Correspondence from Henry Miller Lanser to his family, 1914-1916, Part 2

Well Ethel hows is Dear little

Mother getting on. Mr Seymour

wrote a jolly fine letter to me

a few days ago of my very brave

Mother & I knew that long before

he did but I thought it was very 

nice of him to tell me how things

are at the top of Robinson St.

To-day is Palm Sunday I know 

that by the olive leaves & palm

rushes or leaves every one is carring

about, the Palm leaves are made

in little rosettes & are worn in

ones coat. I will write more with

more news next week so

Good-bye for the present with

love & Kisses for Dear Mother & Father

Edie & Basil, not forgetting your

dear self.
Ever Your loving Brother

Miller  

712 L/C Lanser Convelense

El. Hayat Home

Heleouan

via Cairo

Egypt.

16/5/15
Dearest Basil, & Edie,
This little letter may

interest you as well as Dear Mother Father

& dear Ethel. I think I should find it very 

difficult to write to each of you at one

Mail & am anxious always to get a

note of some sort seperately written &

posted Mail day, but paper envelopes

& a place to write it in such a crowd

as there are here prevents me. I have

been a fortnight in Kasr-El-Ainy Hospital

& at the above place two days & I am sorry

to say the treatment is very rotten. there there

are two nurses to dress the wounds 

every day & they are quick & lively sorts - 

one instance I asked for a clean 

bandage - & the nurse immediately wanted

to know where the old one was of course

I through it into the meat basket

Ethel I remember spoke of it, w before I left

If I had to of rolled it up I should

of brought my bread & tea up,^∨(which comprises breakfast) it is

very hard for me to talk of these nurses

I don't blame them but the doctor is are the 

ones I blame, for allowing uc such unsanitary

way, although they have in carrying out

the work, of course when two have to

dress something like 100 men is no small

item. Let me forget it & talk of something

more interesting, I daresay Mother or 

Father will remember Douglas Eckford

in my tent at Kengsington camp if they

don't they won't forget his Fair Lady whom

he married before he left - Well he is here

with me with a bullet wound through his

big toe, which Cpl Gould tells me he did shot

himself in case the turks shot a bit too

high up. I shall have a deal to talk of when

I get Home again. Oh! let me tell you about

big Mitchell Father knows him, fighting

for the old bit of buntin is a dangerous game,

Mitchell was seen digging a hole into the

ground in a gully (500 yds from the firing

line) big enough to take in a weeks supply

of tucker ^including himself dead funny 
isn't it? Senior Sergeant 

McLaughlin of old F Company planted himself

on the "Minnewaska" the day we were to

land he got an attack of cold feet & I am

sorry to say many more did too but they did

land. That song "Hiding in the Ammunition Van"

was taken form life & the man had to admit it

I shall send one to "Big Mitchell" when I get

back. Val Madden is alive yet and doing well

I was very sorry to leave him we hung together

well having narrow shaves one night the

Turks opend fire f with rifles while I was

on watch & a bullet cut my bayonet in

two thus saving the life of my Comrade

from a bullet through the head. Have had 

no news of the Yank Major Swannell the

footballer had his head half blown off & the

remaining officers of "D" Coy are Capt Jacobs

Leiut Street. The others are dead, Leiut Short

is wounded in the arm & left ribs & is doing

fine now. Don't let us talk much any

more of war. How is everything at Home?

I hope every body is quite well & the Garden

the paper on the wall that used to flap down

& the tap that leaks at the bath heater often

runs through my mind, especially the morning

in my pyjamas I tried to stop it & got showered

with icy cold water I often laugh over it

I don't think I shall ever be so hasty tempered

any more so the war has done some good

to me & good to my intentions which I 

had when I left, & that was to get some of

the curious public which I daresay have

often thought of our nationality, one especially

was Mr Hodge of the Cooper Coy because he

asked me one day what I was^if I was a german why he asked

I don't know. So I shall clear that for the rest

of the Lanser family. That sort of thing used

to worry me, but never will do again.
How is poor old Harry Mercer getting on?

Kindly remember me to him & that I send

him my best Luck & trust that he will get

through all campagynes safely if he does

he will in a weeks time be appointed

Capt or Major after a weeks fighting, If I had

only lasted a week I should of had one or

two stars now. It is a strange thing that

all men carrying stripes were shot also those

with glasses & wristless watches, wire cutters etc

snipers were stationed for this purpose to

shoot all men thus rigged out. Until the snipers

were dug out a frightfull lot of men were shot. 

Well Father that Mirror you were so

anxious about at Kengsington never was

broken & I am sorry to say is let of the

Gallipoli peninsula whith some of my

letters razor & pocket knife Harry so kindy

gave me, but if any one could of kept

anything I am very much afraid did very

little fighting it was impossible to land with

packs & do charging climb cliffs & bogging

in mud over your anckles about ten inches ∨ over

at various times. It is bed time now dear

Edie & Basil will write again soon. 

M but must wire to Grandmother as soon 

as I get paid, So good night all. Kiss dear

Mother & Father and Ethel With fondest

love.

Miller

Miss Edie Lanser

"Kooringa"

Robinson St.

Chatswood

Sydney

Australia

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