Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 7 of 12

61 
This sounds most likely, 
A severely censored mail closed to-day. 
We were not allowed to mention anything 
about the war where we were or even if  
we had left Egypt.  I sent you a note 
from which you may be able to gather 
where we are & that all is well.  I also 
wrote one to mother & Feo & a post card to 
Linda.  I don't know how it is going 
back. 
The 9th landed to-day They are going to 
bivouac for 3 days. The two Colonels tossed  
up for which battalion was to land & as 
usual 'Flossie' lost.  We are to go ashore  
for exercise every other day I believe. 
This is a beautiful harbour, completely 
landlocked & evidently very deep & roomy 
as there is an armoured Cruiser a French 
Cruiser 3 destroyers 3 submarines & a 
torpedo boat besides 7 or 8 transports 
Three arrived this morning from England 
with some Territorials aboard. I heard 
there were some marines also aboard 
another transport. One of the men of war 
arrived from the Dardanelles to-day 
The information comes passes through several  
hands so it is sure to be garbled 
The forts seem to be difficult to completely

62 
capture as the Turks keep bringing up 
field guns & preventing any parties landing party 
The rumour goes that a force of 500 marines 
landed in two parties  One was cut up 
terribly & only 8 returned  This seems to 
be the only one of many rumours that 
is reliable.  Apart from this we have 
heard no war news whatever. 
It looks to me as if they will make 
this a base for an army operating against 
the Dardanelles.  Whether we will see 
any actual fighting or not is hard to  
say. 
There was one amusing incident when  
the 9th were disembarking.  The ships  
boats were in a leaky condition through  
the sun.  One started to fill when the 
men got in.  An officer tried to make  
a cheap hero of himself by gesticulating 
in the boat & telling the men to keep 
calm as every thing was alright.  The 
men were treating it as a joke while 
the officer seemed the most excited. 
Of course they were all quickly on board  
again with nothing more than wet feet. 
The weather has been lovely, most  
temperate neither too hot nor cold. 
There no are not the extremes in temperature

63 
we had at Meona  either. 
There were are a lot of little towers on both 
sides of the harbour we couldn't at first 
make out.  I find they are windmills of  
the Dutch style.  There are several hamlets 
round about.  A bumboat was out 
alongside this morning & quickly sold out  
of cigarettes, matches, biscuits & walnuts. 
They could speak English well, I suppose 
most likely they had been sailors. 
We have all been paid 30/- each pay  
how long this is to last us I don't know 
  I rather like this idea of a diary letter 
If I leave a letter until post day I don't seem  
to be able to get half the filling.  Jotting down 
every other day or so, seems to lengthen it 
out though it must seem stale reading when 
you get it.  I have exhausted every thing  
to-night so I will say goodnight darling. 
Oh another thing that is difficult is to  
find new love phrases.  I don't like repeating 
the same old ones.  I think I will have to  
try & get that book on 'How to write Love Letters' 
Sunday night   Nothing fresh has happened. 
The chief interests of the day seem to be the 
various rumours that float round.  The 
inventive mind of the Australian soldier 
is superb.  I will give you to-days 'latrinograms'

64 
[[??oriste]] Island is to be a base for 100,000 troops (2)We will 
be] here from 4 to -6 weeks (3)The force is to be  
made up of English Regulars, Territorials 
Troops from Malta, Marines & the Australian  & NZ 
Corp.  The (4)Lemnos is claimed by both Greece  
& Turkey. G.B. has taken possession at present  
& will hand it over to Greece at the end of  
the war. (5)Half the 10^th is to go for a route 
march to-morrow. (6)The Allies troops in  
Belgium & France have been driven 
back 50 miles. (7) The rumour about the 
500 marines is exaggerated. 
Whatever is one to do.  You can never  
trace the origin of these 'officials'  The 
officers are really worse than the men. 
The admiral came aboard for a few  
minutes to-day. Who he is I can't say. 
There is much more room on board now 
the 9^th has gone. They have taken all their 
tents.  This looks as if rumour No2 is right. 
There is no parson on board so no church 
Parade to-day.  Disinfecting troop decks instead 
This is because of the presence of some species 
of livestock.  Luckily I have not been inhabited 
yet.  I am anxious to get ashore, I scent 
pages of descriptive matter or attempts at 
it.  Oh well another good night I suppose

65
Dear it is getting a long time now 
I often feel wild with myself for coming 
away.  What wouldn't I give for a week 
 in Adelaide now.  It seems so lonely to 
me sometimes inspite of all the new 
interests, but what must it be to you. 
What a score will be mounted for that 
reunion. Goodnight Dearest. 
Monday Night  They gave us half an hours' to 
warning for a mail to-day.  I was just  
able to scribble a few lines on any MCA P.C. 
From it you may gather rumours Nos 1 & 2 
A & B corps went ashore for a route march 
to-day I did not go as I was on duty in 
a boats crew taking them ashore & bringing 
them back again. They passed through 
two hamlets & were greatly impressed  
with the cleanliness & the fertility of the soil 
The Greek inhabitants speak Arabic as well 
& the troops were greatly surprised to be  
greeted with 'Saida' pronounced Say ēe da 
(Good-day) There are two Arabic words 
that will sure to be Australianised when we get  
back Saida & Imshi (equivilant to 'get 
out') This latter word is used to inferiors 
when their presence is not required 
A great battleship came in to-day which 
some of the sailors said was the 'Queen 
Elizabeth' that wonderful new creation

