Letters of Athol Cluny McPherson, April - August 1915 - Part 5

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number of men they have, it's not a case of men with them it 

is the equipping of them, but according to the French Official

report now, all of the Allies will be ready & well equipped

by the Spring, next month is the time that Kitchener

says the war will start, but judging from the Egyptian

Mail last night the Allied had broken the German

line on the Yser River & if that is true, it is about

the Commencement of Ki Germanys downfall, when once

they get them on the run, I reckon they will go

like sheep. Chaplain Green was telling us that

after the Retirement of the British from Mons, Kitchener

went over to France to inquire into it, as he thought

it was "crook" for the British to bear all the German

attack, it turned out that two French Generals

never played the game, the consequence was they

were recalled & General Joffre says they are all

right now, & that he thought at the beginning

of the war that he had some very poor Generals

but had "culled" them out now & I fancy he

would, as he must be a great General surely

We expect when we go to the front to be under

Ian Hamilton, he is one of the best Generals

in Britain at the present time, some fellows

say it was just a toss up which would be commander

in Chief in France he or French, I know they are

both great Generals & I wouldn't be much afraid

of the result with either leading, Hamilton

seems to be very popular with the men

The day he was out to inspect us we had the

Pipes going & some of these fellows reckon

MELBOURNE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION

On Active Service with the Australian Imperial Force in Egypt.

MENA CAMP, PYRAMIDS.

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they spoilt our march, I got my wool

off a bit as I know they didn't think

that, it was only their "Irish Blood" that makes them

set the pipes, they reckon this lot is run by Scotchmen

& have a terrible set on them, so they resolved to count

them out, the first time they played in the lines

so last night they struck up after tea, I was up

by the Y.M.C.A. about 150 yards away & the crowd

started counting, but strange to say the pipes kept

going, it was as good as a play, fancy trying to

count eight pipes out going together, they aren't the

best things under the sun to march to but the fact

of an Irishman telling me they were no good was a bit

more than I could stand, I thought to myself he was

against the whole breed, I told one fellow his was

a biassed opinion, it nearly ended in a fight all round

when we fell in this morning, I told one fellow if we

were out of the line I would have a piece of him

It seems that Ian Hamilton asked for the pipes

Well Father it is about dinner time so I must

close, they are nearly all in Cairo today, but I never

go there now, I get a pass but never use it. Hoping

you have completely recovered & quite yourself again

& with heaps of love to all at home Marion included

& Kind Regards to all Horsham friends

I remain

Yr loving Son

Athol. C.McPherson

MELBOURNE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

On Active Service with the Australian Imperial Force in Egypt.

MENA CAMP, PYRAMIDS.

April 3rd  1915.

 

My Dearest Mother

Here goes for the last letter that you

will receive from me at this camp, we are leaving

here tomorrow, you can imagine how we "Cheered".

when Colonel Wandin told us when we came out

at dinner time today that we would be leaving

here tomorrow, it is alright to think that we will

be in action in a few days, by the time that this 

letter reaches you, there will probably be something

about us in the Argus. I believe the Brigadier

told the sixth Australian that we would be two

days on the water, so if that is the case we must

surely be going to the Dardanelles. I think the

whole Brigade must be going tomorrow as I know

that the sixth & 8th are going & I'm almost sure the

N.S.W. lot are going as well. We are just beginning

to despair about getting away from here, we got so many

reports that we would be leaving that we got that

way we never took any notice of them. We will

probably have the pleasure of being at the fall of

Contantinople now & we expect if we get there

to be garrisoned there for a while, but of course

we are only surmising that, we may go to Europe.

for all we know. We are fairly busy this afternoon

washing & getting our things ready to start tomorrow.

I don't expect you will get much

information from me after this, that's the only thing

I don't like about the Army, it's a bit hard that

a person can't tell his parents how things are going

but its the law of the Army & you can't break

them, you may depend Mother Dear that I'll write

whenever I get a chance, even if it is only a

liner line, I'm pleased to think I never missed a mail

home from here, unless it was the first one after

I came to Mena, but since the first mail from

here I never missed one. We may only be able

to send the Army P.C. but I'm doubtful about

that, as one of our fellows has a brother in the

British Army  & he writes letters home although he

never puts his address or anything about where

he is, but he speaks of fighting & escapes that

he had, so if they can write home we should

be able to. Everybody is busy writing tonight

it is about four fifteen now & the mail closes

at six, I'm writing in Captain Dexters tent &

Lyn Wallis & George ^Godfrey are writing at another table

Well Mother Dear I don't think I have any more

news so will close. It's not a very long letter but I've

already written three letters home, hoping all are well

& with tons of love, I remain

every yr loving Son

Athol C. McPherson

P.S.Please remember me to all

Horsham Friends & the

MELBOURNE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

Millars also give my love to Phil Job,

On Active Service with the Australian Imperial Force in Egypt.

& Dick when next anybody is writing 

MENA CAMP, PYRAMIDS.

 

April 3rd 1915.

