Papers of Athol Cluny McPherson - Part 3

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rode back & told the officers to spot stop
that B.- Rabble. It wouldn't surprise 
me a bit if there was a bit of a riot one
of these days, its just as well for Australia
that there is no union in the Army, otherwise,
I think there would be strikes every day, a
lot of these fellows seem to think they are
out on a pleasure trip & think they ought
to be treated as such, they seem to roar
from daylight until dark. There's one thing
certain they can never get the discipline into
an Australian that they can Englishmen
there are too many Socialist pointers in
it, they get up in the morning & are
always looking for night. Captain Clements
who has been in the British Army for twenty ^ years
told one of the officers, that these Australians
were the finest body of men, he ever had
Charge of, but they would never have
the proper discipline they could never
knock it into them. Captain Clements
is in charge of the B Coy & by all
accounts is one of the best officers
in the Battalion, he saw active
service in Sth Africa & I think in
 

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In India, he got a bullet through the
lungs in one campaign, & it has given him
a peculiar voice. It is grand to hear
the bands here, the Pipes are playing
but here now, they have some bonzer Pipers
one of them was with Kitchener to Kartoum
& was in one of the Pipe Bands there
all of the Battalions have the other
bands besides, the 8^th Battalion is
a bonzer & ours is about the worst, but
I dont think the 8^th have a Pipe Band
I went into Ciaro last night & went to
a picture show, it was very good & was
mostly war pictures, they showed the 7^th
Battalion marching through Ciaro last
Sunday at the Proclamation, when
they were shown there was a great roar
as most of the people were French
looking on, the New Zealanders have
a very bad name here & from what
one can hear they are terrible
larrikins, the Egyptians seem
to be afraid to show them anything
 

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in their shops, last night a mate
of mine went into a shop to have a look
At some "Kodaks" & the Egyptian said
"Are you Australian"- & when he told
him, he handed a Kodak to him to
look at, but there was a New Zealander
in the shop & he would let him near
it, they evidently take things without
paying for them, they also hate the
Tommies as they do the same thing.
There ares some E Indian troops knocking
about Ciaro, they are fine specimens
of men & are very polite, if they
are sitting down & an Officer approaches,
they are on their feet & at attention
in an instant, I would like to be
fighting side by side them in Germany
they would be alright if we had
to Charge with the bayonet. This
is the place to see good ponies
they are such pretty one real
 

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Arabs, they are a sort of Slaty Gray
if there is such a colour, there is an
Egyptian trooper that is always riding
about the camp, he rides a beautiful
pony it must be a pure arab. I often
wish I could have a ride on it. Im
going to ask him one of these
days, if I get the chance. Well
Mother Dear as I wrote to Father by
the same mail as I suspect this will
go by, there is very little to write about
so must close. Again thanking you ∧all
for all your good wishes & if I can
rake up the money Ill send a reply
in a few days. Good bye, with heaps
of love to all at home, including Marion
& Kind Regards to all Horsham Friends
also Miss Jenkins & give my love to
"Greenie" when next you write
With tons of love to yourself
I remain
ever Yr loving Son
Athol. C. McPherson
 

1

Mena Camp
Ciaro
Egypt
Xmas Day
My Dear Father
As this is a holiday, I think
it a good chance to send you a few lines
in case I don't get another chance before
the mail goes. Although Im not at home
today, I only hope that you had as good
a time or even better than we had in
Camp, we had a great time today, had
a real Christmas feed. We started dinner
with cold roast beef, curry, potatoes, peas, &
finished up with plum pudding, cheese & soft
drinks & Ale for "the Shickers". It was
very roudy in Camp last night, shickers
all over the place, I was waked up
about twelve oclock by the guard
being called out, they made everybody
come out of one tent & stand outside
for a while to hold an inquiry, one
of them cheeked an officer, (I dont
 

