Thomas Whyte Collection - Wallet 4 - Part 2 of 10

9

Our section had to go out as markers
It was quite an experience sitting
in the trenches hearing the bullets 
zip zip & ping overhead.  The zip is
from bullets passing too high & the
ping from richochettes.  We left the
ranges in time to march about a mile
back & have lunch.  The afternoon
was spent entrenching in a good 
position to await an attack from the
9th.  Only one thing was wrong; our
left flank was too exposed which the
enemy took advantage of & our A Coy
had to retire as the Brigadier ruled
we had been all wiped out through
being enfiladed, that is our trenches
had been fired on lengthways from
a good position. However we got the
victory.

We heard nothing of the shoot off  for 
the prize offered the other day until
this morning, when a pipe was given
to each of another section which had
saved the cartridges over.

A lot of the chaps have been picking
up books on Egypt.  There are a couple
Sir Gilbert Parker has written,  I forget
the names, one is Donovan Pasha or something

                                                                 10

like that.  Perhaps they could tell

you of others at the Public Library if

you are interested.

We have been getting most of the

English magazines on the war.

The best easily is 'Land & Water' a

weekly paper with an articles by Hillare

Belloc.  They are wonderfully interesting

& not hard to follow.

Nothing further about the Canal

to-day except that there is a rumour

that the New Zealanders were taking

part in the brush the other day &

had several wounded.  I dont know

if this is reliable or not very likely

it is like most rumours we hear, started

as a joke.  The trouble there will probably

cause a delay of a day or two with last

weeks mail.  Fisher had a letter from

his father in which he said they would

be delayed at Port Said for a day.

It just struck me that the recent

engagements on the canal will be

in the papers & perhaps you will be

worrying over me.  Don't forget that

no news is good news.  You will know

if anything is wrong before you read

it in the papers.

                                                       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 the 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 flaming 

sign 'The Sidney Bar', 'The Melburne Hotel'

'The New Ze Land 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 3pt.  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 3,000000 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.

                                                   Mena Camp 13

                                                          Feb 11 1915

                                     13.

 

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 back 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 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 dont 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 into 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 3^rd 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 battallions 

and all the A.S.C, A.M.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 dont spoil it by

talking about being foolish at any time.

We have had some lovely times together

& will have plenty more so dont 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 s 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 Waughans 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 practise, 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 guide books.

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 understand 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 halfpenny farthing 

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 and 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