Letters from David Gerald Evans to his family, 1915 - Part 1

Redcamp

Moyhu
Friday

My dear Minnie
You are quite settled
in your new home by this time I

suppose. Hope you have a good time.
The cook seems to be getting on alright

so far she just plods along all

day & half the night.
You will be pleased to hear I am

going to the war. I volunteered last

Monday & I am going down next

Monday evening 15th and will
report myself next day.

There is only one reason I

am not in Egypt now and that

is Mother - but I know how when

volunteers are getting scarcer she

will be glad I am going.
I will stop at the Australian Hotel

We did not get the mail last night.
Your loving brother

Gerald.

 

2
My dear Father -
Arrived quite safely

last night - Saw Mother & Girls

today -  Owing to a misunderstanding
I went out to Sandringham
& they came in so did not

see them till after dinner.
Mother has taken it alright

she seems to understand the
Case.  She & I spent the
afternoon out at St Kilda

the girls went back, We are

all going to the pantomine

tonight. I will report at 
the barracks in the morning.

It is much cooler today.

I saw Mr Wilmont this morning & 

he gave me a letter of
introduction to Colonel

Wallace the State Commandant.
I will write you again 

tomorrow night and tell

you what Corps I am in.

Your loving son
Gerald. 
 

Depot P.O.

Broadmeadows
Wednesday.

My dear Mother - 
Am writing this from
Killingworth - we were given two days leave

on the Monday & I am going back tonight

The mud should be a bit better now.

I see by the paper it is still raining

at Redcamp you must be rather
tired of it by now & should have

a bit of mud with you too.
I sent Father up a pair of Gum
boots on Monday they are very

good in the mud, I have some.

This place looks nice & green & should

have pretty good sheep feed on it

soon.

Lily & Miss Short are staying here

so they have quite a house party.

I have'nt had any letters from home

2

Since I came back but suppose

there are some there if I could

find them.

I saw two Ely's & Evelyn Lotcutt in

town on Monday. Also May Evans.
Think Alan is going up to Redcamp

so he will tell you the news  he may

be going as far as Tallarook

with me this evening.

Love to all.
Your loving son

D.Gerald Evans

 

Officers School of Instruction
Broadmeadows

Sunday.

My dear Mother -

Just a note to tell

you I got in the school 

yesterday.
I have to go over in the m[[?]]

it will be very hard work [[?]]

time so I won't have muc[[?]]

for writing.

The course will last a month we

will not get any leave through the

week - but will get each weekend off

from 3 o'clock on Saturday.
I think there were over 200 hundred

in for the school & about 40 selectid.

Am sorry to leave Bill behind in the
Infantry & I think he is pretty discontented

but it can't be helped - Am sure tho

brigade won't go for a long time yet

Love to all  Yours loving son Gerald
 

Letter card - see original document

MRS  JOHN EVANS

Redcamp
Moyhu

Via Wangaratta

Depot

Camp Seymour.

Sunday

Dear Father

I got a letter from you on

Friday written on 23 May it has been

around B'Meadows.

I am on Guard today it rained a good
deal last night and is pretty cold. We have

about 30 men in the guard.

I All the Citizen Force Officers left here

yesterday and we have to take their

places. Some of them are very sore

they have been here a long time.

There are not many men in the Depot

at present they have nearly all gone

into Reinforcements
I don't think there is much likelihood 
of anyone going away for some time
but don't think we can get any leave

just now -

I have had to take men on guard that

have only been in camp one day
 

so they are very green. 
They have put two teams from the

Camp into the local football
competition they were playing yesterday
but know how they got on.
Has your bag returned yet?                                                                              
I haven't seen or heard anything
of Alan since I came up here.
I doubt if I could get over to
Killingworth much if Mother came down.
Is the grass growing at all Charlie

sheep [[?]] coming very slowly in NSW.
except in the back country
I had a letter from Nell Ridgway she
says Uncle Frank is very ill & Auntie
& he are going up to Cairns.
Some of the crop at the camp should
be pretty [[?]] [[?]]. The country
around the camp is very poor but
it is a very [[?]] for a camp
Hope to hear [[?]] soon
Love to all
[[?]]]
Your loving
Gerald 

Reinforcement

Broad meadows
Monday
My dear Minnie
Thanks for your
last letter, I got one from Harry
today telling me about the show
etc, there must have been quite
a party in W/ratta.
I also got a long epistle from
George Simmonds Junr.
If you have any old books & 
sixpenny novels etc I would
like you to send some down
to me for the men on board ship
if addressed to me, I would 
get them alright.
I have not heard anything
further about sailing but expect
we will go on the 29th.
I have'nt any news I wrote
to Mother yesterday Love to all
Gerald

26th October 1915

My dear Mother -

We have

arrived in Egypt at last, We 
got to Suez at 6 yesterday
morning & left there about
Midday arriving at Zeitoun
at 6-30. Zeitoun is about
10 miles from Cairo & very
near Heliopolis.
The trip from Suez was
the most wonderful sight
I have ever seen, right up 
the Valley of the Nile & 
through the irrigation Area