Letters from William George Blaskett to his family, 1915-1916 - Part 11

3232 Cpl WG Blaskett
11/16^th Inf
4^th Brigade
A. I. F.
On active Service
24 2 16
Dear old dad,
Just a few lines
to remind you that youve
got a son away from home.
"A young man from Home" in
fact, & doesnt he know it.
We have got all
night operations on tonight,
so we have the afternoon off,
& I have taken advantage of
that to get my correspondence
up to date. I am sorry, old
Chap, I havent written to
you more, but as I have 

written to mother every week, I
suppose it amounts to
practically the same thing.
After you've been out in
the desert all day, you dont
feel much like writing letters.
Your blankets are about the
only things you look for.
This camp life in Egypt has
improved my hours wonderfully.
I go to bed about 8 every
night, unless Bill & I go to
Cairo. Even then we have to
leave Carro by 9.30, so you
see we are bound to go to bed
early, especially as 'lights out'
goes at 10.15.

29. 2. 16 
Things I put this letter down 

3

and forgot it till today. Things
seem to be moving here at last.
We are under orders to leave
almost at once, and when
we do leave we are only
taking our packs, and just
what we can take in them.
We have to leave our kitbags
behind so it looks as if things

are going to happen at last.
We are going to join our
Battalion. I dont know how
we shall fare down there,
whether or not we shall keep
our stripes. I think we have
a chance. I received last
Sunday your letter with paper
cutting which was very 

interesting. I showed Mr
Robin the "Call to Arms". He said
"There's one thing, corporal, we
didn't. wait till we got that,
did we?"
His brother is with us now, in
my section. I am not sure
if Mr Robin is coming with us
as they are cutting us up so,
some going to one Battn &
some to another, but I hope
he does because then we
shall be sure of our stripes.
Bill & I are going together
wherever we go, ^as we are on
the same list, but the
officers arent settled yet.
Unfortunately for us. 

the 16^th is a West. Australian
Battn and we are South
Australians. Nuf sed. You

can probably guess the rest.
& wont be surprised at any
thing that happens. It. is
every doubtful yet, whether
we shall join the 16^th or one
the 48^th Battn which is just
being formed, and to which
Jim Galley is going. It is
going to be a complete S.A.
Battn I think. Lets hope so.

I've had enough of the W.A
clique to last me a long
time. They keep us back
for their own convenience
& then wont pay us for our 

6
work. [[?]] pretty warm isnt it.

We were vaccinated again

today. I dont know why they
did me again. I have
four great scars on my
arm from the time I was
done in Mitcham.
We are having a farewell
concert tomorrow given by
the Training Battn to the men

going away.
We are going to the Canal
Zone, I suppose for a few

weeks & then, - well,

wherever they send us.
I hope it is to the Western
Front. I had a nice letter

from Auntie Ellen on Sunday
7

It was dated Dec 14^th. I presume

it got lost down at the Battn

for a month or so.

I sent her & Aunt Jane

similar photos to the one I

sent Mum s last week

I now enclose another.

Please dont think Im getting

vain. This one was taken on,

I think, Xmas day. It is

outside our tent at the

school at Zeitoun -

Now I think I must

close with fondest love to

you all, & best wishes to

Mr Butler & the ghirls.

From your extremely

prodigal son

Will

PS

I had a moustache

when the photo was

taken, but it was so

big you couldnt see

it except in the Sun -

I trust Mother is better.

She doesnt say much in 

her letters but I think

she must have been

worse than she said.

Dear old mater, she

never grumbles much, except

when her Irish blood rushes about

11/16^th

4^th. Brigade
Zeitoun
25. 2. 16
My dear Mother,
I havent had a letter from you
for some little while. I suppose there havent been
any mailboats lately. Things are very much the
same here though we are expecting a move very
shortly now. I dont think it will be too long
now before we are "proving the mettle of our
pasture", as old Spokeshare says. It is getting near
Spring now, & I dont suppose they'll keep us here
in idleness (as far as fighting goes) when men are
wanted so badly. There is no doubt the training
here has been splendid. We are all as fit as
we can be. Personally, I was never so well in all
my life. Sleeping in the open air, getting up early
in the morning, a thing I'm getting used to, at last,
being out in the sun and wind all day and every day
have filled me out, and made me as strong as a horse.
As I told dad in my letter a few days ago, if Bill
and I dont go to Cairo, we turn in just after 8 every
night. I dont know how I shall feel about going
back into an office again. I can hear you saying
"Dont get silly ideas into your head", but candidly 

I wouldnt go into an office now for all the tea
in China. Of course, I shall probably think
very differently on the subject when I return, and
shall P no doubt be heartily sick of the army
and glad to settle down again.
I see they are talking about a
permanent army in Australia. If there was a
chance of getting a good job in that, & there should
be some good ones, I might take that on. I have
never regretted the day I joined up. I've got
military madness now, I think. It's wonderful how
interesting the work gets. It is marvellous to see
the improvement in our lads since they came here.
With a little more discipline, they would
make some of the finest soldiers in the world. It is
a terrible pity that little finishing touch is missing.
When you get them interested in a job, they
are great. The other night we made a long night
march across the desert, and attacked another Coy
of the Training Battn. who were entrenched on the
slopes of a hill. There is great rivalry between this
Coy and us. There are reinfs to the 15^th Battn & we are
as you know, 16^th. We play them at football,
and we have beaten them several times in Route
Marches.
On this occasion we started about 9 pm. 

and didnt get into position till 1. a.m. next
morning. & during that time here wasnt a light
struck or a noise made. We lay down in position
and about 3 30 a.m, just as it was getting
light we charged their position with the bayonet.
My word, it was good. And didnt the tongues
wag. when it was all over. We marched back to
camp and got back about 7 a.m. and slept then
till 12 noon. I wouldnt have cared to stand
against a bayonet charge like that if it had
been "dinkum" It must have been a fearful
sight to see about 200 dim figures suddenly rise
out of the ground about 50 yards away & then
rush at you with fixed bayonets. Of course, we
didnt charge far, & halted before we got to the other
crowd, but I think I begin to understand what
they mean by "seeing red". It's a horrible thing to
say, but in the excitement of the moment, I could
have bayonetted ^one of the other jokers quite calmly.
I think my little drop of Irish blood must have
gone to my head.
Phil Campbell got here before your letter with
the cutting. I met Sambroke today. He has
improved wonderfully; has practically given up
drinking, & gave Phil a terrible lecture because
Phil said he (Phil) had been having some beer in Cairo