Letter from [Lewis Pentreath Curnow] to his mother, 2 May 1915

I hope you

have No. 8 & 9 [?]

forward No. 10 in

few days

 

No. 2 General Hospital

Cairo  9/5/15

 

My dearest of mothers,

                         You will

no doubt before this have received

my card saying I was wounded.  Well

dear we went into action on the

Sunday 25/4/15 & immediately had it

impressed upon us that life was going to

be hard to keep for most of us.  The

place was a perfect hell - with the

scream of shells & the firing & crack of

rifle bullets.  I had a chum wounded

before firing a shot & another shot

through the stomach (fatally I fear)

well, we weathered the storm

until the Thursday when I was

struck  by shrapnel  slug weighing

some 3 oz.  It entered my head

below the left temple & broke in

the roof of my mouth but did

2

 

not itself come through (as my

aluminium plate which had

a dent in it the size of a

walnut had saved me the rest,

otherwise I might have had a 

hole through my tongue & lower

jaw).  The doctor was uncertain

if the slug had come through

for some time but upon my mouth

becoming clearer after the removal

of some loose bone, he located

the pellet & after removing it in

my head for 9 days he

extracted it yesterday to my

immense relief.  I suppose you

will have heard from Tom -

 

3

As I went in to the firing line

I saw him - he had just

come down with a wound in

the hand & leg and as he

seemed as cheerful I do not

think he was in pain or had

anything seriously wrong with

him.  We are all anxious

to be back to keep the lads

unit dear it is all so different

to what one imagines at first,

when volunteering.  The din of the

firing, the shaking of the earth

itself as the big guns, the groans

of wounded & dying, friends

dying around you, hell let loose

would give some small idea of

 

 

4

what it all is.  The Australians

made good - God be thanked -

they fought like old hands - cool

& well in check, they were under

perfect control & have for all

time given Australians the right to

be proud of their men.  Everyone is

awfully good to the wounded & we

have a lovely hospital, good nurses,

good doctors, good food & dozens of

Cairo ladies have come to bring a 

smile, papers & flowers to the

lads & we cannot thank them

enough.  All my love dear

to you all & your dear self -

I have written Bell & more this mail.

The same address is best for the present

Again Love Lewis

 

Along side of page

 

I shall have no ill effects - eyes OK - almost a miracle

 

 

PR 82/8

 

To

Sgt T R

Abbott

of Wagga

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