Correspondence between Herbert Vincent Reynolds and his family, 1916 - Part 4

CAIRO F  9- lll. 16. 4.30PM
Mrs Reynolds
Albert St
Sebastopol
Ballarat
Victoria
Australia
4^th Mch 1916
13^th   "        "
 

Suez Canal Zone
17^th March 1916
Dear Mother
Well I received no letters
from you by the last mail although
I got one from Siss dated 7/1/16, if
you have been addressing my letters to
this unit as I mentioned in a previous
letter there should have been a few
here from you, but it seems as though
all my letters are going any where but
to the right place, I suppose they
will turn up sometime or other though
so I will have to be contented & wait.
The weather is extremely hot here during
the day but at night if gets very cool
& we need all the blankets etc that we can
 

2
rake up to sleep comfortably, towards
sunrise it gets exceptionally cold when a
heavy dew falls. We are having a rather
trying time here today the dust & sand
is blowing in great clouds before a
strong wind & one consumes near as much
sand as he does food when having a meal
so far there have been very few flies here
but they have put in an appearance
during the last few days; the mosquitoes also
are begining to make themselves felt
so in a week or two we will be having
a lively time with these pests if they
keep coming in the same numbers as they
have been doing during the last few days.
I met Jack Harris & John Allen a couple
of days ago they are looking pretty well
 

(3)
& both wish to be remembered to
you. W Madden is in hospital
at Ismailia I do not know what
is wrong with him. The climate here
is a great contrast to that which
we were used to in England, we
were very sunburnt when going there
first but it  soon wore off so we 
will have to be carefull to a certain
extent & not get too sunburnt for
a start, then again the scald
that I had on the face made
mine rather tender it is not very
sore now though it is getting
a bit that way. Well I think
that this is about all the news this
week so trusting you are all in the
best of health & hopeing to here from 

(4)
you before writing again I have
not had any news from you
for some time now
yours every very truly
Bert
23^rd March
Alexandria
Dear Mother
I missed the last
mail so I am writing these few
lines in haste cannot give you
any information but I ^you may not
be able get any letters from me
for a few weeks now trusting
you are all in the best of health
I am just A 1 & ready for anything
now got back just in time
Yours ever very truly Bert

Signature

(name only.)

H V Reynolds

17 Mch 1916
Address — 

Mrs Reynolds
Albert St Sebastopol
Ballt Victoria
Australia

On Active Service

Y.M.C.A.   WITH THE BRITISH      Y.M.C.A.

EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
On French-Belgium border
Outersteen
Somewhere in France
April 13^th 1916
P.S I am keeping pretty well lately
Dear Mother
I have been somewhat neglecting my promise of writing to you
every week lately, but I must in future shake myself up & write constantly,
perhaps not getting any letters lately has made me get rather slack in the
matter, I have been clean off letter writing lately so excuse me this time.
There are mails coming along but never is there anything for me, it is very
hard on ones feelings to see the mail gone through time after time, & yet
nothing comes; a few lines from home acts like a ray of sunshine in winter
to us over here, so you can understand how we feel when there is no
mail for us.
I suppose you have heard about our move to this part of the globe, well I
cannot say much about the place, we are not allowed to mention the names
of places in which we may happen to be. The weather is extremely cold
& today it has been snowing slightly a thunder storm passed over also.
There is mud & water every where one wants top boots up to his neck to
keep dry here, we are in old buildings of any description. I was in an
old loft for a week & it was awefully cold, I was not sorry when we made
a move, our present billet is much better it is a old school, but it is
pretty warm & dry, although the windows are all out owing to shell fire, I
am in a room with 9 other chaps & we are rather lucky as there is a fireplace
in the room so we can make the best use of it & keep a bit warm. 

We do not get over much tucker our rations are always short & we
have to make the shortage good out of our pocketts which is also
pretty empty. Water is very scarse, that is drinking water, it is a
case of "Water Water every where & not a drop to drink", there is no water
fit for consumption unless it is boiled & we do not get much opportunity
of doing that.
I had a letter from Bournemouth a few days ago & they say that they had an
extremely heavy fall of snow a few days after I left England.
No doubt you have received my letter in which I mentioned that I was on
the Simla & have been wondering how I got on. Well we got to Marsailles
safely & desembarked on March 29^th. The boat was torpedoed after we
left her on her way back to Egypt, & she is in her right place
for we had a rotten time on her we were only half fed on rotten tucker.
Things are getting worse instead of better, it seems as if they cannot
kill a chap they they to break his heart we were treated little better than
the animals on board the Kingstonian & just the same on the Simla they
crammed 1600 on board her & she was only a five thousand tonner.
I would like you to send me a few £ if you could as I may be able
to get across to England for a few days, they will be giving
us leave so I hear & I want a few £s, as I cannot save any
here like I did while on the peninsula. The best way would be
to send it through the Commonwealth Bank if you could to London
or to Mr Key 181 Brecknock Rd London, I did not get a chance
to visit them but I will do so if I get to London again.
Well Mum there is nothing more to write about so trusting you are
all well I remain yours ever very truly
Bert

Signature

(Name only)

Pte H V Reynolds 

13 April 1916    FIELD POST OFFICE W  + 18 AP 16
Address — 

Mrs Reynolds
Albert St Sebastopol
Ballarat Victoria
Australia

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