Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 2 of 12

11
You remember me telling you
about our procession on New Years
Eve. Whom do you think that long
Queensland conductor was. Ted
Wreford who used to be in G&R Wills.
He was down at the Grange one day
when Tom lived there. I hadn't seen
him for 3 years until the other day,
when I struck him at the canteen.
By the bye you might be pleased to
know I have never been in the least
way tight since leaving Australia.
Sometimes when we come in from
a hot march I enjoy a pint. When
we go into Cairo we never have more
than a couple of drinks. There are
any amount of pubs of a sort about
Cairo now. They shove up a flaring
sign "The Sidney Bar", "The Melburne Hotel"
"The New ZeLand Bar" "The British Lion"
etc. They are most disreputable affairs
The restaurants are the same. They
vie with one another with giving
the most number of eggs. The best
one I have seen had a big sign
"Tea with milk & sugar bread and butter,
5 eggs and bacon, for 3 piastres". They
always mention the number of eggs.

Sunday
12
Our canteen has been enlarged & improved
You can now get hot meals for a moderate
charge. Bacon & Eggs are the favourite A big
plate for 3 pt. Icecream is another addition,
Beevor has returned from Alexandria. There
is a rumour that he may get second in
Command of the 16th Battalion (S.A & W.A second
contingent) I only hope it is true.
There has been no fighting on the Canal
the last two days. Some of our chaps saw
some N.Z. who came up with Turkish prisoners
last night. They have had a few pot shots
at outposts. The first company were in
the trenches for 24 hours & when the second
were [came to] relieve them they didn't want
to go out & had quite an argument.
They have had one officer killed I believe.
Well its getting on time & I want to write
a few postcards. I can't think of anymore
to tell you except that I am loving you
more than ever. Everything looks good for
being back in May or very soon after.
Englands 3,000,000 fresh troops combined
with Russia's & France's ought to settle things
very soon. The last number of Land & Water
has a very interesting article on Germany's
Spring Army which it proves to be not cannot be more
than 2 milllion. Good night my Wife
your ever loving Tom.

13
Mena Camp
Feb. 11. 1915
Thursday It was quite a letter carnival on
Tuesday. There were your two very nice
letters of 7th & 14th of Jan. one each from Jack, Leith Napier, &
Dave Blyth and a post card from a Mr Devoy
in Brisbane an old friend of mine. Your
letters took me quite a long while to
read. You are very good to send such
long ones. You can't imagine how welcome
they are. You were quite right to lend George
my sweater. I am glad to hear he has joined
It is bad luck about Algy. The S.A. second
L.H. did not leave with the others so I suppose
it is all up the flue with him though if he
he had a good Colonel he would have got him
out of it.
I know very well you have made those
pillow shams for a double bed. If it satisfies
you to know I would sooner not get married
than have single beds. However healthier it
would be I could never think much of
the couple who decided on single beds.
A few nights in Egypt would convert
anyone How glad we are sometimes we
have four blankets. I think I would

14
like to hear about your dresses. I can
hardly remember any you used to wear. It
seems so long ago. Get another one blouse like that
white silk one with the red buttons. The one
you wore first at that party of Freda's was
my favourite I think. Lex is over the
odds. That address should have found
him though. I don't remember if it was
No 7. A.M.P Blds; but A.M.P Buildings, Pitt St
is right. I will write to him this week
& tell him what I think of him. Last
time I wrote I got onto told him you
had not received an acknowledgement
of the photo; but expected that it had been
sent before the letter reached him. It is
funny I have not heard from him since
leaving Adelaide though I have written
twice.
I saw that drawing in the Sydney Mail
of the camp. It is very amusing. The
Sphinx is not in sight from here at
all nor is the 3rd pyramid. The tents
are about 100 times the number & placed
quite differently. There are at least 100 tents
to a battallion of infantry & with 12 battalions
and all the A.S.C., AM.C., L.H. Artillery, Ammunition
Column, Hospitals, Engineers, etc, you can
quite believe that a couple of miles are quite

15
covered with them.
For goodness sake don't ever talk about being
silly over anything. I have always thought you
the most sensible & levelheaded person I know.
It makes me wild when you say what you
did in your last letter. Don't think that I
ever regret anything you have ever done
You have always been my charming
lovely angel so don't spoil it by
talking about being foolish at any time.
We have had some lovely times together
& will have plenty more so don't worry
about regretting anything. That idea of
Mrs Stones of the 5/- a week-afternoon-
girl is very sensible. When I think of remember
Freda's first months I always think
it would have been much happier for
her if she had more to occupy her.
The mustard pot is a very good idea
for my birthday I hope you have managed
it. I had no idea did not realise my birthday was so
near until I read your reference to it
Fancy only a day more than a week
off.
I for one don't believe that yarn about
Kitchener saying the war would commence
in May. If he did he didn't meant it as
a blind as the reinforcements will have

