Letters of Athol Cluny McPherson, April - August 1915 - Part 3

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had a bonzer day & went all over the place
I stepped the bridge over the Nile & from waters
edge to waters edge it was 650 yards & when
I got across was ahead of the other fellows &
sat up on the railway on the side to wait
for them, along came an Egyptian "Copper"
& said something to me, he meant me to
get down off the bridge, I didn't take any
notice, but pointed down into the water
to make out I was going to jump in, he stood
there for a while jabbering & then walked
away, its a funny thing but they never will
interfere with us, they seem to be afraid of
getting a rough handling, at times the trams
are so crowded that fellows get up on top
& the Conductor isn't supposed to let anybody
get there, sometimes they will stop & wont
budge until the fellows get down, if there
is an Egyptian Policeman he wont say anything
but will just look on, if an Arab got up there
he would pull him down in no time.
It these Arabs are knocking about a place
where they shouldn't be and an Egyptian
"Copper" appears, they will cut for their lives
as he doesn't as a rule run them in
but he lays a "waddy" across their shoulders
 

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& if they get knocked about a bit they move
just like a lot of kids. There is one thing

about them they seem to have a great

opinion of Kitchener, I don't believe myself

that Britain ever had a better General & if

German Bill can out General him he is a

smarter man than ever I take him to be

although Kitchener isn't out at the front

it's almost a cut that French takes all of

his instructions from him & he is sure to

have a plan of How the Germans are placed

French has a bonzer name as well, its grand

to think we have a man like Kitchener at the

head of affairs. Well Mother Dear I have just

about come to the end of my letter so will close

Please remember me to the Grays, Rahys, & Mrs Rennison

& all inquiring friends including Mr & Mrs Billy Smith

I might write to him next mail, I guess Mrs

Ritchie would miss Frank, how does Ross get on

without him, he was fairly clever wasn't he. I'm

glad Jim Gray is keeping straight, I always liked

him, he was always straight when with me in

Horsham, infact I think he used to get me to knock

about with him so he wouldn't want to go into the

pubs. With tons of love to all at home, not

forgetting yourself & Kind Regards to Miss Jenkins

I remain always

Yr loving son

Athol.

Mena Camp

Egypt  26^th M^ch

My Dearest Jook

I know I owe you a good many letters

but as you know it is almost impossible to answer

all of the letters that I get here, we are kept going

fairly well now & don't get too much time for letter

writing. I was so sorry to hear about the accident

at home & only hope the burns are a thing of the

past long ago, it is very painful to get a burn of any

kind, it was very lucky that it wasn't far worse

I got another letter from Will this week, I got

it the day before yours & Mothers, it always takes

some time to sort the mail, I knew it wasn't all

given out when there wasn't one from Mother

I think we get every letter that is sent although

they are a bit slow at times sorting it. It's bad

luck so we don't get a mail next week as there

isn't a boat coming, we always know now as some

of the fellows get Australian papers & I always

look at the Shipping Advt, the last boat in

was the Egypt, it would be a strange thing if

we left here before the next mail comes, as the

Egypt was the boat that brought the first

mail we got, she came into Colombo as we

were anchored there. The weather here

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is getting very hot & the flies are just awful

its time we got a move out of this - I got

as far as this & then knocked off for dinner - We

have to go out again tonight & some of the fellows

say that we are to be out all nights without blankets

if that is the case we will be having another

sham fight & that means that we will be digging

trenches as well, I don't mind so long as they

don't get us lying down too much on the hills, it's a

bit too cold, it's very cold here at night camped out

there is always a very heavy dew. I've just been

up with a fellow to have an "ice cream", we had

two each, there is a lot of it sold in this camp

we have about half a dozen shops at the end

of our lines, some of these fellow eat it like chocolate

they think nothing of eating about two cups of

it, but I don't go "nap" on it as much as that

it's bad stuff to drink a lot of. We have been

iue issued with new caps, they are like the ones

that the "Tommies" wear, like the Officers, they

look a long way better than the hats. You

must have had a bonzer time at tennis, the

entries were very small though, but I know

you would knock a bit of fun out of it.

I must knock off now as it is tea time & finish

this tomorrow; as it is our holiday.
 

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Saturday morning - We went out last night & were up

nearly all night, we went out about six o'clock & never

go under the blankets until about 3.30 & as we got up

about 5.15 you can imagine we never had much sleep

but I have got that way now that I can do with

very little sleep when we are on guard we sometimes

are awake very nearly all night as we have to

sleep with everything on & it isn't very comfortable, last

night we advanced to within about 300 yds of the

enemy & then they ^(our officers) [[halted?]] us & of course told us

to like down infact we know now ourselves that

when we talk near the enemy we have to go prone

we were kept there for six & a half hours & it was

terribly cold, if that sort of thing doesn't make us

hardy I don't know what will, I put a good bit

of the time in talking to Allan Carter as all of

the officers were out of sight. It was a bit interesting

though as the whole Battalion came past us in three

lines, we were their "service" that is an advance party 

four of us went ahead at first as a 'as a Patrol'

