Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 1 - Part 13 of 14

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Nellies step mother you know  
Nearly all of the officers attended  
and only the privates I mentioned  
before were inside. Outside  
when the news got round  
the crowd gathered miraculous  
& before the service was through  
were blocking up all the entrance.  
The parson was Archdeacon Richard  
Chaplain of the 35th Brigade  
Mickey made a tip top entrance 
Corporal  [[?]]trobe [[?]] 
Register staff was there taking 
notes for the Register where you 
will see a full account. It 
is necessary to explain something 
before I tell you of the joke of 
the day. The punishment of C.B. 
(confined to barracks) entails the 
following punishments besides what 
is conveyed in the name. Between 
4.30 & 5 all defaulters have to do 
pack drill. Between 7pm & 9.30 
pm they have to report half 
hourly at the guard tent

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A special bugle call is blown  
each half hour as a warning 
the words of which are 'You can be a  
defaulter as long as you like  
as long as you report every time 
All the bugle calls have words  
to them as 'Come to the cookhouse  
door boys', 'Pick 'em up Pick 'em  
up hot potatoes, hot potatoes." 
After the service was over and  
the couples health just before 
about to be drunk the defaulter 
call  was blown. There was 
a roar as we had taken care 
to spread the news among the 
officers that Mickey was C.B. 
Mrs Honeywell asked the Colonel 
in a letter yesterday to try and give 
we few leave for to- day to go  
Cairo for lunch or the wedding 
breakfast (whatever you like to 
call it.) which he did but before 
I get onto that.  They had a 
wedding cake which Phil cut 
with the Colonel's sword

63 
while we pelted them all with 
rice & rose petals. We all had 
a special shot at [ B 40?] bald 
head with the rice. After the 
speeches there was a surprise 
when we got out. Half the 
division must have been crowded 
between the 200 yards from the 
officers mess to the road. 
The band were going for all  
they were worth & a guard of 
honour was formed with fixed 
bayonets by A Company. All arr 
arranged while the service 
was going on as that was 
only when the news got abroad 
the cheers were tremendous. 
Off the bridal party went in  
a taxie not before they were 
bailed up by numerous amateur 
photographers. We followed a  
little later. The menu card 
I enclose explains the luncheon 
It was one of the best I have 
ever eaten. I forgot to tell

64 
you Sandy Melbourrne is a  
Captain in the 9th (Queensland). 
Phill knew him fairly well so 
invited him to the service & 
breakfast. He doesn't seem as  
bad as I expected from you 
girls' opinion. Afterwards we  
sat round & chatted untill about 
4 when the pair drove off on their 
honeymoon of 2 days to a health 
resort about 15 miles out where 
there is a good hotel. We all 
said goodbye to Mrs Honeywell 
& went round the city. The new 
places of interest I saw to day 
was one the old massive gates  
of Cairo right the other side.  
It was a drive of about a  
mile. Coming back we caught 
a glimpse of the Sultan motoring 
He does not look so weak as  
one would think from his 
photographs. The photos were 
not ready. I saw the proof 
but could hardly recognise

65 
myself. I am sure you will  
be disappointed. They will be 
ready next week. Nevermind 
the next ones will be better. 
Lance Lewis told me the Kyarra 
nurses are all to be stationed 
in Egypt. Some at Mena others 
at the different encampments. 
Well dear there is nothing more 
I can think of to tell you. 
We are going out shooting again 
tomorrow. This with the route 
march may mean something 
change soon. A month on 
the canal would give me a 
chance to save some money. 
Cairo is a terrible place for 
running away with the cash. 
It is close up to mail closing 
time. I envied Phil mightily to 
day. I wish you were here darling 
Goodnight love 
Your loving husband 
Tom

Letter No 10. 
  
