Letters of Athol Cluny McPherson, April - August 1915 - Part 1

Photograph - see original document 

Heliopolis Egypt
6^th May '15
Dear Jean
This is one of
our wireless detachments
with station
erected  - Sphinx
& Pyramid in rear.
Ancient & modern.
Have been here ^(Egypt) 8
weeks now & are
anxious for a move 

on. Came over from

Mena camp last week

- tis much nicer here -
Hope all are well
Kindest regards Rex.
My add. in case you've forgotten is

591 3^rd Sig Tp. 3^rd L.H. Bde.
 

Mena Camp
13/3/5
My Dearest Jook
Here goes for a few lines to you & but
to tell your ^the truth there is very little to write about
I was pleased to get two nice long letters
from you by the last mail, I should have
got one about two weeks ago but it was mislaid
somewhere we cant complain though
as far as the mail is concerned now, we get
our letters pretty regularly. I must hunt Lucas
up as I could often let his mother know
through you how he is getting along, I cant
understand a fellow not writing home when
he gets the chance from such a place as
this, the only thing a fellow can look
out for is the mail. The third contingent
had landed here at least some of them
have the third Queenslanders ^Tasmanians are
camped just alongside of us. Im glad
you all had a good time down at
Murtoa. We got another lot of

Reinforcements last night & there are

four pipers amongst them, so that

makes seven for our Coy, so we will

have a good pipe band now, this is
 

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the place to hear Bands, each Battalion has its
own band, the 8^th have about the best band
on the ground. Im glad you are likely
to do well with your fowls, but as you say
feed is a very expensive item this year, but
its a marvelleous thing to me how eggs keep down
as low as they do, with other food stuffs as dear
as they are, This is a very funny place as far
as fowls are concerned, they all have a sort of
thatch roof on the houses & the fows lay on
them, some of the houses are about as high
as the Horsham Post Office, but you will
see them on the roof of them, the Arabs
come round when we are out on the desert
selling "eggs cooked" & "Augus" (oranges) we never
get a bad egg from them, they seem to be
able to tell when they are bad, they also
sell Turkish delight & Chocolates & Like
"like cigarette" thats what they say when they
are selling cigarrettes & if they mean to give
you anything for nothing they say "give it
Backsheesh" they are very like our Australian
niggers the way that they speak. We often
go out here making trenches for practice
& we nearly always unearth all earthernware
pots that were used some thousands of years
 

ago, we cut through solid stone & come
across loose earth underneath & follow it
along & we always drop across the old broken
Pots, its a marvelleous thing how they have
kept to it for everything for such a time, they
dont seem to have changed a scrap. If a
person doesnt believe the Bible let him travel
through Egypt & if he doesnt alter his opinion
then, he hasnt got any brain at all. I would
like to go to Jerusalem, I believe there is a gate
there that all of the Crusaders tried to get in
by, it would be just lovely to see it, Ive seen
fellows out here that never looked at a Bible before
looking through it to see what it says about
Egypt & they come to the conclusion that it is
true, but as we only have the new Testament
there isnt much about Egypt in it, Im
going to try & get hold of the old one. The
People here water their crops by hand
how would that go in the Wimmera. Well
Jook old girl, I cant think of anything else
to say so will close. I must try & write
to Father tomorrow & Ill let him know if
I get the stamps for Mr Bev. I wrote to Mother
tonight. With Heaps of love to all at home
Marion included & kind regards to the Hacketts
I remain always

Yr loving Brother

Athol.
 

