Correspondence from Henry Miller Lanser to his family, 1914-1916, Part 1

C/o I Fisher

Cadagan

Eumungerie

20/8/14

 

Dearest Mother & Father,

Just a

short note to tell you I found my way

to Combara quite safely & finished installing

machines there & expect to be at I Fisher's

place Monday or Tuesday & then I expect

to hear from the Coy for the next direction,

Brewarina I presume. I suppose there is

nothing fresh regarding the War. the Country

people take it very badly especially as the season

is not at all promising, the wool will have to

be housed until there is a break, & the war declared

off. I trust all are quite well at Home.

From Your loving Son

Miller

Suppose Ethel has taken some more views

with the Camera, & by this I presume the

plum tree is lying pretty low if not already

dispensed with.

[Card with Bull Dog illustration]

 

AUSTRALIAN

IMPERIAL FORCE.

From...Miller.....

To Dear Mother & Father

Wishing You all the Joys and all the Blessings

of this Festive Season of XMAS--1914 -  - 

Mena Camp.

via Cairo,

Egypt.

1st Jan. 1915

 

My dear little Edie,

Just a short note to send

you my fondest love & a jolly fine wish for the

New Year & that is - may joy & prosperity be always

with you, that reminds me of some very fine

music I shall be able to hear ^from you when I return

Home. Now dear Edie don't forget to write to me

a let me know how you are getting on, and

what we, or Father has got in the garden, in fact

everything that goes on at Home. & make them write

more often have only received a telegram put to the

present. We all have been training this day (New Year)

day digging trenches etc. from now we have a

great deal to do - a 3 days march through these

sands & carrying rations with us & no tents, this is

called a bivouac, which a majority of us don't take

too kindly to. Tell dear old Basil I am writing to him

fondest love to your dear Edie, & Kindly remember me

to your dear little chums Jack & Lilly Atwater, also give

them & jolly fine wish for me. this New Year.

Love & kisses

from Miller.

Mena Camp.

via Cairo

Egypt

1/1/15

 

My dear Basil

I think I am rather forgetful in

writing to you & Edie, but remember your dear

faces never leave my mind, when I write Home I

know that dear Mother & Father always let you know

how I am getting on & what I am doing, so never

think I have forgotten either of you. It's not a bad sort

of a life this soldiering one, but at times one thinks

that if he trained for it a few years he would eventually

live on nothing, the main thing in it all i is always

to be satisfied & never grumble at dirt, which is at

times very prevelent, don't bother about little things like

that - look into the air & tear into it. Well Basil fancy

this brother of yours near these wonderful Pyramids

& Sphinx one reads af about in your school books

I shall have no end of news to tell you on my return

to good old Sydney town. Remember Basil, that the tents

are just the same as Kensington just as crowded, just

as hard to keep clean, only a great many more of them

I want you Basil to write the very next Mail

& tell me all about school, which of course I

know you are so very fond of & like to think & write

as little of it as I do but have shot at it. If you would 

rather forget it, write of anything. I am anxious to hear

from you. Remember me to dear old Jack Atwater

that jolly fine chum of yours.

With much love & Kisses

from Miller.

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TELEGRAPH COMPANY LIMITED.

 

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Telephone Numbers: Central 2620  and City 7382

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The Following Telegram Received via EASTERN, at 1/7 PMT

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23 CAIRO 8 WDS  6TH   5/10PM  EFM  XXXXX

KING SYDNEY

 

MOTHER  BIRTHDAY  GREETINGS  LOVE   MILLER

LANSER

LONG LIVE

AT ARMY

of triple meaning

     

FOR CORRESPONDENCE

OF

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

CANADA

AND 

GREAT BRITAIN

SOLDIER'S

 

Did Hubert join the Force yet?

 

D.Company

1st Battalion

Mena

Cairo

Egypt

28/3/15

 

Dearest Ethel,

I am writing in the

Soldiers Home in Cairo thus this

curious paper, I didn't intend to

write in town to-day but owing

to a violent sand storm at camp

m I made a very hurried departure

for Cairo. Sunday being a holliday.

News if is still very scarce & no violent

attempts have been made yet to

leave Egypt. The troops are still very

uncontented & properly fed up of

training. To-day 500 supposed horses

thorough breads have arrived in Egypt

& fine big lumps of fellows they are.

It is to be hoped they are full blooded

otherwise they might greatly

disappoint us when there is fighting

to be done. The Indian troops are

splendid fellows, I was talking to

a very decent fellow in the tram

coming out & one thing which he

mentioned on my journey to Cairo

was, that the supposed Turkish

troops that have made several

attempts on the canal, have not

been entirely Turks at all but,

Arabs some, I should say all, the

exactly ^the same breed which we are

amongst every day, yet the Arabs,

here are very well pleased to think

that they are now under British

rule entirely. Tell dear Father I have

written to Mr Wallace of the

Commercial Bank London for a

small loan of £4 I did tell

Father I thought of letting it go

& pay my let tent mate by small

installments - but considering a bit

I not knowing what moment we

should be sent away & perhaps

he might never get it. Next week

I shall be confirmed by the bishop

of Jerusaleum, a majority of the

Church of England fellows are going

to be confirmed next week ^ also means

lessons & a little study. I have

had a  heard a great deal about

Jeruseleum & Mecca from the Indians

which I may be able to describe

in my next letter to you. They

say Mecca is or was the Garden of Eden

these Indians are very interesting.