Papers of Athol Cluny McPherson - Part 4

Mr B M^cPherson Esq

"Clyne Milton"

Horsham

Victoria

Australia

 

Mena Camp

Ciaro Dec 18^th.

My Dearest Mother

As there is a mail going tomorrow or

rather Monday, I must send you a few lines to

let you know that I am well & having a fairly

good time. We go out in the morning about

eight oclock & return about 1.30 & have dinner

it is fairly hard work walking in the sand

but they never take us very far, I always keep

a lookout for rare stones & have some fairly

good ones, & if we go straight back with me

from here, I'll take them with me, but at

the present time they make out that we will

be going out to have a "crack" - at the

Germans in a few months time & I only hope

that we do, as it would be a bit tame to

go back without firing a shot & it makes

a fellow anxious to get a go at them when

give get news of them bombarding the English
Coast & killing a lot of defenceless people

like they did at Scarborough, they will

pay pretty dearly for it if the British

fleet can get a go at them, they would

only want to meet them once & the
 

2

game would be up, the Servians seem to

be giving the Austrians some "hurry up" & it

is reported in the paper that they are

trying for Peace, but of course it may only

be a yarn, we get so many of those sort

We heard a few days ago that the second

Contingent from Australia had been disbanded

but now we hear that they will soon be

here. I received a letter from you yesterday

sent back from England, it was dated the

29^th of Oct, it was a bit second hand as

I got one from you at Port Said dated the

7^th of Nov. It is a bit funny about Old

Charlie & Miss Dambridge I didnt think that

she would give the fellow up that 

she would give the fellow up that she was

engaged to in Melbourne I always think she

is a bonzer girl though, in fact I used to

think her one of the best girls going to the

Pres-Church, but I expect "Old Ruth" fairly

race her down, she was one of the only

girls that I was talking to, the night

I was at Church when I went up from

Broadmeadows. I was sorry to hear

that Poor old Connie was sick again

& hope she is better ere this In sent you

a letter last Sunday but as I couldnt
 

3

get a stamp for it I dont know that it would 

go. I m glad the Grampians wheat is likely

to turn out well, as you say it will be something

to get seed in such a bad year, I only hope

the crops turned out better all round than

you expected, I expect it will be harvested

by now, as it is only a week off Christmas, we

expect to have a fair time on that day, although

we are away from home. I surprised

our Colour Sergeant today, but by refusing a plan

that he had for me to go to Ciaro, he said

I was the first one that refused & told me

to give him my hand, there are so many "shickos"

