Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 1 - Part 10 of 14

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a native tailor who puts pockets in
your trousers & cleans your tunic
for a bob each, a fruit shop &
two barbers shops, where you get
a decent shave for 1/2 piastre, which
is much preferable to shaving
yourself. Natives wash your clothes
for ½ pt. each piece which is better
than doing it yourself. I wash
handkerchiefs & socks myself as
it is the same charge is made for them as
for a pair of khaki trousers.
We were made happy to day by
a present of a tin of chocolate
& five cigarettes from the Australians
resident in G.B. A large pocket knife
with an attached tinopener was
also given out. I will post you
the chocolate tin next week with
perhaps a sample of the chocolate
which is the best I ever tasted. Chaps
were offering 20 piastres for the
tins of chocolate for souvenirs to
send home.
I went into Cairo on Wednesday Wednesday
 

31
I picked up some odd bits of Maltese
lace which I believe are genuine
I have posted them with some other
things. I won't tell you what I paid
for them, let me know what you
think they are worth. The square
thing that looks like a D'Oyley is
a handkerchief. The piece of crepe
with a brass affair & brow band attached
is a thing the lower class of native
women wear as shown in the enclosed
postcard. It is called a 'Borkom'.
They wear it from the time they are
16 or eighteen. The necklet is of
gilded silver & Swiss enamel. It
is an exact imitation of one worn
by an ancient princess. I will find
out all about it when I go into
the museum where the original is.
The tiny mummy case which opens
is rather novel I thought. They were
all very cheap.
Cairo only wakes up properly at
midnight so several of us wanted
to see what it was like. We went to
 

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the 'Kursaal' a sort of Tivoli show
where you can smoke & order drinks
everywhere. It The show is on from
9.30 to 11.30 A . matinee is held from
6.30 till 8. We had supper at a
swell French Restaurant where
girls in evening dress dance up &
down the aisle at intervals. Any
of the diners can join in. After
supper we had a look through
a couple of Dancing Halls. It is
quite public. A lot of officers were
present so we kept in the background.
I am doubtful if we would have
gone into the foreground if they
hadn't been there. Cairo is a
naughty place alright. After a
stroll through the bazaars
we came home.
It has been announced that
Church is optional. Those who
don't want to go fall out at
the parade & have to clean up
the lines. This morning the
Major got a shock. The whole of
 

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the old A. Company fell out. He was
left with only a few of the new half
of the company. It took us exactly
5 minutes to clean up.
I am not resigned about the letters
yet. It seems dreadful that I haven't
heard anything practically, written
since we left Australia. I wish
I had never joined. Well I suppose
it is no use running your head
against a brick wall, but I do wish
I could be in Adelaide if for
a day only. I do hope you are not
not worrying dear. There is no
danger it is not that that hurts but
I long to see you, feel you, hug you, to
kiss you. I would make a wonderful
fuss over you now. Well we are up
against it, so the less  I we worry
the better. All the more wonderful
reunion. Thats the toast 'Here's to
the Re-union' Goodnight Darling
Your own loving boy
Tom
 

34
No 8.

Mena Camp
Sunday Jan 10, 1915
On Wednesday I received
your letter posted on Dec 10th
It was lovely, only I felt quite
wild when I read you had torn
up some you had written.
Please send as much as you
can, you can't imagine how much
I long for it. What I want is
a letter once a week that will
take 2 hours of each evening
to read. I felt quite envious of 
Smith getting a letter with
30 pages. None of the letters sent
to England from 5 Nov to 28 Nov
have arrived yet. I have seen 
a Xmas Chron. & Observer but
no other papers.  I believe they have 
stopped all papers from leaving
Aus., so perhaps we wont see any
for some time. I have replied to
Stewart's & your Aunts letters.
Sorry to hear that about Uncle Geo.
 

35
It is a most awful fooking thing
I don't like you being so much by
yourself Cant you find someone
to go to lunch with everyday
I had my photo taken on Wednesday
They will be ready this week but
I am afraid I wont be able to get
in until Saturday or Sunday.
I wish this wretched war was over
so I could get back. Dont worry
about me being away for years
as soon as it is over I am hot
foot back to Australia not even
a trip to England will tempt me.
I am simply living for the day
I can land back in S.A.
We have had rather a trying
week. Several days there has been
a very strong South West wind
blowing which makes it very
unpleasant in the desert. The sand
gets in your eyes mouth ears & nose
& nearly chokes you. Friday night
We A Company out on Outpost until
breakfast time Saturday & to-day

 

36
I am Battalion orderley.
Outpost work is providing protection
for troops when camped. Generally
one-sixth of the entire force are
engaged in it & hold points
of advantage during the night
The system is like this. In the
afternoon the company or whatever
force is chosen march out 2 or
3 miles & entrench themselves
The positions are like a spiders
web gradually thinning down
to 4 men sentry groups on the
extreme edge. In war time cavalry
would do the scouting in the
outer ring. The position generally
taken is like this.
 

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4 is the main body being protected
of course they would have individual
sentries at different posts. 3 is the
trenches of supports sleeping with
one or two sentries. 2 is the picquet
with a couple of sentries the rest
lying asleep in trenches. 1 is the
sentry groups generally 3 men & a
n.c.o. also enttrenched h with only
one sentry on watch at a time
The picquet position is generally
the line of resistance so if the 
sentriyes groups are attacked suddenly they are
generally unable to fall back
so they are protected from the
five of the picquet by mounds at
the back as well as front. If
the attacking force is too strong
for the picquet the supports rush
over & if too strong for the
combination the main body has
had time to prepare itself.
We were kept busy during the
night by changing positions
with One Platoon would be
 

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supports for a few hours &
then change with the picquet
& so on so that we got a little
of everything except sleep.
In actual warfare the main
point would be to have as
little movement as possible
& as few men as possible not
asleep. When the outpost body
moves out a screen of is
sent out in front of it to see
the enemy are not observing
the positions of the posts.
Even moving patrols are done
away with except just an hour before
dawn when a small one moves
out & reconnoiters while the
whole force stand to arms.
That is because then is the
most likely time of attack.
It started to rain several
times during the night not
enough to discomfort us but
welcome on account of laying
the dust.
 

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Saturday we had our weekly
swim which we look forward
too. We don't get dirty here like
at Morphettville & there are
splendid washing conveniences
qu in the lines. I dont know
whether I told you water was
laid on right through the camp.
It is stored in two great
concrete, reservoirs one each
on the hills each side of the
camp. On Tuesday one burst
near the top. Luckily there
were no men sleeping in the
track of the rush of water but
some artillery were just about
buried in the sand and parts
of the roads were washed away
It has made no difference
to the supply.
Shooting practise was postponed
until next week.
They have altered our leave
again. Half the battalion on
Saturday & the other half on