Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 1 - Part 7 of 14

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gorgeous. It is useless trying to 
describe them. I never was 
good at descriptions, but even
a poet would fail at this. 
It is heartrending about the 
letters. Nearly 2 months since
we left Fremantle & not a letter 
yet. I know there are 7 on the 
way somewhere, but goodness 
knows where they are. We 
are told we will get the Orsova 
mail Tuesday, that is one direct 
from Australia. The previous 
mails are probabably on their 
way from or to London. 
To-day Egypt was proclaimed a 
British possession. There was 
to have been a grand parade of 
troops but which we hear has 
been postponed. The papers have 
not been saying much about it. 
I expect we will have a review 
when Sir George Reid & the N.Z. 
High Commissioner arrive. 

8 
Sunday 20th. There has been no 
excitement about the Proclomation 
& the appointment of the new Sultan 
The only trouble likely to arise 
is from the Nationalist Party 
& a section of the Liberalists. As the most 
dangerous of them have been 
cleared out of the country & 
their propoganda not being
popular nothing is to be seen of 
any dissatisfaction. 
I went into Cairo yesterday & had a 
stroll round Old Cairo & other places 
we had not seen before. One long 
street in Old Cairo was quaint, a 
cross between an Arabian bazaar 
& a semi modern street. It was quite 
Eastern. Every decription of shop was 
there, a little larger & better than 
the Arabian bazaar shops. We were 
near a school when the boys were 
coming out. What a picture they made 
in their loud European suits & 
fezs. The educated Egyptian looks 
very respectable, some dark & some

9 
fair. I have seen some that would
pass for fair Europeans. We had 
a look at some Art Curio shops 
in the centre of the European quarter. 
I could have spent a hundred 
pounds in five minutes & not 
regretted. The finest & gaudiest 
silks; brassware you couldn't describe; 
gilded silver charms, necklets & curios; 
exact imitations of ancient princesses 
charms in the Egyptian museums. 
Lotus blooms and scarabs in the most 
perfect enamelware. Ash trays 
of beaten brass in Egyptian hieraoglyphics 
& Arabic; lamps, tea sets, coffee sets 
& everything you could think of 
in brassware that beat any Benares 
ware you ever saw. I can quite 
see where my back pay is going. 
Great joy this morning. There 
is to be a mail to-morrow 
from England, the first lot that 
left Australia after us. Then 
another that left 3 weeks ago, 
on Tuesday. I wont receives

10 
them until after this weeks mail 
closes.
In Cairo yesterday we saw a girls 
school out for a drive in a 
bus. It was latticed right up & you could 
only see the tops of their heads. There 
were all 
yptian 
with their veils. How would you 
like to go to school in Cairo?
I have forgotten when the birthdays 
are. Let me have a full list will 
you? I am sending you a paper 
with the announcement of the 
Protectorate, they should be worth 
keeping. There was to have been 
some swearing in ceremony this 
morning. I don't know whether any 
Australian troops were taking part. 
Eileen dear, it is so lonely. When 
I go into Cairo I can't get it out of 
my head thinking how you would 
love to see everything with me. 
I thought I would get over it but it 
is getting worse.  Goodnight darling
Your ever loving Tom

If you show this 
tell her where it
came from 

little triangular jib sails instead 
of our orthodox planes. They  
are used for grinding corn 
& making flour.
Every other day half the 
battalion go ashore for exercise 
I dont think there is anything 
in the rumors that we 
will be on the [[move?]] [[farm?]] 
for a month.
I have dared everything I own 
to pass the censor on as 
we have to go for a short 
pull directly I will say 
goodnight
Yours ever
Tom 
10/3/15 

9 days before 
Mothers Birthday
C3
40,000
My Dear Eileen
I believe there is to be a mail in 
f two days time. With the strict 
censorship it seems to reduce letters 
to a bald statement of 'all is well' 
I heard they are even cutting out 
the dates. The O.Cs of each company 
do the censoring whether there 
is any more I can't say.
If they are going to treat us always 
as they have lately with mails 
we will be in for a good time. 
This is the third that has left 
within a week.
I have been sleeping in pyjamas 
for a week & I found they take 
as much getting used to as sleeping 
in your clothes.
No mails yet. The last letters I received 
were the ones I acknowledged in 
No15. We are expecting something

this week.
I think I will number these 
censored letters C1, 2 & 3 so as not 
to confuse them with the carbon 
ones.
There is nothing further to report yet. 
Everything is going along quietly 
& well.
The last couple of days I have 
been doing something the same 
as at Aden. It is practically 
the same crew. This morning 
we were ashore for a couple 
of hours at one of the villages 
You never saw such a pictur- 
esque lot of clothes. Trousers 
reaching to the knee al very 
with yards of material between 
the legs, blue stockings & 
primitive rawhide sandals
Goat skin coats the rough tanned 
leather outside & the fur inside 
were in great evidence. So 
was the picturesque Greek 
waistcoat that overlapps 
like a triangle. Of course 
there were plenty dressed 
in ordinary European clothes. 
We went inside a [redacted] 
rather well 
decorated. There didn't seem 
to be any seats. I don't know 
whether the congregation have 
to stand. The women have 
a very fine type of feature 
clear chiselled  & all very similar
The chief occupation seems  
to be farming. Dozens of 
windmills are to be seen 
round the bay. They have

No Stamps
Available
On Active 
Service
  
Passed by No. 13 Censor 

Miss E.W. Champion
'Cortoon'
Omar Place
Unley Park April 14
South Australia