Mena Camp
Cairo 
Jan 22nd 15 
  
My Darling Little Girl 
Another letter day has come 
& gone, with it, your Christmas Eve letter, 
a couple of Henley programmes & a letter from 
Jack O'Connell. I haven't heard from Campbell 
yet, but as he was in Sydney at Xmas I suppose 
it will be a fortnight or so before I hear 
from him. I can't understand why you 
had not received my Colombo or Aden 
letters by Christmas Eve. From the Adelaide 
papers, I gather both had been delivered; 
the former some time before. I suppose  
it is all right by now, but I admire you 
immensely for not complaining. You are 
a brick for you must have known other 
people had received letters. The long letter 
I wrote before getting to Colombo I gave 
to a chap named Topliffe just as he was  
being sent back as we all thought. 
he was sen detained on the Orvieto 
until we reached Aden when he with others was 
invalided home. They probably reached

 3 
& has returned here. He was a reserve 
officer for the Black Watch. He was 
telling his Platoon some of the war 
news he had gathered from officers 
on their 72 hours furlough from the 
trenches. The French will have nearly  
4 million men for the Spring Army. 
Nobody knows how many recruits 
are in training in England except 
a few War Office officials. The main 
thing is they have quite as many as 
they will need. The Allies are not 
making any serious attempt of advancing, 
being satisfied to keep the Germans  
in check at present.  General Joffre 
considers he could finish the war 
in a couple of months but at a greater 
sacrifice of life than he hopes by  
taking his time. If all this is true 
things are indeed rosy. I have no reason 
to doubt it. Of course it is possible 
that the war may continue over the 
summer but it would only be because 
of the Allies value of life. 
Major Brand read us some very

4 
interesting extracts from the War 
Office reports this week. The Germans 
are showing extraordinary bravery 
when advancing in column of fours, 
half a battalion will be wiped out; but 
another takes its place immediately. 
General French considers we have 
nothing to learn from the German or 
French methods of advancing infantry. 
You will remember ours is to advance 
in extended order, the troops taking 
advantage of every possible cover, 
plenty of which exists in the present 
war zone. German prisoners say it 
is particularly hard to see the British long enough 
to aim. Ghouls or marauders are  
plentiful behind the battle line. 
The scum of all the great cities of 
the world is reckoned to be there, 
especially from America. They rob 
the dead & wounded of rings & valuables. 
Their shrift is short when caught.  
The Germans have spies joining in 
with Allied troops when forming 
up after an engagement. They have 

5 
been caught signalling in the trenches 
It is very difficult to detect them as  
their English & French is so good. The 
British have adopted the plan of 
asking every 4th or fifth man, the 
names of men near him, and if  
he knows them. They do this every 
third or fourth night. 
The atrocities committed by the Germans 
in Belgium, Gen. French considers, to  
have been somewhat exaggerated. 
Belgian women and non combatants 
have been sniping at German Troops, 
after being warned about the penalty, 
which is death. Of course this does not 
excuse some of the German atrocities 
but such are likely among any most 
armies under certain conditions. 
There are a few photos floating about of Phil & his 
bride on their way from the officers 
mess to their taxi, I will try & secure  
some to enclose. Phil came back 
Tuesday evening. When going through 
the cheering troops the rain of rice 
was tremendous. He was heard

7 
off & went out about 7, practising 
night marches & manoeuvres & last 
night entrenching. The brigadier 
had a tour of inspection & we got 
special praise. The day route marching 
will probably be next week. 
Our bath day has been altered to Friday. 
I take a complete change with 
me, even if my u.c. are not what I 
consider dirty enough for changing. 
There is a shower so we manage to 
soap ourselves properly. 
There is quite a bazaar now at the end 
of the brigade lines. First comes a postcard 
shop, then the 4 canteens, one Beer, one  
lemonade, icecream & cakes & 2 grocery; 
then a barber, haberdashery, washing,  
jeweller, fruit shop, watchmaker, another  
haby, another barber, tailor & bootmaker, 
(peculiar combination), yet another haby, 
a photographer, barber, photographer who developes 
& prints your own photos, curio shop, barber, and 
a nickelling shop. They are all roughly 
made of matchboard & under brigade 
supervision. I had a shave, haircut &