66  
with the 16 inch guns that was able 
to fire on the Dardanelles forts whilst 
a mile out of range. 
Some Royal Marine Infantry were aboard 
to-day but I did not see them.  From 
those that were speaking to them I gather  
that rumours 1, 2, 3 & 7 are probably true 
Some of the marines were ref those referred 
to in 7.  About 50 had been killed. 
I did a bit of washing to-day As I could 
got plenty of hot water from the winches 
it was easy work.  I have overhauled all 
my kit & done all the mending possible. 
It seems strange as there is nothing I  
can do.  It is the first time in my life 
I have not had something that wanted  
doing.  It is a most unsatisfactory feeling 
I don't think I will let it occur again. 
About the war finishing in May. 
I am going to alter my opinion to June 
The Spring army will be later getting 
to work than I originally thought. The  A 
sergeant of the marines on board to-day 
thought it was sure to end by June. 
He had been fighting in France before 
coming here.  He witnessed that famous  
charge of the London Scottish; but I did 
not hear of his comments.

67 
I have just finished reading a book  
of Warwick Deeping's 'The Rust of Rome'  
Have you read it? I was neither disappointed 
nor enthusiastic  " One passage is worth 
quoting "And by agnosticism he understood, 
not that grotesque guy dressed up in misrepresentations 
by theologians & pelted with paradoxical 
squibs, but a sincerity of mind that comes 
from fearless & cleansing thought." 
You needn't read that paragraph out to 
the others.  I was wondering how you got 
on with some paragraphs in my letters; 
whether you ever started on some, that to  
say the least, would startle the hearers. 
I can fancy what mother would look like, 
& wouldn't Freda have a lot to say. 
What would you do, flee or blush & face 
it out.  Wouldn't it be terrible? 
It is late now & I have to be at the 
gangway at 6.30am. So once more 
Goodnight my little girl. 
Wednesday Evening  I thought of quite a lot 
to write about during the last 48 hours 
but most of it seems to have slipped my  
memory. 
I have struck a bonzer job. You remember  
that crew at Aden for rowing the Colonel  
around, well it has been called into

68 
requisition again for the use of the 
Brigadier Colonel & Staff & the Colonel & 
Adjutant  It is practically the same. 
Rhodes & I are  the only oarsman.  The six 
others are all men of warsmen. It has 
been placed in orders and we are free 
from every other duty. That means 
we miss parades, guards & fatigues of which 
there are plenty. Sergeant Tomlinson is  
in charge. We have about 2 trips a day 
& the rest of the time to ourselves.  Yesterday 
& today we were ashore for a few hours. 
 The Greeks come down to the landing places 
with their wares in the shape of nuts, oranges, 
Turkish Delight, cigarettes, milk, honey, butter 
& matches.  We had quite an amusing  
time with them You never saw sh such 
an assortment of wearing apparel The round 
fustian cap was in great evidence so were 
those funny trousers reaching to the knees 
with yards & yards of spare cloth between  
the legs.  Some had primitive rawhide 
sandals others old boots.  One pair of dapper  
American yellow button boots looked very comical 
with in conjunction with greenish khaki 
puttees with a gr red border hem and 
white striped blue trousers & goatskin  
coat, the fur inside & tanned leather outside

69 
most had blue stockings showing 
beautifully shaped calves. The umbiquitous 
donkey was also in evidence.  They could 
speak very little English, the natives I 
mean.  One had been in Egypt and America 
He knew more Arabic than we.  They are 
starting to charge a bit for stuff but it 
is our own fault for it is only human 
nature to get the all you can if the buyer 
is fool enough to pay it. 
The tower windmills are peculiar affairs  I cant  
very well describe them  They are something 
like this 
[*hand drawn picture of a windmill*] 
The little triangular patches at the end of the wings are 
like little canvas jibs.  They are all used  
for grinding corn & and flour.  There must be  
hundreds on the island. 
It was quite pleasant to loll about the 
grass  You see there was none in Egypt 
Every inch of land was cultivated so it 
was really the first grass we had been 
on since leaving Australia. 
There is a kind of cognac made on the 
island. It hasn't an unpleasant taste 
& is very mild.  By the bye the Colonel has 
come to light with a pint of beer both

70 
days which goes very well. 
There was a typed sheet of war news posted 
up to day covering from the last week. 
It proved rumour No 6 on page 64 wrong 
& 7 correct.  It mentioned that owing to  
the situation in the Dardanelles the troops 
at present training in North Africa 
were to be ready to leave at a moments  
notice.  Well all the troops there will not 
be used.  Perhaps the Aust 2nd contingent  
may be but there is bound to be a  
garrison kept there.  I believe a force 
of 40000 French will arrive within three 
weeks With 40000 Australasians & 20000 
various the rumoured force of 100000 would be  
made up. I don't think there is much  
in this rumour though 
A I had a very interesting chat to one 
of half a dozen sailors last night. 
They have come aboard from the Lord 
Nelson to man a steam furnace leant 
to tow the boats ashore.  This chap was 
a real cockney & a fair nut. It is 
the Lord Nelson we mistook for the  
Queen Elizabeth which came in today 
The 'Nellie' took a very prominent part  
in the bombardment of the Dardanelles 
The Tar told me a lot about it