in the Camp that they never refuse, we get leave

once every four or five days, but its such a

terribly dirty hole that  dont fancy going in

I want to go some day if I can get a full 

half day & go to the Gardens, they are supposed

to be something out of the common, some of

the Tommies say they are as good as anything

in England, we pass the on the way

to Ciaro. There is a great Suspension bridge

over the Nile between the here & Ciaro, I never

saw anything like it in Australia. This 

is very rich country, there is maize where^ever
 

4

you like to go on the town side of this

Camp, the country is very dark soil & they

carry nearly all the crop on camels, its 

marvellous the loads that they put on them

I havent been down to the 8^th Battalion yet

but I passed Ted Ellis on the road a few days

ago, he threw me an orange & said he would come

over to see me in a day or two. I was sorry

to hear about Poor old Greggy being so crook

& hope he is alright again, I didnt think

he was a man that would suffer from his

heart. Im glad you & Father went to the

opening of the Bowling Green & that you had

a good time. Well Mother Dear I promised

to write a few lines to Jook this mail so must

do so, Im anxiously looking out for a letter from

home, its two weeks since we came here & we

havent got a mail in camp yet, except the one 

that was returned from England. Must close

now & write to Jook. Good bye, with tons of

love to all at home & hoping all are well

I remain

Ever your loving Son

Athol
 

1
Mena Camp

Ciaro Dec 18^th

My Dearest Jook

Here goes for a few lines to

you in answer to your nice long letter that

I received in Port Said. We have a fairly

easy time in this Camp, get up about six in 

the morning, breakfast at 6.45 & go out for

Practice at about eight & stay till one & then come back

finished for the day, we have dinner when we come

back which is nearly always a bonzer stew, with

plenty of vegetables in it. We are camped right

under the Pyramids & a couple of days ago I went

up with three other fellows & we climbed to the top

of the great Pyramid, it is a marvellous bit of

work & beats everything however it was done 

to give you an idea of what the stones in it

are like I measured one on the top of it (470

feet up) & it was 5 x 4 x 2½ so I dont think it could

have been lifted up. We went through the Kings

Chamber & it is a marvellous affair, the way into

it is about fourty feet from the ground (of course

we had a guide) it goes down wards through a 

passage, until it must be nearly level with the

ground, there you go up a slope which must be

seventy or eighty feet, that has small steps all

 

2

the way, the roof most of the way looks about

thirty feet high & it is as smooth as glass, a lot of

the people slide when they are going downwards

a couple of places one has to stoop to get

through, it is a fairly long trip to get to

the Kings Chamber, it is a room with walls

fully thirty feet high & the floor is twelve by

seven & all of it is granite smooth as glass

The coffin is a huge thingabout 8 x 2 ½ & 

solid stones, it must be a few tons weight

the Egyptians reckon it was put there & 

the Pyramid built over it, the Queens Chamber

is fairly large, but not as big as the Kings

the Coffin & all taken from it, but only

the Kings body was taken out of his.

It is a pretty straight climb up the outside

of the Pyramid, King Edwards name is written

or rather cut with a knife on the top of 

it cut by himself, it is just Edward (the 

late King I mean) It is funny in this

part of the world the people drive a few sheep

about, with a long stick in their hand, one

at the head & the other at the tail of

the mob, then takey them home at night
 

3

they also ride donkeys & camels, just as you

see the pictures in the story of the Bible, it must

be almost the same as it was thousands of years

ago & their ploughs are made of wood & pulled

by two men. those with humps on their backs

the same as shown in the story of the Bible

& their water jars are just the same (long

with a narrow neck & they carry them on

their heads, they ware shoes with just the

bottoms on the same as in the Bible.

We can buy fruit here fairly cheap especially oranges

we can buy them at about 6^d a dozen & they are

beautys & watermelons a fair size for about 6^d

each, but they dont seem to have the same

flavour as the melons grown in Australia

they dont seem to nearly as sweet. Just

fancy "Old Rush" running round after Miss Danbeigh

I suppose Connie is on one side now as far as

he is concerned, so that Ern Petering will have

a show. I would like to see all of the Horsham

people once again, but I hope to see a bit of

fighting here before we go back or rather in

France or Germany Id like to go to France

the French give us a great reception wherever

they see us, they gave us a great hoy
 

4

as we sailed passed a couple of their new & war

at Port Said, some fellows make out that we will

be here until the end of the war, but I dont

think we could live here in the summer

as we are camped on the Sahara desert (on

the edges) it is deep sane & not a tree visible

I think if the war is still going on that we will

go to the front after the winter is over, we have

no wish to go out there now as the cod must

be awful, the nights here are cold enough without

going there. I enjoy all that wool for my head

at night now. This is to be Proclaimed a British

Possession now ^tomorrow I dont think there is any chance

of a fight here If the Turks do come they will

go back quicker than they came, if they dont

all get shot or taken prisoners. I noticed by

the Paper today where the Russian Cruiser

Askold settled a couple of Turkish boats, she

was one of our Escort from Colombo to Port

Said. Well Jook my news is about done as I just

wrote to Mother, so must say Adieu With Kind

Regards to Miss Jenkins & all Horsham Friends

including the Bevs & Grays

With heaps of love to all including Marion

I remain

Yr loving brother

Athol