8 
shampoo today in a shop fitted up 
as good as a suburban barbers. A clean  
towel & antiseptically treated instruments 
is compulsory. And all for 2 piastres.  
I think it is much safer on active 
service, than in Australia. There  
have been much less deaths proportionately 
in the Division in Egypt, than in Australia. 
When I hear of Rex Thomas's death & 
a soldier being run over by train I think  
Australia looks a good place to be out of.  
I had given up all hopes of the commissions 
coming off until this morning when we 
were asked to fill in the service application 
forms. I included a few lies which they 
have no chance of finding out but dont 
feel the slightest qualms. Other than this 
there have there is nothing further to report. 
That p.c. photo of Molly is a dear. She 
looks extraordinarily cheeky, I wonder 
what mischief she was thinking of at 
the time. 
Sunday We had our company leave yesterday 
afternoon. I spent a couple of hours 
in the museum of Egyptian Antiquities 

9 
There was only time to see half of it 
most Cairo guide books describe it in detail. 
The halls are immense & all of stonework. 
It was most interesting. The mummies  
are in halls all upstairs The chief one 
is Ramses Ⅱ. It has been unwrapped & the 
cloth placed back, covering everything except 
the head & neck. Just a skeleton with the  
black muscular & skin covering. There were 
hundreds of similar ones with both stone 
& wooden sarcophagi. It is difficult to 
describe the expression & impression of  
two immense sitting figures placed in 
the biggest hall. I dont know what height 
they are , but a life sized statue between them 
does not reach past above their calves. 
The Jewell Room was entrancing. I saw  
the original of the necklet I sent you, 
or as near as I could get to it. The one 
I mean belonged to Princess Khaumuit and had 
all the charms on yours, with several other 
stones. The enamelware of the lotus blooms 
was exactly the same. I had no idea  
the ancient Egyptians were sh such expert 
enamellers There were some wonderful

10 
examples of it. The thin gold ornaments 
looked as if they had just been beaten  
instead of 4000 or 5000 years old. 
In one of the mummy rooms were some 
glass cases of food, left in the toombs.  
Bread, dates (only the stones left), raisins, 
haunches of venison & several other things 
we could not recognise. We were at 
a great disadvantage not having a guide  
or guide book. Next Saturday I will make 
sure of both. 
Later Gay Burns with another nurse has 
just been over to see me. They She is  
quartered at Mena House. All the 
Kyarra lot have been stationed at in 
Egypt. Some at Maadi, some at Zeitun 
& Heliopolus. They didn't stay more than 
half an hour, going over to the pyramids. 
She asked me to send her love to all of  
you. 
I forgot to tell you when describing  
the additions to our lines that 3 immense 
picture houses are nearing completion. 
One is immediately in rear of our 'bazaar' 
alongside the Y.M.C.A. The others are 

11 
There was only time to see half of it 
most [[came find??]] books describe it in detail. 
The halls are immense + all of stonework. 
It was most interesting. The mummies 
are in halls upstairs. The chief one 
is Ramses II. It has been unwrapped and the  
cloth placed back, covering everything except 
the head + neck. Just a skeleton with the 
black muscular + skin covering. There were 
hundreds of similar ones with both stone 
+ wood sacrophage. It is difficult to  
describe the expression + impression of 
two immense sitting figures placed in 
the biggest hall. I don't know what height 
they are but a life sized statue between them 
does not reach above their calves. 
The Jewel Room was entrancing, I saw 
the original of the necklet I sent you, 
or as near as I could get to it. The one  
I mean belonged to Princess Khaumuit and had 
all the charms on yours, with several other 
stones. The enamel one of the lotus blooms 
was exactly the same. I had no idea the ancient Egyptians were such expert 
enamellers. There were some wonderful