& one was captured by "the Enemy" his luck was in

as he was sent straight away to the transport

waggons & slept under one, he was let go as soon

as daylight came & made his way back to the

camp (It was little George Russell) he said a Captain

of the 8th (for that was the Enemys Battalion) asked

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him what information he would give if he let him

go, but he struck a man that was perhaps more cute than

himself, he told him he wouldn't give him any so the

officer told the guard to take him away, I fancy

a fellow getting any information out of him, hes about

the smartest Private that we have in our coy, he put

in a year or two in the English Territorials & has a

brother in the West Kents now, fighting at the front

he went over with the first Expeditionary Force from

England & has had some very narrow shaves but

never a scratch. I intend going down to the 8th

this afternoon, to see if "Greggy" is about so I

can let you know how he is & you could let

Mrs Greggy know if he is alright. Wasn't it grand

the defeat of "[[barky?]] hair" his name isn't worth of a Capital

letter, it's time she round gave it best, that was

a bonzer collection the A.W.W.S. got for the Motor

Ambulances, they are splendid cars that they use

Well Jook Old Girl I want to to write to Mother today

so must close. Hoping all of the patients are better

& with tons of love to all at home Marion included

& Kind Regards to the Bev, Grays, Rennisons & M^cMullins

& all Horsham friends

I remain

Ever yr loving Brother

Athol.

Mena Camp

Egypt   26/3/5

My Dear Father

I was pleased to receive letters from Mother &

Jean this week, but very sorry to hear about your

accident & hope you have completely recovered by

now, you must have had a very luck escape as it

might have been far worse, it would be very

painful to get burnt like you did, its bad enough

to get hold of anything that is hot & you only

burn a finger or so, however I hope you have

quite recovered long ago & also Harry & Fred

I had a letter from Will this week & in it

he told me that you were unwell but were

better again, it's just as well Mother told me

about it as I would have been sure to hear

it as Harold Smith always gets the Horsham

times, in any case some of the fellows out here

would be sure to hear from their relations.

We have been kept going pretty well lately, we

we out for two nights this week, & the nights

here as a rule are very cold we had one blanket

& a waterproof with us for a bed, when I

get back, I think I would be able to sleep

on the wood heap, nothing seems hard to sleep

on & the last night we were out we dug
 

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trenches on a stony rise & had to sleep

in them, its marvellous what a person can put

up with when he is put to it, I slept like a

top, you can imagine what it was like when

I tell you that when I laid down, I had

to throw stones away as big as my fist from

under my shoulders, I never had anything under

me, but covered myself right over to keep the

dew off, we never went to bed though until two

o'clock in the morning, as we were having a

sham fight with the N.S.W. Brigade, it was the

first against the second, it's nearly all divisional

work that we do now, I think our training

is very nearly finished. A chap who

was our Sergeant when we first came out here

came over to the camp yesterday to say good bye

to us as he is off back to Australia, he has been

in the Hospital nearly ever since we came here

suffering from Rheumatism & ear ache, he was

a very decent fellow & we are sorry he is going

back, although this Sergeant that we have

in Charge of our Platoon (Finch is his name

he was Jack Antillys Orderly at one time) is a

very decent fellow & knows his work as

well, infact I think he is the best Sergeant

in the C Coy, the name of the one that

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is going back is Stevens, I think he comes

from S^th Yarra & is a Porter or something of the

sort at Flinders Street, he used to board at the

same place as I did the last time I was in Sth

Yarra, but before I went there. Italy seems to

be on the verge of war with Austria so now, I fancy

this war won't be nearly as long as some people think

according  to the latest paper that we have I

gather that the French thinks it will be over this

spring, the Russians seem to be doing splendidly

it must have come as a great shock to Germany

Russia doing as well as she did, I hope they don't

leave us here too long, it would be a bit over

the fence to come as far as this & then never see a

shot fired, but its too cold out there just a present

There was talk here of the British Govt calling for

Volunteers out of the Australians that are here to do

Garrison duty up at Kartoum, they were to be

mounted & the time of service to be three years

on Australian pay. I thought of Volunteering

but came to the conclusion, it wouldn't be

up to much as a person wouldn't see any

fighting & it is such a long time to be tied

down in a place like that, its almost bound

to be the same as Cairo. & would be terribly

hot in the Summer, its about 8,00 miles from here
 

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one of our Corporals says he is going to Volunteer

you should see a star here that rises in about

the Sth East early in the morning, some of the

fellows call it "the Star of Bethlem" but I don't

know if that is right, I expect you would

know, I'm not quite sure that it rises in the

early morning, but I've only noticed it in the

mornings, it is a beauty & very bright. I was

talking to Symons this morning he seems to

be better than he was & he doesn't feel his ears

so much, the worst of this game is that you

can't get off duty unless you are pretty bad.

According to Will sheep must be very scarce in

Australia this year & the price is likely to be 

a bit of a welter if the season is a good

one, he also told me that he heard some

wheat was sold for forward delivery at 6/- per bus

it seems an enormous price, but a fellow is

a bit of a fool that sells wheat before the

seed is even in the ground, it would be

alright to get a good crop & get 6/- per bus - for 

it especially as you are likely to have

such a lot in. I was talking to Ted

Ellis last Tuesday & he wished to be remembered

to you, he is looking A1 likewise

Pebble Wallis, I saw him on Sunday as well