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know how he got on) & a little after they
were called out to stop a drunken brawl
I was watching from in a sort of tent
that we made with our oil Cloths, a lot
have taken French leave, & gone into Ciaro
today & you can imagine what they
will come back like tonight (if they have
the luck so get back then) I went to
the Church of E Sacriment this morning &
Church Parade at eleven, there isnt a
Pres, Parson here, they seem to take member
of any Church here, it was a very pretty
Service. I also went to Church in Ciaro
last Sunday night, it was an American
Mission, how I came to go was, a young
fellow & I were in there & went to the
Y. M.C.A to have tea & the Sec. (a lady)
was just going to Church & asked
us to go, my Pal didnt much fancy
it as he was an R.C. but it was
 

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put into my hands & when I said I,d
like to go, he came as well, Im going again
next Sunday if I can get off, we get off once
every five days now. We dont know yet how
long we will be here, but the general opinion
is that we will be going to the front about
the first of march, it will be alright if we
go out there then, Id like to go to both France
& Germany, it would be lovely to drive the Germans
out of Belgium, there doesn't seem to be
any chance of a fight about here, it would
be crook to go back without firing a shot
We want to make a name for Australia
out here or rather in Germany or one of
those countries, I think we could hold our
own with any of the troops. I got as far
as this & had to knock off to go on Picquet
with the Fl Coy, they lent us 18 men last night as
we were short & so we had to pay them
back with a similar number tonight
When they came to muster up they could
only muster 13 in the whole time, where
there should be about a hundred however 
they took it as a bit of a joke, but
when we came in our Lieutenant (Chump)
 

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took all of our names & said that he would
give all of us leave tomorrow night, a few
were let out on passes today, but the rest
cleared off without, they are liable to 53
days now without leave & some of them
will get it. I always like doing anything
with the Fl Coy, they are a bonzer lot of
fellows, there is some talk of the Companies
being made joined together & in each Coy
& instead of one two about 120 have about
240 in one & if they do that, we will join
with the [[5?]]Coy, we all reckon Captain
Carter one of the best, in the Battalion
be doesn't care for anybody. One of
our Lieutenants has been changed
again Lieutenant McVea has gone over
to B Coy & a Lieutenant Hastie has taken
his place, we are sorry to loose McVea
he is a five fellow, but the fellow that
took his place is a tip top officer
& one that could be trusted not like
some of the "Coots" that we get. Im
glad to say I havent been brought
before the C.E. CO once since I went
to camp & hope I never will
 

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There are very few fellows that could say
the same thing, I havent ever been late
for one single Parade, there is one thing
I want to do & that is to go back without
a black mark against me, it would be
a good experience & Id be proud to own
it. I havent got the Photos, of the
Pyramids yet, but am going to try & get
them before the mail closes, there are
4 ½ tons of letters in Ciaro for the camp
but the Authorities make out that
they havent got the time to sort

them, they promised us a mail today
but we never got it, we ∧would al a long way
sooner get mail than money, we
have only got one mail since we came
here (three weeks ago), & that was one
returned from England. I hope
you have a good season this coming
year to make up for the terrible
drought you have just gone through
I was sorry to hear you also had
the bad luck to be short of
water as I know what that
 

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would mean in a year like this one
that is just passed, especially if it
was as dusty as the great drought
of 02 & from appearances when we left
Australia it promised to be worse
as there was less rain. I hope you
managed to get enough wheat for
seed, as Mother said in her letter
it would be a consideration in such

a year. I've been wondering what
you did with all of the horses that
you had when I left, they would
be rather too many to feed. I dont
know if I told Mother, but in addressing
letters to me they still want the same
address, except perhaps an odd one on
the chance of us being here, but they
are expected to stop the mails here now
that are addressed to us to England
Will Father Dear I must close now, I'll
write to Mother before the mail goes if
I have time. With heaps of love to all
at home including yourself also Marion &
Kind Regards to Miss Jenkins. Hoping all
are well. I remain
yr loving Son

Athol C McP