Letters of Athol Cluny McPherson, April - August 1915 - Part 2

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Mena Camp
Egypt 18/3/15
My Dearest Jook
I was delighted to receive all of the letters from
home this week & also one from Marion, is was very
thoughtful of her to write, you cant imagine how
we look out for the Australian mail here, I
got eight letters altogether by the last mail, which
was a record for me & we expect another one by
"the Egypt" ^next this week, its a strange thing but that
was the boat that brought the first letter I got
from home after leaving Australia, Lt came into
Fort Said as we were waiting there, close past
"the [[?]]" & you remember you addressed one
care of the Naval Officer, as far as I remember I
got one from both you & mother, its funny how
a boat by the same name as the country we were
going to land in should have been the first.
I'm very anxious to get your next letter to hear how
the election for Grampians went, I do hope "Bushy
Hair" meets his waterloo, if he is a German Sympathises
he wants booting out of the Country, I'd like
to drop across a brute like that in Australia
Its bad enough to think of what Germany has
already done without people in Australia
showing any sympathy for her, he's a terrible
 

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twister & is only trying to gain some of the German
votes, but I think he'll have his work cut out as
a German may sympathise with his country, he
wont vote for a man that is likely to draw
more money out of his own pocket, that is how
they show their manly qualities, if he gets in
the hill on the left of the railway line as you
go through ararat would be the best place
for the electors to go, what a turn the votes
took at Bendigo, the Labourites must have
got a bit of a shock there, it should almost
make them think that the Grampians would
go I dont know how I got it into my head
that the Liberals lost Dundas, but fancy I must
have mixed it up with Port Fairy as Duffers
was beaten "wasnt he". What a turn the
votes took in West Australia at the last State
Elections, old Scaddan just got a majority by
the skin of his teeth, there are a terrible
lot of Labourites out in this part, I suppose
a lot of the Crawlers got in through Labour
influence. I hope Ross gets on well at
the Horsham State School, he would at least
have to work a bit there, or he would get
a friendly reminder across his shoulders. I'm
sorry Stevens went away, isnt it funny to
 

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think that he is at our old house, If anybody
writes to him from home I wish you would
please remember me very kindly to him he is a
tip top fellow, we used to have some bonzer games
of tennis together, he was about the best player
we had at the Pres Court. I'm glad to think
that Jim Gray is keeping on the square now
it must be a great relief to the Grays so know
he is keeping straight, I dont think I ever felt
so sorry for a man in my life as I did for Poor
"Old Tommy" the day he told me about the way that
Jim had been carrying on & he was missing at
the time. I'm glad your fowls are likely to
pay this year & hope they turn out as you expect
This is our holiday & I've been writing nearly all
day, I wrote to Dick this morning, I'm sending
[[?]] a photo we had taken on the river nile one
day five of us went in with very little money
we took our dinner & bottles of water, three
of us walked about nearly all day Ill most
likely send another photo, three of us on donkeys
we hired one a piece for the afternoon, it was
taken in front of the Citadel, Napoleons old fort
it is a very solid structure & is used now as Barracks
for the English Troops & a lot of the wounded
from the canal were sent there, including some
 

of the Indians, its a strange thing but the Indians
always look down on the blacks here, if ever there
is a row in the street & Australians are in it
The Indians always take the part of the Australian
There was a pretty big row a few weeks ago in Ciaro
one of the sergeants of the Australians was killed
I believe there was a free fight in the street &
Egyptian Police & Civillians against Australians, the
Egyptian Police drew their swords & I believe four or
five Australians were badly hurt & a Sergeant was
killed stabbed by his own bayonet, an Indian soldier
came along & started laying into the Egyptians with
a stick, he laid seven of them out, they seem to
be marvels in a bayonet charge, they dont use the
bayonet, but they catch hold of the enemys bayonet
with their hands, tear it off & slash them with
a knife they carry, they say that nearly all of the
wounded in at the Citadel, were wounded in the
hand through catching hold of the bayonets.
Well Jook I have pitched you a fair yarn & I want
to write to Mother + Father by this mail if I have
time so will close with heaps of love to you
all & kind regards to all Horsham Friends
I remain
Ever yr loving brother
Athol. C. M^cPherson
 

Miss J S.M.
"Clyne Milton"
Horsham
Victoria
Australia

MELBOURNE
YOUNG MEN'S
CHRISTIAN 
ASSOCIATION 
ON ACTIVE 
SERVICE 
WITH THE 
AUSTRALIAN 
IMPERIAL 
FORCE 
IN EGYPT. 