Mena Camp
Egypt 13/3/15
My Dearest Mother
I must write you my usual weekly
letter tonight, as the mail closes tomorrow. I was
delighted to receive letters from home last Wednesday
two from Jook & one from you, I should have got
one of "Jooks" by the last mail, I also got one
from Will & Dick, I should have got Wills
by the last mail as well. It was a pleasant
surprise to get a letter from him I was also very
pleased to get it, it was quite a long letter for
him to write, I replied to it today, he gave
me some of the prices of things in Australia
or rather Victoria, it must be a terrible place
to live at the present time, he spoke of
going over to Murtoa to the tennis matches
& by the same mail I got the results from
Fred, so you see his letter was a bit old
but it doesnt make much difference a week
or so out here. Im sorry Fred & Cyril
lost, but there is no doubt, they got to such
a position that anybody should be proud
of, they were certainly beaten but by
no means disgraced, in both the singles
& doubles, it distinctly shows that Fred
 

2

Cyril & Craig were the three best players
on the ground. Im glad Fred knocked Mr Scott
out, Tregear & Craig must be a fine pair to
fight an uphill game, Craig is sure to learn
a lot at the University & I reckon Fred & Cyril
did well to run them ^him as close as they did.
I went down to the 8^th today & hunted
Roy McLean up, he seemed very pleased to see
me & said his Father was always speaking
about us, he seems so be a very nice fellow
but a bit on the roudy side not like his
good brother, he told me he would come
down soon & see me, he also told me that
Normans wife was staying with Will & Lot
at Donald. I also had a long yarn
with Rebble Wallais, he told me that his
brother "ginger" volunteered but was rejected
on account of his height. I was going for
a walk down the road tonight & came
across Lieutenant Jennings who used to be
in our Coy at Broadmeadows, he's one of
the nicest officers Ive met in the forces
but I couldnt stop him as he was with
our Adjutant (Captain Stewart) but I hope
to see him again, it was through a bit
of rotten work that he never came out
 

3

with us when we came, talk about changes
we are to have another Sergeant now, it makes
over half a dozen differnt ones since we started
I often feel like going to the 8^th the way
that they mess us about, but I'll stick to this
Coy now as I know most of the fellows in it
& some of the Sergeants are tip top fellows.
We had a holiday today, I got a "pass" to
go to Ciaro but gave it away to another
fellow as I didnt want to go in. Im
glad Jook spoke of collecting stamps for
Mr Bev, I was going in to buy some today
but a fellow told me he would get some
for me so I didn't go I only hope that
he gets them, if he doesnt I'll try to get
a pass & go in tomorrow, I,d like to do
either Mr or Mrs Bev a good turn, they sell
big cards of them in Ciaro for a few "Piastres"
(a Piastre is about 2½ of our money) it
seemed very strange using it at first
but we have got used to it now & can
tell it just about as easy as our own
money, If I have the luck to get stamps
I'll send them by the same mail as
this. It will be alright that "Bus"
running out to the mountains in
 

4

the summer, Rebble Wallis was telling me that
Sam May was going to get a lot of tents put up
out there & let them out to visitors, it should
be a tip top idea. The weather is getting
very hot here now & we wont be sorry when
we get a shift out, its a bit hot marching
over sand this weather & the dust is very
"crook" as well. What a big price Jackman
got for his wool, I noticed the price it
brought in a times that Herbe Lloyd
gave me to read, it also had the results
of the Exam at Longererenong where "Rollicks"
boy was dux & it gave the names of the
fellows that had gone to the front, I was
a bit surprised at the number. I always
intend to hunt Shep. up, but its a bit hard
to find time. I'm anxious to know how the
elections went at Grampians & Bendigo, I hope they
dont put "The Cannibal" in for the Grampians, it would
be alright to see them loose the rest again.
Well Mother Dear my news is run out & I must
write to Jook & Father by this mail if I
can, the trouble is to find anything to
put in the letters as there is absolutely
nothing to write about, but I'll try & think
of something else so say to them,
 

5

Please thank Dick for his letter the next
time you write & tell him I,ll try & answer
it next week. Please remember me to the
Grays, Bevs Rennisons & McMullins, also Rathy
& Mrs Rathy when you are speaking to them
& Kind Regards to Miss Jenkins
With heaps of love to all at home
I remain always
Yr loving son
Athol C. McPherson