the feeling fast, especially when a couple of chaps came along on
camels singing "Lead Kindly Light". Their voices were magnificent
& seemed to echo amongst he rocks, with everything else as still
as possible.  (Didn't get sentimental though). It was one of the most 
weird experiences I have ever had I think. We had a great car

there

[* & back*] & must have done over 60 miles an hour at times. I

thought our
dispatch riders could drive, but the chauffeurs beat them easy.
I am enclosing a few more photos, with the negatives,
of the Zoo & Barrage. They have turned out better than I
expected, & I think those two of the duck pond should make
beautiful pictures if they were enlarged. Am sorry there are
not more of the Barrage, but it was a dull day & not too good
for photos. I was certainly fortunate in striking such good lenzes.
The Machine Gun course is still on & I happen to be
keeping my end up, but the remaining three exams  are going to be
a bit stiffer I think. It is most interesting work, & aa a matter of 
fact we have more time to ourselves than in the Infantry course.
I went round the [[?Muski]] yesterday for the first time, but
only got a couple of little things, which I shall send home at the
first opportunity & advise you. Will send you some scent when

my cable arrives.  Bought three finger bowls for 1/- each, which I
consider pretty cheap considering they are made by hand. I know
they are handmade for I saw them in the making. "As regards"
the bed spread I don't think it is possible to get a grass lawn one,
but will do my best.  There are so many blooming articles, that
one does not know which to get, & of course those that take the
eye are too expensive.
 

.3.
Monday 21st. Feb.
Went into town so church last night, & it turned out
to be a great service. We could not find the C. of E., but
got into a Presbyterian which is practically the same. One
chap (a Corporal in the Imperial army) sang "Nearer my God to
Thee", which sounded as good as any singing I have ever
heard. There is some talent in the army alright.
Rose at 5 a.m. this morning & carried out a little
scheme until 9. I managed to strike a soft job; to wit:-
Corporal in charge of the gun limbers, but got as good a
shaking as ever one could wish for. The Corporal of
course rides in the limber, which is not provided with
springs, & when the horses (mules in this case) get going at
a hand gallop over all sorts of obstacles, things begin to
get exciting. It made a good cavity for breakfast I can
tell you.
It is quite warm again to day & as pleasant
as one could wish for. The climate,^(at present) is very much like
ours in the West in the Autumn, & does not seem to be
as treacherous as generally believed. Those arriving here
look terribly thin, but it does not take them long to pick
up. This chicken is becoming quite fat. (11 stone 3lbs)
Tuesday.
Had another little scheme this morning, but did not get
such a soft job & had to lug the blooming gun all over

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