Letters from David Gerald Evans to his family, 1915 - Part 3

2.

I was on picquet duty at 
the Kasr-el-Nil barracks last 
Monday, these Barracks were 
built by Napoleon in we were 
camped just in front of 
where he lived, they are now 
occupied by the Devon Regiment 
I went through the Museum 
last week, they have plenty 
of Mummys there lots of them 
thousands of years old also 
some bonzer Alabaster statues
This week I have been over to 
Abbassia for three days firing 
the Musketry Course at the Rifle 
Range, it was pretty hot in 
the day time.

I am getting together quite 
a fluent vocabulary in Arabic 
I can swear with the best of them

3

I have not had any letters 
yet, some of the men got 
some yesterday, I sent a 
cable home yesterday, but don't 
know if you will get it. 
They cost 4 piastres a word
10d weekend rates.
I recKon you will get this 
about Xmas time so must 
send you all Xmas good 
wishes.

I haven't heard anything 
about Frank Ridgway over 
here.

A lot of the Officers have 
to go through another School 
of Instruction but don't 
know whether I will have 
to or not. Love to all & 
Good bye Your loving 
Son Gerald.
4

They have some beautiful
Mosques but I haven't
been through them yet.

There are men going to
the front every week from
here some Imperial Officers
went this morning.

I am going into Cairo
this morning, there is
not  much news to do out
here in the sand.

Some of the ladies don't
look bad over here but

they have their faces half
covered by a veil. Don't
know what they are like

after it is removed.

Some letters have just arrived

but none from Redcamp for me
I got one.

On Active Service

Mrs John Evans,

Redcamp. 

Moyhu

Via Wangaratta

Victoria

Australia.

[*W.G.E Lieut

7-11-15.*]

Back of envelope - see original document

Zeitoun Camp

Nov 8^th 1915.

Dear Father -

I wrote to Mother by yesterday's
mail, I thought I might get some letters
from home today but none so far. I got

a letter from Aus yesterday posted on the 4^th

October so it didn't waste very much time
I have been here a fortnight today I

am quite used to things, nearly all the
Officers in this Training Battalion went

through the same school of instruction
a I did, so that we are sticking together

well, I think it will be the same at

the front.

I saw an Officer Lieut Horace Dawson in the

Heliopolis Hospital who had returned from

the front suffering from ^shock owing to a

shell bursting too close, he went over
with Mr Cox & the last time he saw

Cox he was making a dugout for himself
he said Cox look very much like
a German with a fierce moustache & close

2

cropped hair.

When Clive Williams got over here (Evan
knows him) he heard his brother Charlie

had been killed in action; some men swore
they had actually seen it done, also the

Officer with him, it was absolutely untrue
and it is a great mistake to believe

Rumours that you hear.

Cairo is packed full of Soldiers of every

sort, I saw some wounded Ghurkas

from France suffering from gas

yesterday.

I went through the Citadel yesterday

this was the first part of Cairo

Napoleon occupied, it is a high
fort about 1000 Years old, there are

some beautiful Mosques up there one
alone holds 4000 people on one floor; Two

of these Mosques have been restored by
Lord Kitchener & they are wonderful.

One of the Mosques at the Citadel was

built by Mahomed Ali, who took the

Grecian Architect's eyes out, so that
he would not build another like it.

Not a bad lie, the Egyptian guides

3

tell you all these yarns, but really

some of the worK in these buildings is
marvellous.

We are Kept fairly busy, I am Orderly

Officer today and am having an easy

time. One of our Chaps got cut

sabout a bit in a Motor Accident

last night & has to have a few
stitches put in - the Car drivers go

like the dickens, but they are pretty

clever.

I saw General Munro yesterday who
is Succeeding Sir Ian Hamilton he is
a pretty smart looking man.

I hear you are having a very

good season in Australia, it must
be a contrast to the last one. 

It is possible that I will have to

go through a School of Instruction

but don't Know yet., we are all
pretty eager to get to the front now

we are so close.

I think things are pretty quiet now
preparing for the winter.

Love to All Your affate son D. Gerald. Evans

[*[[Censored?]]
R.J.[[Winch?]]
[[Liene?]]*]

Miss. Evans.

Redcamp

Moyhu

Wangaratta

Australia Victoria

Back of envelope - see original document

Zeitoun

Egypt

Nov 28 1915.

My dear Mother

Since writing to

Minnie I have received two  letters from

her both of which were written before the
one I had received previously, suppose

they all came on the same boat.

The boat that Bill Usherwood went

across in was torpedoed but only a
few men were lost. there are three

Officers with us now who were on

the boat, the men behaved wonderfully

and the ship stokers & engineers

rushed the boats, the Captain shot

several of them. Lieut Pierce [[?]]
who went through the same school
of instruction as I did called for

volunteers & went down & kept the

engines going & they managed to
beach the boat & saved a lot of lives