 

My Dear Father

I've just written to Mother to let

her know about our movements, you doubtless won't

be surprised to hear we are to be on the move

for the front tomorrow & I don't think it is before

time as there was a "Riot" in Ciaro last night

& I believe two or three fellows we killed some

of the wasters of the Army got loose & it ended in

a few shots being exchanged, I believe there

were thousands of troops in Ciaro at the time

as it was a general holiday with the troops

being a 'Good Friday'. It was a general

"rise up" N Zealanders, Moors, Australians &

English Tommies, they attacked a certain

Quarter of the town & set fire to some of it

& threw furniture on the streets from two or

three storys high, two troops of light Horse

were sent in from this camp & the Territorials

that are stationed in Ciaro, we called

out & ordered to fix bayonets, they threatened

at last to read the riot act, it makes a

person blood boil to think that there are

such a lot of "hoodlums" in the army

I'm pleased to say I wasn't in the army Ciaro

at the yesterday, If I had been I'd have gone

with the Tommies if I got the chance I would

like to see some of these fellows under Kitchener,

he would make men of them, he would

be very wild over this lot as he has a

great opinion of Egypt & these Arabs & Egyptians

swear by him, I think they think more

of him than they do of the Sultan, they

often quote him when speaking, he must 

have treated them well, we wouldn't

have been surprised if he ordered us back

to Australia, as he isn't likely to want

such "rabble" in his army at this time

of course a lot of the Tommies were in it

but I'll guarantee it was started by the

New Zealanders or Australians, they have been

in Egypt for about twelve years & such a

thing has never happened before, I believe

a lot of arrests were made. Well Father

Dear it is just tea time so must close, I just

wrote to Mother & wrote you yesterday. With

tons of love to all at home Marion included

& hoping you are better.

I remain

Yr loving son

Athol C. McPherson

MELBOURNE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

On Active Service with the Australian Imperial Force in Egypt.

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MENA CAMP, PYRAMIDS.

Good Friday 2nd  1915.

 

My Dearest Jook

It is very good of you to write

to me by every mail, you can't imagine what a treat

it is to get letters out in this place, we do look

out for the mail, I average about four letters

a mail, I have never got less than two & as

many as eight. Well I suppose you will

be at Church today, we had service in the Picture

Theatre today, Captain Dexter was the Preacher

he is a bonzer & a person could listen to him

all day, he's the best I ever heard he never seems

to give a dry Sermon & it is nearly always about

Egypt & of course that makes them a long way

more interesting on account of knowing such

a lot about the place. We were out on

a different part of the desert yesterday &

passed over a buried city about six miles

from here, it is all dug about where scientists

have evidently been making excavations it

was about North West of this camp, we also

saw an Egyptian Cemetery & there was a funeral

at it while we were there, I believe there

was a funeral in Ciaro a day or two ago &

some of our fellows saw it, they carry the coffin

on their shoulders, if they are Poor people &

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they were jogging along down the street with

this one when the coffin broke & the corpse fell

out. I hope all of the patients are right

again at home, & how is Mothers Exzema, she never

mentions it now or Harrys either, so I expect they

are both better anyway I hope they are. I hope

you all have a good time at tennis this year

I wouldn't mind to be in Horsham playing now

it is getting on for eight months sixce since

we went into camp, so we are having a bit

of training, I believe Ian Hamilton was well

pleased with us, the 4th Batt. got first for

Marching & the 8th second. In his report he

said the 5th marched well but were spoilt by

the D Coy. judging by the way he spoke we

would have been first only for them, everybody

said their marching was very poor, but it

was hardly their fault as they had the Pipe

Band in front & the Brass band behind &

that would put anybody out, they would

probably be playing different steps, what

do you think of this paper, it is what

was is issued free by the Y.M.C.A. I don't

know what the Australians would do

without them. They have something on nearly

every night & Sunday nights they have Church

in the building, I always go if I'm not

on guard, but I believe I will be next

Sunday night as we are duty Coy for the

MELBOURNE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

On Active Service with the Australian Imperial Force in Egypt.

3

MENA CAMP, PYRAMIDS.

 

whole Battalion & that means that

we furnish about four or five

different guards, but it may fall to some other

coy. I'd sooner miss Church Parade in the morning

than the service in the evening & I believe

it will be Myles next Sunday & he's a very

poor man at putting a sermon together, his

sermons are very dry. If I'm not on guard

next Sunday I'm going up to a service in the

Sydney Y.M.C.A. Old Colonel Green (Chaplain) who

used to be with the forces in Africa is

going to preach, he's a very fair preacher but

not as good as Dexter, but I believe he is a

very popular old fellow. he came of over on

the same boat as we did, If I get up there

I'm going to stick him up & see if he knows

any of the officers that Bill was under &

if he knows Major Antill, he's almost bound to

he's very much like Captain Dexter in his

way, he used to yarn a lot with the men

on the boat, I often wonder what Bill

thought of him as he is sure to know

him, it isn't a case of choice whether

you go to Church Parade or not, you

have to go to either the R.C's or the

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Protestant, but I don't believe in a man

being forced to it as a lot of them curse

& swear all through the service, I reckon

they would be better left in camp, it's bad

enough for a man to swear at any time

but it's ever the odds when you hear them

swearing in a Church Service & they just

mock the Parson afterwards. I saw three

Maoris in the camp today; they are very

powerful looking fellows & should give

a good account of themselves. I had a bit

of a joke to myself this afternoon I was walking

along a road in the camp with a fellow out

of the A Coy 8th Batt. when we came past three

more fellows out of the 8th talking & I looked

at one & thought I knew him so I spoke

& he answered & after we passed the fellow said

to me? Hes a bonzer officer that! I didn't look

on his shoulders as I reckoned I knewhis

face. If he had been at all officious he

would have pulled me up, but the fellow

that was with me said he would be the

last man under the sun to do it, he would

only take it as a joke. Well Jook Old

girl this paper is about run out so must close

Hoping all are well at home & with Kind Regards

to all Horsham Friends & tons of love to all

at home. I've written to Father, Harry & Uncle

Alfred so far this mail. If we don't go before

Tuesday I intend writing to Mother

Goodbye

Love to all

every yr loving Brother

Athol.