Gallipoli letters of Rupert Major Downes - Part 6

The Brigadier is very well & fit
 & still sticks to Mc____ who is
hated & despised by NZ & our chaps.
I can go for a trip for a day to
an Is. whenever I want to.  Got a
hint last night that we might
get some thing to do soon if we
are good, but cant say any more
In the meantime we are going to
dig out the side of a hill to put
a hospital tent in it in shelter
its just to give the men
something to do.  Am sending for
Teddie to-day.
I quite a/w parts of the "Last Shot”
which you sent me in that
I dont think war is altogether
nice - we see little of the excitement

& achievements here & its not nice
to see such magnificent human
specimens as there are here, killed
practically before our eyes.
Think its most improbable that
I will be back this year though
I have little idea as to the short
or long duration of the war, I cant
see that a quick ending is at
all likely _ I wish it were
even when peace is declared it
will take a long time to get
us home again
We laughed hard when we
read in the papers of Allies
seconding the "no drink for
 the war notion".
Dont think I will be able to

send many photos as it is too
difficult & undeveloped negatives
cant go thro' the post even if we
could get the negatives.
Wait till you come to Cairo if you
want to know what a really cooked
dinner is like.  Once work starts
in earnest there wont be much time
for writing but thank goodness
there should be a letter any
day now. Bob Fowler has turned
up on a visit.
To
M.F.W
(Censored)   Anzac Cove June 14^th
Was very struck with your comments
on the toughness of this job & the
questions of numbers required - it will
be more u  vivid to you as you
know the country; very amused

to read the accounts in English &
Austn papers as to where we had
got in the first few days & the
sadness there must be in Australia
about the casualty lists if they
have even by now got the full list
for at the rate they were going clearing
them out, it would take a pretty
long time to get up to date. We
are at present getting a pretty
lively taste of a French 75 gun
wh. the enemy have got somewhere
& they are quite lavish in their
searching efforts with it. Cave got
a slight wound in the back of no
importance yesterday. If careful am
not likely to be hit unless out
of our valley. The men are getting

callous now. Weather still delightful
though I see the Age says, it is very
cold till July - rot.
Perhaps the 1^st real experience of
war Australia has had will stop
those fools in Parliament from
fighting like a lot of guttersnipes
as they seemed intent on by the
April papers. You should read
what Hilaire Belloc's say articles
in Land & Water if you can get
it - he certainly will tell some
sense about this place & at the
rate we are going his articles
wont be stale by the time you get
them. About Col ____ it is the
most glaring crime & mistake to
put him in command of men

a corporals picquet __ he would
hopelessly muddle that. Great
annoyance & disappointment &
all the rest of it over the appoint.
of Gen B's successor. You can
easily see why its a pity they
cant put some of these members
of Parl. who give jobs without any
knowledge out here to see what
sort of a show __ so far from being a
picnic this is __ they are continuing
to shove incompetents into. Its
sheer murder. With work ahead,
mails & plenty to read we are
more content now. Active service
is pretty rotten when there is
much inactivity _ but I suppose
this is nothing to Flanders.

or Sebastopol, any how everyone is
sick of it & want to have another
go soon - I expect they'll get it
before they are much older.
Censored.   Anzac Cove June 18^th 1915
Saw Cliff Anderson, well but no
stripes yet. The Brigadier is sadly
c̄ a feverish cold, if he does not get
better I will send him to the Hospital
ship _ I walk nearly 2 miles get
to him.
Johnny Lang went off his head &
thinks people are trying to poison him
Bad luck for Mrs John __
The flies are pretty bad here &
there is some sickness. The fellows
here are very savage & made with
the "stay at homes." & when the 8^th

got a Table Talk c̄ photos of Taster
campers, one lot calling themselves
the Scarlet Lancers, their language
was wonderful. I dont think they
will be very profuse to their erst while
friends who are left when they get back
but we cant judge without knowing
their side. The latest furphy is that
that we are going to England or India
__ our brigade _ rot!
Censored. Anzac Cove (22) June 24^th
I hear a horrid tale to-day that
we are to have a wet season for the
next 2 months _ I hope its a story
as I dont like the idea of wet in
this clayey soil.  We go about in few
clothes, eat heaps of good food & sleep a
lot. The language here is beyond

description. I fear the whole war wont
be over for quite a time & that it is
only just beginning now. Talking of
teeth __ a lot of these funny jokers
who relented so often in being rejected
that they wanted to fight not
bite the Germans, would be
charmed to know the numbers of
tooth plates & teeth being broken
by Army biscuits is greater than
can be repaired.
You would love the view from here__
c̄ beautiful blue sea & not far off
the mountainous islands rising
∧out of it with ships, destroyers & the like
in the foreground. Whites crowd live
rather high in the world & from
there they have a most wonderful

look out, often we can hardly imagine
there is a war on & a long time often
passes in the day with out a shot
being heard. This wld. be a delightful
place for a holiday if there was less
lead about in the atmosphere, & I expect
when war is over there will be a good
stream of Australians to see this place
& it certainly will repay the seeing.
The Brigadier has been in to the
Hospital Ship & back _ leaving before he is
ready, but he is not of the unhealthly
spot he was in before.
Just heard we go back to Lemnos to-day
we  are drinking up the water
[*To M. F W*]         Anzac Cove June 23^d.