16
made their presence felt long before
that.
I got quite a shock to read your inventory
of the additions to the glory box Wherever
have you got them all? I think we will
have to adopt Vera Maughans idea &
get them stored.
There so will be no leave this week so I have
nothing to tell you about Cairo.
Our next days leave is Wednesday
The dates are arranged so that each
company happens to be off any brigade
or divisional duty.
We have had a very mixed lot of
work this week Monday a holiday, Tuesday
field practice, Tuesday night & Wednesday
on guard, Today striking of tents, airing
of blankets, battalion drill and night
outpost work all night. I have managed
to get out of the latter through a slight
cold. I made it out to be a lot worse
than it is & I wanted to write to you
& get a bit of sleep after the guard.
There are a lot of colds about, nearly as
bad as it was at Morphettville. Quite
an unusual amount of pneumonia is
prevalant. The doctors are puzzled over
it. I have not heard of one case of

17
typhoid which is remarkable. Perhaps        
it is the inoculation. Authorities say that
visitors to Egypt who have not been
inoculated are very subject to it.
Monday four of us paid a visit to the
Citadel. It was most interesting we
paid a visit to several of the mosques
in the vicinity. There are 366 in Cairo.
They have all a certain similarity.
Of course the old ones are the most
interesting. However I will have to
refer you again to the guidebooks.
They have a lot more than we noticed.
The Citadel will is also very fully dealt
with. At present some Lancastershire
Terriers are garrisoned there & it is a
hospital. We saw the Indian wounded
arrive from the canal They were very
interesting when you could get one
to talk to. One little A.M.C. Ghurka was
a very finely built chap with quite
a Japanese type of feature We persuaded
him to show his kukris an awfully
murderous looking weapon Wide in
the blade with a very sharp edge and
point I can quite undertand why the
Deutchers fear them.
There is a beautiful view of Cairo from

18
one of the parapets  We saw the place
where that middle ages Johnny leaped
on his horse to escape the treachery of
some Mohammedan ruler. It looks
feasible but improbable  Again I
refer you to the guide books. We
went in in the tram with a Terrier
who was quite decent sized & interesting
The fare from the Citadel to the Central
Tram Station, about a mile, is 2
Milliemes for soldiers; fancy a farthing halfpenny
for a mile. The Tommy told us several
things that opened our eyes. Before
the Australians came they were able
to get oranges 6 & 7 for a half piastre, eggs
8 for a piastre and lots of other things
much cheaper than we pay. The cute
niggers shove their prices up for
newcomers. Tomatoes have come
down in price lately but not quite
as far as the Tommies price of ten
for a half piastre.
Coming back we passed a wedding party
The bride & bridegroom were mounted on a
camel with most gorgeously dressed with
coloured drapings They were screened from
the rude public gaze by a calico box
about a dozen other camels with the rest

19
of the party followed. They were kicking
up a most horrible noise, it was more
like a funeral.
Sunday I seem to have hardly time to
continue this letter until now
Just after finishing this on Thursday
evening we got news of Fordhams
death. It came as a shock as we under-
stood he was getting better. And it was
smallpox and in its worst form.
How it was his brother got the news that
contradicted smallpox goodness only
knows. No 1 Platoon with the band all went to the funeral
party on Friday. We left here at 9 o'clock
Twelve were the firing party, six including
me, pallbearers, & the rest formed the party with
Lieut Hosking in charge. We were taken
in a special tram right through Cairo
to Abbassia nearly Heliopolis. Then began
a long search for the Infectious Diseases Hospital
We marched a mile along the Heliopolis
road to the Egyptian Army Hospital, as that
was not the one back we marched a mile
& a half then cut off to the left up a bit
of a hill past some brick works & the
Abbassia cow barn & found the Hospital
It was then 1 o'clock. We had brought
no lunch with us so the matron & the

20
doctor two very fine French people, soon
prepared some tea & bread & butter. We
very soon eat them out so tucked into
some Arab bread. It is dark in appearance
shaped like a large pancake & somewhat
heavy & sour in taste. It was very
filling. There was no guncarriage
so a hearse that looked as if it ought
to have been buried too, had been
requisitioned. It was a ricketty wooden
affair with an almost collapsing wooden
cross on top. The whole was painted
a most billious bilious looking yellow & brunswick
black. After putting a Union Jack
over the coffin and a new hat & belt &
bayonet on top, off we started. The band
played the Dead March for half a mile
whole we stepped in slow time. First time
came the firing party in file marching
with reversed arms; then the band followed by the hearse
with 3 pallbearers each side. Behind
it Fordhams brother then Hosking & the
others. There were not many people
about except a lot of delighted fellaheen
kids whom the undertaker was swearing
at most volubly in Arabic. After
the band had finished we broke into
an ordinary march & kept going for