Letters from William George Blaskett to his family, 1915-1916 - Part 3

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

"Talk clean, Live clean, Fight clean, Play the game."

Association Headquarters:

123 Murray Street,

PERTH,

W.A.

Telephones:

Blackboy Hill Camp No. L115

       "             "      "         No. L128

Perth Headquarters No. A1518

FIELD SERVICE DEPARTMENT

TROOPSHIP,

................................191

10

Hospital about 3 miles from

here for the time being. He is

a real "white" man. Everybody

on board liked him.

Think it is a good photo

of me, dont you? We

were walking nearly all

Thursday afternoon, and

when we got back to camp

I was dog tired. We hadnt

had our boots off for nearly

40 hours. I slept fairly 

well on Thursday. The

accommodation is terrible

here. We are sleeping in an

open shed (very much open

it is) on 2 blankets a

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

11

waterproof sheet and the hard

hard ground. It isnt any

softer in Egypt then anywhere

else; although it is sandy outside,

it is trodden hard inside the

huts. We shall have weeks,

stretchers this week, I think when

the next reinforcements go

forwards. They have been

keeping men back, because

of the Turks attacks on the Canal

and also because there are

rumors in the air of a trouble

with the natives. I think they

are rather afraid of a holy war 

breaking out. We are under

orders to hold ourselves ready

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

12

to turn out at anytime, and

have received instructions where

to report if we should be in

Cairo, when the alarm goes.

On Friday morning

we did a route march of

about 14 miles with

equipment on. It was very

hot all the morning. We

were marching from 8 oc

till just after noon. In

the afternoon I had to

nearly go to Heliopolis for the

O.C. That didnt improve

matters at all. We were nearly

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

13

done when we got back from

the route march. I think it was

too much to spring on us, after

a month's idleness at sea.

On Saturday morning I had

to go to Cairo to the Australian

Headquarters, and in the

afternoon we were detailed

for picquets. Bill was

in charge of camp

picquet. I wasnt on a

picquet at all, and went

up to Heliopolis in the

evening, getting back to camp

about 9.15. About 10.30

Bill woke me up to tell

me one of his men was

taken ill, and asked me

 

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

14

to go on picquet. So I was

corporal of the guard from

12 midnight to 2 am and 6 to 8 am. Sunday

morning

Church parade was at

7 am so I missed church

today. I got hardly any

sleep between my spells

of guard and am absolutely

tired out. Bill & Tom Smith

have gone out, but I went

and had a bath and

am writing letters this

afternoon as the mail closes

at 7 pm. Now I must

close this letter with fondest love

to Dad & Charlie and

Yourself from your everloving

son    Will

PS. Jim is in a different camp to what I am

I am trying to get on to him.

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

11/16th Inf

Zietoun

Egypt

12 12. 1915

 

My dearest Mother,

You will remember

I told you last week that I

had put in for the N.C.O. Class at

the school of Instruction. Really,

I didnt think I had the faintest

chance of getting in and yet

you know how lucky I am, so

that I wasn't altogether surprised

to hear on Wednesday that Tom

Smith & I had both been picked

to go. I should very much have

liked to have Bill to have got

in too; but of course I shall

let him have all my notes on

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

12 12 1915

2

the lectures &c so that he wont be

too badly off. We moved over to the school

yesterday. There are 12 of us in a big

Indian tent, which is much warmer

& altogether more comfortable than in

the huts, though I suppose I shall

have to go back to the huts at the end

of three weeks, when the school is over.

It is much nicer to sit down at

a table and be waited on, than to

scramble about getting stew out of dixies,

and living on tinned fish.

I really am in for a lucky

spell, I think, for on Thursday

they picked men for a special

battalion to be called "The Egyptian

Defence Battalion". Our Training Battn

had to furnish 8 sgts 10 cpl &

190 men and Bill, Tom Smith,

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

3

Fred Cherry & your affec son were

picked. They are going to appoint a

company sergt major on Tuesday and

if one of our chaps is made Sgt

Major, I am to be made Sgt, as I

am senior Cpl. You can bet I

am hoping one of our chaps gets

appointed. We were originally in the

Reserve Battn and would have

moved out in case of anything serious

happening but now we shall stay

in Egypt for months, waiting for

trouble. Of course it may come

at any time but personally I

am not worrying, because I

dont think there will be much

 

Y.M.C.A. Letterhead.

12 12 1915

4

trouble. It will be just the thing

if I am made a Sgt. I shall be

quite competent, when I come 

through the school. Last Sunday

Bill, Tom & I went for a trip

round Cairo. We drove through some

of the finest, and some of the

filthiest streets on the face of the

earth. We crossed part of the Nile on

to Rhoda island where Pharoah's

daughter had her garden, and were

shown the exact spot where Moses

was found in the bubrushes.

Personally, I don't think much

of Miriam's choice of a spot

I have seen plenty better ones

on the Nile. I think the boat

 

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we crossed in is the original boat

Pharoah's kid crossed in, when she 

went shopping in Cairo. Some of

the houses in the rich native

quarter are magnificent. The

guide told us they contained

harems. I asked if we could

go in but he was horribly

shocked, and said "no". By the bye

it is the only time I have

seen an Egyptian shocked.

They are not a sensitive people

as a rule. There is no false

modesty about them. Any corner

in the streets is considered an

extremely useful place for a

lavatory, and is used accordingly

by young and old of both sexes