Correspondence between Herbert Vincent Reynolds and his family, 1916 - Part 3

3
slipped down the remaining couple of steps

getting the contents of a bucket of stew, or

to be more correct soup with meat in it, all

over my face & right arm, my mates put

ollive oil all over my face & put me to

bed, but I was up next morning again.

I guess I looked a pretty kid with a

bandage over my left eye & the other one

almost bunged up, well my usual good

luck stuck to me & except for the burn
around the eyes they were all right none
of the stuff got into them, neither did my
face blister although the skin has all peeled
off, the arm blistered almost from the
elbow to the wrist but it is pretty near
right again now. Sat 26^th I done a bit
of work again but it was a case of the

4
blind leading the blind as I could only
see out of one eye & not too well with that.
At about 12 noon we passed Gibralta &
did not call in as we expected to do. On
Sund 27^th the doctor said that I could
leave the hospital as a patient but to take
things easy. I began to feel rather sick
Tuesd 29^th also the next day but it wore
off after that. The coast of Africa was in sight
during from the time that we left Gibralta
till sunset Mond 28^th we travelled at
about an average 12 knotts & were ^at times about
13 miles from land. A destroyer came
and had a look at us Wed afternoon &
gave us some orders then went off again
that night was a very anxious one as
extraordinary precautions were taken

5
in case of attack by an enemy boat
danger was near but how near none of us
were allowed to know, since, what we
have heard would have made xx us much
more anxious then had we known it at 
the time all these precautions were being taken.
no lights were allowed, even those that had
hitherto been permitted, were extinguished
and a number of our fellows were given special
stations in case of an allarm, medical material
etc was issued out, but we got through
all the danger safely. The sea has been
pretty calm all the trip. A mine-layer
came out & picked us up yesterday & we
followed her into harbour this morning
at about 7 am Well this is about all the
news so I will close from yours ever very truly
Bert

Gizeh Cairo
Mond 6^th 3/16
Well I did not get a chance of posting
these few lines in Alexandria so I can
now add a few more We disembarked
yesterday & came up here arriving in
Cairo about 9-30 pm. I do not
know what I will be attached
to, there is a great alteration
in all the units & we are all
being sent to base camps for the
present. I will let you know
in the next letter what I get
into we are, just getting settled
down & are in the overseas depot
at Gizeh about 4 miles out of
Cairo hoping you are all well
yours truly
Bert

SED W 20144
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE.
Base Records Office, A.I.E.A.
Victoria Barracks.
MELBOURNE. 8th March 1916.
Dear Madam,
I now beg to advise you that No. 622 Private H. V.
Reynolds 1st Field Amb., has returned to duty Egypt. 23/2/16.
In the event of any further reports being received
concerning the above soldier you will be immediately notified.
Yours faithfully,
J. D. LEAN. Capt.,
Officer i/c Base Records.
Mrs. Reynolds
Albert Street,

Sebastopol (V)

Mrs Reynolds
Albert St.
Sebastopol
 V
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE,
MELBOURNE

Suez Canal Zone
March 13^th 1916
Dear Mother
Well I do not know if the
report that has been going round to the effect
that no mail is leaving Egypt for 6 weeks
is correct or not. I got back to my old unit
all right so my mail ought to find me allright
now there was only an old letter from Ted dated
July 23^rd here when I got back the last that
I have had from you was dated Dec 26^th so I
[*March 13^th 1916*]
am patiently awaiting some from you there
ought to be some somewhere. I met B Smith
Frank Stevens & his brother yesterday & they
had not had any news lately although they had
news that was fresh to me. What regiment is
Herb Smith in also Harry Elliot, Loy Brimacombe

(2) 
& any others that I might know? There cannot
be many chaps left in the old Borough now
from what Frank Steven's told me, the place
must be very quiet now. I often sit & think
of how you are getting on at home, what I would
give to just get back even for a few minutes
& see you all, to see the old home & old friends
once more, it is near 18 mths now since I seen
it last, not such a long time after all, but
it seems years instead of months, & by the
outlook now it will be as long again before
we get back so we have to content ourselves
with a few lines from home & from friends
mail day is one of the happiest days of a 
soldiers life there is no day so eagerly looked
for as the day the mail from home arrives in camp
Well I cannot get give you much news

(3)
we cannot write about the operations
going on here & are not permitted
to mention the places & localities
of the camps etc. The weather
is extremely hot & trying we are
getting just enough tucker to
keep alive on but it is pretty good
considering the conditions of the place
we get near as much sand as we
get tucker into us, water is rather
scarse although we have no need to
go thirsty like we had to do sometimes
on the peninsula. There are very few
of the old mates left in this unit
now all the officers are new not a single
one of the old ones are left the unit
was divided & two formed out of it I got
back with in the half with the original

(4)
number that is the l^st Fld Amb so
my address is still the same.
I could write & tell you a lot more
if we were permitted to write it
but you will have to be patient &
wait for it. I suppose you heard
of the loss of the P&O boat Maloga 
she was only 6 hrs ahead of us when
she was lost, so that accounts
for the anxious time we had
when we were warned to keep a 
keen look out & be ready for anything
that turned up. I met no one that
I know at Giza or Heliopolis camps
although I kept a good look out for
them, You may not get these lines for
some considerable time if the mails
are being held back well I hope you
get them sooner or later & will close these
few lines trusting they find you all well
Bert.