---blank back of envelope--- 
 

my kind Regards so tiss Dongaish where near
Meaa can
the write, this mrs & now But & farpet who
Egypt 20/3/5
dehet
My Dearest Mather
as the mail closes again tonorrow I must
write you my weekly lekter, so let you know that I am
quire lell, as you will know when I tell you that
we went for a rouse march of about fourteen with
miles today, in full marching order I like marche
a long way better shaw shaw fighting, as is is
always on the said + the rouse marches are
always carried out on the hard road.
I
felt my knex for a long time after coming out
of the Hospital, but Im pleased to ray it is comp
lekly right now + I dont feel it as all I dont
know if I bold you at the time but it was cepii
doisoning, it swelled up to a Iremendous size from
We had a very lipen
the dnce to the aukile.
-ing march today, round through agricultural
country, we were going through Date Ralms from
for about eight miles, they grow all over
the place + are very pretty where they grow
close together + all the Ground underneath
has gilen stuy of somerost, either barley
or lilceine + we parsed a crof that our
Tergeaur said was hops, you should have
seele the arrichohes, great by parches
 

of about halp an acce, they grow them all
over the place here, the barley crass are splende
they grow so thick, but they should be faie
good, as the Aracs irrigate thene, they dont
reem to mend how they work at them, they
nearly always draw water in a bucket +
pour it into a drain to rue it over the
crop, they dont have very big areas in you
never see more than about five or six acres
but that would be salid enough to losk after
like that another shing we saw shew doing
dnner
today was carting sorl pi the ground
down about a foot deep + shovelling it into
baskets, which the neggers carried on the heads
about a hundred yards + sipped it into a
cart to be carted away, it went towards lears
theie must have bea about twenty of them
at it, but that sort of gave certainly wouldn't
suit Auatralians, they seem to work just like
slaves, the soil seems to be very deep + is very
black, it will grow anything, but I dont thenk
any nation but these Egygrians or Arabo could
kurch so much money but of it, they always
seem to be working in it these flats are
green from end to end, between here a lears
they losk just At from the top of the
 

big Ryramed, out on the went side of the
camp it is nothing but said & stone, not even
a solitary bush, it is the WB & East side that
is guee, there are channels cut all through it
They grow a fremendous lot of tomatoio as
well, rent we never bery them as the arabs
are such dirty wretches + wless we can waod
them, wouldn't sherck of eating them, the come
to us on the march selling tomaroes + aringus)
aranges, we nearly always bey Arugus from
them as they are sage so eat when we peet
them & sometines we beg a cosked as they
say, they follow us out on the Devert as far
as we like to go, oranges are getting dear now
the most we can get out there now as a rale
our
is for a keastre which is about 22.
we were but on ao this weel near oe di
one day this week & a fose ran over the hills
its the first Ive seen m thea part they dont
seem to be much like our foxes, they are a
long way lighter in colour + seem to have
hearier lisdys. I disn't know that the maie
only went fourtnightly some tives from Egypt to
Australia, we were under the impression that
it went every week, but theres one thing about
the mail going from here you can tell when
 

the maie is in by the paper but they never
make a mension as it in this local ray, some
of the fellows get the melbourne papers nour
& agaln + I looked at the shipping admt &
saw that there is a mail following the one
last week the Egypt is due about somorrow
+ she mail last blek came by the Osterley, after
the Egypt we wout get another for a couple
of wleks, its a pity the boats werent sunning
weekly.
I always write three or four letter
home, never less than two, so you will be sure
to get one, In the last letter you wrose you spoke
from
of haning got eight altogether, me, Impleased
to know that you are getting my letters alright
I think I get every letter that is sent so me
here now
I hurose to marion by the same
nail as thig also sather a dickis, I believe
I wrote so gook as well but Im not sure
I write so many awwes that I forget who I
do write so. I insend going down to have
a look at the 8th Bottalibu &omorrow, its alright
to go down there for a yarn now & again
your
I dent lss a sast Card this week of theee
op us taken on the etile river, we had us
money, so took our dinner + water bokees
with us, + had it on the river, we