Lieutenant Colonel William McKenzie, MC, OBE - letters - 1915 - Part 1

The Salvation Army
Chaplain Expeditionary Forces
De Jany 8^th 1915
My Darling Wife 
I have just
received your letter dated 18/12/14
in which you speak of your
disappmt over not, receiving
any letters, this to me is
hard to understand, as I have
written you every week, very
long letters & frequently 2
letters a week, besides
letters to the boys & a 
couple to Mavis. I posted
at least 3, to you from
Albany before Nov 1^st
10 to the family out of the
2 letters I posted at Colombo
2 at Aden, one at [[?]] Paris
one at Alexandria & at
least one, each week since
I have been in the Desert
besides cards & letters to
the children, & all have
been long letters too, so if
they have not reached you
then the censor has threw them 

The Salvation Army
2 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
out. Also Im sorry for all the
news that you have lost, as there
were some most interesting items
I got your reply wire sent me
to Albany in reply to mine
from there a fortnight after
we landed here. I got my
1^st War Cry last night, this was
dated Dec 12th. No doubt
I'll get your letters from home
[[?]] some time within the
next month. Meanwhile I
am full of gratitude to
get yours of the 10^th & to
learn that you with the
children one keeping well.
Tho' I'm sorry to hear that
Donald is, disappointing you
& failing to keep this promise
made to me. I have written
him several letters with
a view of encouraging him
to persevere in his studies.
I am sorry my darling that
you take such a sombre view
of life as regards yourself  

The Salvation Army
3 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
It is wrong & for all our sakes
go well as your own you must
banish such thoughts, as we have
got our most important work
to do. The fact of coming with
the troops & doing what I am
will lend me considerable
prestige in coming days
& you my dear must live with
me to this opportunity. So
keep cheerful & look forward
to days of brightness & joy.
You need not have the slightest 
bit of anxiety on my
a/c. I'm just O.K. never felt
better & more fit in my life
& my work is a great joy.
I'll come thro' unscathed
& better than ever, so refuse
to entertain, an anxious thoughts
for me. I'll always feel as
safe as if I were in my own
hut in Aust. I feel this
as an inner conviction
so why should you worry
about me unnecessarily.  

The Salvation Army
4 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
I see by the [[?]] that there are
quite a few changes that you
intineates that Alliston, Winter
Real & Sutton are farewelling.
I suppose that there will be
others later on, after my
return to Aust.
I am going into town
after lunch to see the last
of Unsworth & also to visit
the New Zealand lines, where
an [[?]] tent is being erected
for meetings etc. Hon Tom
McKenzie gave £ 100 for this.
I am helping in the first meeting
Green wanted me for Sunday
night but I have a big
'Stunt' of my own on with
the 1st Brigade in the Y.M.C.A
Hall. Young Palstra & Dutton
are doing well, the officer
of the latter stated that
young Dutton was absolutely
the keenest soldier in his
Compy, so this is very good. He
is so obedient & so smart too 

The Salvation Army
5 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
I have been busy this week
with issuing Chocolate Boxes
& gift knives, with rations etc
Now they want me to take
up the case of an old nurse
here a collegue of Florence
Nightingale's & raise a £100
for her. They think I can
do anything.
Sin John Maxwell the
General in chief of Egypt
stated that he would like
me for his Personal Marshal
of Cairo. He told Unsworth
that he must have me, as
none is more fitted to control
the behaviour of the
City. So evidently I have
[[?]] him most favourable
I must now close with fondest 
love & tenderest greetings
to you as my most precious
Darling. Hugs & Kisses for the
children yours as ever
WMcK 

4th Battalion A.I.F.
EGYPT
The Salvation Army
Chaplain Expeditionary Force
Jany 15^th 1915
Mr Darling Wife
I am pleased to
inform you once again that I am
still keeping the best of form
Tho' I had a very severe billious
on Wedy last Indeed, I had to get
up at 4 am for a great
retching bout. However, it
passed off in the day & I was 
O.K. on Thursday morning. This
is the first had billious bout
that I have had within the past
2 months so it is much to be
thankful for, as indeed I am.
I have had another busy, 
happy week & time seems to fly
on lighting pinions, even tho'
camped on the desert edge there
are so many things & people to
interest & employ one's time.
On Saty night last I had a
Boxing Tournament with a
song or two thrown in. This was
a very popular & [[?]]attended
[[?]] 

The Salvation Army
2 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
Sunday was a full day for me. My
first service was the Church [[?]]
at which I gave the address to
1400 men; my crowds keep growing
thro the boys changing their religion
to come to my service, I gave
them 70 minutes on "Save your
soul at all costs." I get the men 
to sit down on the sand & rest
while I talk, it is much easier
for them to listen & certainly
easier for me to talk. They give
me perfect attention & evidently
like it. Several officers said
afterward "It was a very fine service
this morning Padre" & some
"I enjoyed your address very much
Padre." I have got a fine strong
[[?]] both officers &  men and
this helps in considerably.
I spent the aftn looking up [[?]]
in other Battalions with a view
of cheering them up a bit.
Then I had a great service
in the large Y.M.C.A tent of
the 1st Brigade at night when
I gave 75 minutes talk [[?]] 

The Salvation Army
3 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
Christ receives Sinners", We had an
orchestra to lead the singing &
a soloist to help also a [[?]]
man to read the scriptures lesson
The men gave me flattering attention
I left this service to visit 3 men
at the hospital at 9.30 [[?]]
were dangerously ill all three belonged
to my battalion one a
Catholic one a Methodist & one a
Presbterian Im glad to say all three
are getting better now. These sick
folks are awfully glad to see me.
I spent Mon, tues & Thursday aftn
at the hospital & on Wedy Aftn
I visited the tented field hospital.
at as I will also go today.
But I cannot get round others all
I had the opportunity of going
to Divisional H 'Qutrs & listening
to a lecture on International Law and
on Monday night tuesday night
we had a great tournament
(a most exciting time) and
on wed night I went to bed
with the Bible. on thursday night
we had a lecture on the [[?]]
& tonight I hope to have [[?]] 

The Salvation Army
4 Chaplain Expeditionary Force
then on satdy I am having another 
concert & Boxing competition
All is going well with us several
conversations have taken place and
more are to follow. I have not
left camp for one hour during this
week but have kept closely at it
all the while. I wrote a 74 pages
to comven yesterday morning &
received & lengthy epistles from
him yesterday. I may say that I
have just received 2 letters of
Yours since I left Aust, one dated
Nov 4^th and another Dec 10^th None
between these dates & none since
the first Col Unsworth brought to
me from London the second
came direct I also got that envelope
in your hand writing containing 
letters from my sister &
Adgt Thompson of London. I have
received but one War Cry since I
Left. no others and being delivered
If everything is addressed to
me 4th Battalion A.I.F.
I'll get it quickly but if it 

5 merely Australian Expedition
France the sorters are so even
founded lazy & careless they
won't bother trying to find out
who & where they are. Hence
they are ultimately destroyed.
There is a tent full of mail bags
lying here for weeks now chiefly
papers. They are either too lazy or
to busy to bother with them.
I want you to understand
that I have written you long
letters every week & frequently
two but I guess you'll miss
quite a few of them, as I have
learned mat 25,000 letters
in Aust are waiting for
censorship or destruction
Many must be destroyed as it
is an impossibility for censors
to wade thro' them all. So if
you don't get my letters by the
beginning of Feby I'll cease
writing long useless epistles
& simply send a few lines on
a postcard that cannot
be kept back some folks