Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Family, 1914-1915 - Part 4 of 19

Mena Camp
Cairo
15.1.15

Dear Mother.
Mails from Australia are
now arriving, & in the last few days I have
received yours & Father's of 17^th Nov, Isabel's
of 19^th  Nov & Decr 8^th & Hollis' of Nov 26^th.
Some had of course gone to England
but there has been a frightful delay.
I also got letters & postcards from various
friends including Arthur Paterson, Hilary Roche
Miss McDonald &c.
I wrote to the English folk when I first
wrote to you from Egypt, & have received replies
from most of them.
Everybody wants a letter back of course.
Well we are enjoying our stay here as the
weather is delightful on the whole.
The mornings are very cold but crisp, & the
afternoons like beautiful Spring days in
Melbourne.
Last week the wind was pretty strong, &
the dust pretty bad on the desert where we 

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manoeuvre. Eyes, ears, nostrils, & teeth got full
of fine sand churned up by the batteries &
other arms working in all directions
The work is very hard on the horses & we
now leave our vehicles & guns out on the
manoeuvre ground under a picket picquet
all the week, bringing them back for complete
overhaul & cleaning at the week-ends.
Just think of working the horses & guns in
the heaviest sand on Port Phillip beaches & you
get an idea what hard work it is.
We stay out all day returning to Camp about
4 pm which means 5 o'c after watering grooming
& feeding horses.
So that we have a long day from 6 o'c am
& we are all pretty tired
We have a half holiday on Saturdays  &
an easy day on Sundays.
Sundays so far as Cairo goes are
ordinary week-days, Friday being the
Mohammedan Sabbath.
We go into Cairo fairly often & there is
always lots to see.
In fact you turn round a comer or two 

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& come across places which one never
realised existed.
I have visited the Museum which is
crammed full of antiquities, mummies, 
statues, sarcophagi, ancient jewellry &c &c.
Some of the statutes are so huge that
one wonders how they were ever erected.
I simply cannot attempt to describe
the atmosphere of the whole place or its
colorings & in some parts "smells"
The nigger is a nigger all the world
over & he seems to thrive on "stinks".
I am sending out in a parcel a whole
lot of postcards which will illustrate the
place better than I can describe it.
Also a box of chocolate sent to all
troops for New Year.
These will be marked "On Service" & you
must absolutely refuse to pay duty if the
Customs demand it, as we have been
notified that presents sent from troops
will be "duty free".
The Turkish raid on Egypt seems to
have a bit of life in it once more, but 

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I doubt very much whether they will
ever come across the desert.
Their hearts are not in it, & the Syrians
are dead against it.
They realise that the Germans want
to sacrifice them in order to make a 
diversion.
Any way if they come it will be 
a good opportunity of shaking down. before
we meet the Germans.
We are already modifying a lot of our
ideas in accordance with text-books on the
war issued by the War Office
By Jove! the Imperial War Office has
come out on top of everything in this war.
The training has been on right lines &
the tactics sound whilst these new books &c
are right up to the minute.
The supply arrangements must be
simply wonderful & the French are full
of admiration.
On one occasion the whole of a French
division was supplied at a morn days
notice without disorganising the service 

5/
You mustn't believe all the ridiculous
lies our papers tell of German cowardice
& of brutality.
No doubt they have done some terrible
things but here is a case in point.
The papers were full of the "heroism" of
some Belgian women who worked in a rifle
factory.
When the Germans came they fired on them
& killed a lot of them.
Well that was "treachery" pure & simple,
& every woman should have been put against
a wall & shot without trial.
The idea may be heroic, but it is
against the rules of war to fight except
in recognized uniform, under recognised
authority.
People who break this rule deserve all
they get because they obtain an advantage
over the man in uniform which is not fair.
We shall probably run against the same
thing in Germany, & there is no doubt what
the British action will be. 

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There is no doubt we are getting the best
of it & must win, but every inch has to be
fought for, & the ridiculous "victories" of the
newspapers merely serve to stop recruiting &
do not encourage it
I am glad the photos turned out well, &
that you sent one to the Averys.
Sorry to note by the letter that you
had not been too well but I trust you are
much better now
So father is a most important man now
(D. RO.)
When does he intend to stand for
Parliament.
Glad to note that good rains have
fallen, but suppose too late for the
crops.
So they got Edwards after all.
He was under surveillance before we left
but they didn't seem to be able to prove
anything against him
Well there is nothing for it but to treat
all Germans with suspicion.
There will be many hard cases no doubt 

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but it seems you cannot trust them.
I am making this serve the purpose
of answering all the family as I know it
will be passed round
I hope Isabel got on all right at
the Student Concert. but of course I had her
later letter of Dec 9^th telling me about it some
days ago.
The first one arrived today.
So she won the sweep again, lucky beggar.
Hicks seem to be getting the dizzy limit &
their latest scheme caps all.
Fires seem to have been popular in
Melbourne, as they always are when "biz" is
slack- Stephens must have been feeling
the "Myers" competition.
Very sorry for Hill & Co. Hope they
are now fixed up all right
What ho for Lieut Morgan (perhaps)
Well there's no reason why he shouldn't be,
but, he must make up his mind not to be
a "fancy officer" & work hard.
How does he like Australian opportunities
now? Its a good lesson in Australian democracy 

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for him.
Was glad to get Hollis's letter with
the "latest news from the rear"
Ask him what the joke is.
Sorry the "biz" with Chambers turned
out as it did, but he was lucky to get out
without a loss of his capital.
Well its hard luck, but it looks as if
things will turn out all right in the end.
Am glad he didn't go to Adelaide for
Murray's.
Adelaide is too conservative & right
behind the fashions, & it meant that opportunity
would be very limited.
Has Hollis made any arrangements
to draw his commissions later on.
He would be a fool to let all his work
go for nothing.
Suppose Downing is having a bad time
also. Give him my kind regards & wish him
luck.
By the way Hollis asked me to speak to
Moffatt & Rowe who are related to Sharpe &
Mollard. Perhaps I will but in a most 

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casual way, because there must be no favour-
itism or patronising on a job like this.
Of course everybody thinks the men have an
awful time & want a lot of cheering up.
Well, they don't, & they all appear to be
very happy & contented.
I was asked by at least a dozen parents to
look after their sons before we left, but Hollis
must realise that this is a case of "All for each &
each for all".
I wouldn't make the slightest difference if
Hollis himself were in the ranks with me.
It isn't hardness of heart. Its simply playing
the game.
Well Ill write again soon & must ask
you to excuse me writing any more at present.
Give my love to all at home & to all the
relations.
Tell them the latter I will try & send an occasional
post card, but if I wrote all the letters expected of
me. I would need a secretary.
Fondest love to Yourself
Your affcte son
Fred
P.S. over

P.S.
By the way I saw
in a mess paper that all
the tents were lit by electric 
light, & that the officers lived at 
Mena House. Awful drivel! 
Mena House has been turned into a hospital & 
the General Head Quarters are in the old part
of the building. That's all there is to it.
Fred