Jones, Oscar Anglesey (Captain, b.1892 - d.1917), letters - Part 4

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them somewhere else.

All water is carried here 

by camels, the water main

not having reached here

as yet. It will get here just

about when it is time for

us to leave, unless they

push things on a lot faster

than what they have been

doing. Oh well, it is just 

our luck I suppose

Norman Dilau is

staying at the National

Hotel in Cairo now, and

should get along first-rate.

He is with a 

friend of theirs named

M^rs. Syme who has a 

son in the Reinforcements

of the 14th Battn. I 

met her when I was on

 

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I will drop her a line one

of these days, thanking her

for it. It is warm

to-day, and I think that

the tent will see me for

the best part of it

I think we will go to

France after this job is finished

or if the Turks do not come

along within the next two

months or so the weather will

be then too hot, as I believe

they depend on some wells

between here & Bershuba which

are only full in the winter

time & it has to be a wet

winter at that.

There are no flies here yet

so that is one consolation

the nights being "cold I suppose

are the means of keeping

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leave and she gave me

an invitation to dinner

with them. She is one of

those real homely sort

and I reckoned young

Syme lucky to have his mother

near him while he was

training. Of course when he

goes to his Regiment then

farewell to all such comforts.

All the water ran out of 

one of the tanks last night

and to-day we are rather

short, but one can do wonders

with a pint of water for a

shave and sponge. The issue

is half a gallon a day on the 

present arrangements, later on

we expect a gallon per man

per day, so I guess it will then

be a case of teaching the

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men to swim, as there will be

risks in handling a gallon

each, anyway I expect to see

life-belts for every man.

The 31^st Battn are

somewhere out on our flanks

and I want to have a look

at them as soon as I can

there being two companies of

Queenslanders in them. Tell Ivor

that Percy Ford is somewhere

there too, also the young fellow

that Ella Smith is engaged

to. His name is Dudley something

I cannot remember it now,

but may later on.

Do not know where

Sid Masters is now, as I 

have not seen anything

of his regiment since

we came back, but I

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I have yet seen since

we embarked. I feel

pretty sure that we will

get the brunt of the attack

if the enemy come along

as we are directly in front

of Samalia, and that is

where the railway runs 

from to Cairo & Suez.

The Broadford

boys are all getting along

well, and still with us

Bert Craig is now with the

21^st He is in C. Coy, so

Bfd is well represented.

Did I tell you that

I dropped a line to

old Sutherland, just to

cheer the old beggar

up a bit. He would take

it as a sort of honour

 

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suppose he will be alright

Had a letter from M^r Cocks

last mail & he was saying 

that things were very bad

on the Downs, about the

worst they had experienced

since they went to the North.

Frank should be nearing

home by when you receive

this letter, as it should be

well on into March by then

I will drop him a line

later on, perhaps next

Wednesday, as that is a 

half-holiday.

When coming through

Samalia I was struck

with the beautiful streets

and gardens there,

reminding one of Colombo

one of the prettiest places

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coming all the way from 

here. I suppose Bfd

must be very slow just now

with all the locals away at

the front and in training

camps. It must be just

about dead.

So I was known at 

Church as the person without

a hat. Um it makes one 

smile just a little to 

think that they made a 

distinction like that.

If that minister ever

comes along you could

show him my panama

just to let him know that

he was wrong.

Trusting that all at

home are well. From

Your Son

Oscar

"Desert of Sih"

Sinai Peninsular

4..12..16

Dear Mother,

Thursday evening,

no wrong again it is Friday,

and we are slogging away

in the sand still.

The last couple of days

the work has been varied

a little by trench digging,

gradually getting ready for

the Turk. The sand is 

awful for this work, as it

keeps falling in, and making

extra work, but its all in the 

game. I wonder how the

war is going on, we hear

all sorts of rumours as

to remarkable happenings

but to enumerate same would

Tel El Kebir and although

mail is supposed to be around

we have not had any sign

so far and goodness knows

when it will be sent along.

However we must just wait.

I would not mind drilling 

on good ground but the

sand is tiring.

Have not got much

time for camels as a rule

but as they are the means

of transporting food & water

to us, then the ship of 

the desert is all that is

noble & beautiful in our eyes

Everything depends on the 

camel here, including the

transport of sick, but I guess

if a man was only slightly

ill on starting a journey

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take a full writing pad, one

thing is that the general

trend seems good so there

is still corn in Egypt.

There were a lot of

poles brought into camp

to-day from the old line used

by the Turks last year &

we reckoned that it was

a great catch as regards

firewood. You were saying 

that old Bob Brace would

not get to the war on account

of age? Well I know one

man 54 years old who was

with us on the Peninsular

and another who was with 

us that I reckon could 

give him a start, so you

can never tell. We have

not had any mail since

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by the time we reached Ismalia

the disease or ailment would

have reached its worth.

I watched them going along

the other day and it put

me in mind of the movement

of a piston rod, the whole

affair shakes back & for.

Guess if I became ill I would

rather die quietly on the desert

than be chucked about

like a dice in a box.

Had charge of the outpost

last Wednesday night & it was

rather cool out there stargazing

all night. One or two

curious things happened

such as rockets away out

on the desert, but otherwise

there was nothing doing

otherwise. I started to

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keep a diary from the

time I was in Cairo on 

leave but so far nothing

unusual has happened that

it seems a waste of time,

but anyway it will be 

something to do, and maybe

some-day there will be something

worth while putting in.

France seems our

ultimate destination I think

and it will make the

trip more interesting, also

the game worth the candle

It would be grand 

to roam over those parts

and see the land that we

have heard so much about.

Would like Dean to be still

with me, but fancy that he

would only get the same trouble

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over again. Have not heard 

from him for the last fortnight

but guess he is alright.

Have not written

to Evan since, but will

do so sometime.

There is absolutely 

no news in this part of 

the world just now, so

I must ring off.

Please tell me that in

your next letter if my

allotment is reaching you

safely, as I have heard

that some of them are

going astray.

Trusting all are

well at home.

I remain

Your Son

Oscar