Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Family, 1914-1915 - Part 9 of 19

Mena Camp. 
Cairo 
5.4.15 

Dear Mother, 
At last we have received 
orders to move. 
We got them for certain today & tomorrow 
we leave here & embark early on Wednesday 
morning. 
Our last day here has been fearful 
as a the worst sandstorm we have had 
came along in the night & has raged all day. 
Everything is covered with dust & the 
mat in the tent is completely covered over. 
My eyes & ears are full of dust. In fact I 
couldn't sleep last night for the sand blowing 
in my face. 
We might have had some pangs of regret 
at leaving Egypt, but today has effectively 
cured us. 
We are bound for Turkey but do not  
know where we shall land. 
We have French. troops, Foreign Legion. British 
Regulars from India including Heavy, Howitzer & 
Mountain Guns, Indian Native Troops, New Zealanders 
& our own sweet selves.

2 
General Ian Hamilton is to command the lot. 
We shall probably have to fight as soon 
as we land. 
In fact we will probably land under the 
covering fire of the fleet. 
So we expect a hot time. for a start. 
For myself I am pleased at the prospect as 
we have had enough of waiting. 
If we can only wipe up the Turkey Job., 
we might have a chance of having a go at 
the Huns later on. 
Anyway we will have had some 
experience to talk about before we finish 
I am sending you a photo group of  
the Officers of the Divisional Artillery. 
It's a rottenly arranged group but it's 
worth having as a record. 
You will find me among the Victorian 
fellows. 
Please excuse the hurried note. I 
am frightfully busy. 
My fondest love to Father Hollis, Isabel 
the boys, all the relatives & your own dear 
self 
Your affete son 
Fred

29.5.14 
Dear Mother 
Just a few lines to let you know  
that I am in splendid health & have so far not 
stopped any bullets. 
There is so much I could say which would 
not pass the censor that I hardly know what 
to write. 
No doubt the account of our landing has 
been published in Australia as Bean the official 
correspondent has been "among us takin' notes' 
We were the first battery ashore & our "A" 
gun started immediately it got off the beach by 
wiping out a 4 gun battery which had been 
playing the deuce, with our fellows. 
The next gun 'B' was placed about a mile 
to the right of 'A' & did just as useful work. 
It fired about 500 rounds during the day at ranges 
from 300 yds to 1500 yds; mostly about 700. 
So you see it was hot work 
The next day was fairly quiet for us & we 
eased off a bit, but the following day the 
battery fired 1107 rounds which is "some going" 
We did great execution & the men found their 
feet at once.

2 
We are still holding the line secured on the 
first day but have had several attacks. 
About a week ago it was very "willing" & 
so were our boys. 
The enemy came at us in successive 
attacks from midnight until about 10 a.m. 
& were allowed to come close & then were 
let have it in great style. 
The first estimate of their dead lying in 
front of us was 2000 but after a couple of  
days they asked for an armistice to bury the 
dead & attend the wounded. 
There were very few of the latter who were left out still 
alive, as they had been out 2 nights & 3 blazing 
hot days before they were attended to. 
After the armistice was arranged & we 
saw the number of bodies dragged out of  
the low scrub we were satisfied they lost at 
least 3000 killed alone.  
Wounded of course would be much in excess 
of that number so they paid pretty dearly. 
We stayed in our trenches & our casualties were 
light, about 500 killed & wounded. 
New troops were brought against us on this 
occasion to strengthen the attack. 
Deserters tell us they numbered from 15000 to 20000

3 
The dash & coolness of our fellows is simply 
wonderful 
Ever since the first few days I have 
been on duty as "Forward observing officer" in the 
fire trenches. 
One would think seeing the men after the 
first few days that they had been fighting 
trench warfare all their lives. 
The naval men call the Australians the 
"White Gurkhas" & they earned the name on the  
first day. 
Now that we are just "squatting" on the 
country waiting for our own time to advance 
in accordance with the general scheme, their one 
regret is that "Johnny Turk" won't come on & 
face the bayonet. 
In the last attack they were arguing about 
places in the firing line. 
When a men went out killed or wounded, there 
was a rush to get his place & hundreds calmly 
sat on the back parapet picking off their men 
like rabbits. 
They're great at "sniping" which is conducted 
like a rifle match with observers & spotters for each 
man & long arguments ensue as to who has the  
best "scorer".

4 
The T enemy have excellent snipers & they 
score pretty well, but they are not numerous & 
are evidently specially told off, as generally 
speaking the back are poor shots. 
It is quite the regular thing to see rifles 
poked up in the air & fired continuously without 
aim & our friend the enemy must have 
wasted many millions of rounds in this way 
At present both sides are digging all day 
& all night. 
In some places the trenches are 50 yds 
apart. In fact at one point they are only 
15 yds apart, but we have plenty of support 
trenches & Johnny Turk knows he will get all 
he wants if he tries to get in. 
I cannot write much more as I am 
due in the trenches. 
It may interest you to know that that is 
the safest place here. 
The valleys behind & the beach get all the  
'overs & are really "unhealthy" at times 
All the fighting is done at night & for the last 
few days scarcely a shot is fired during the 
daytime. 
I sleep peacefully through the din of shell 
& rifle fire from 9 pm until 3.30 a.m. unless

5 
there is something extra special doing 
The work here for us is the most extraordinary 
thing & quite unlike anything we have ever done. 
No horses are used, the guns being hauled 
about the hills with about 100 men to a gun & 
they have to have frequent spells. 
It is quite new to go within about 200 or 
300 yds of the target & observe for the batteriyes 
or perhaps the howitzers or mountain guns 
& one gets used to taking everything as it comes. 
I hope before long we will get to 
some inhabited part of the country where I 
will be able to sit down & write a decent 
account of what we are doing but am not 
able to settle down to it here 
I trust you are keeping well now & also 
all the family. 
Fondest love to Father Hollis Isabel 
the boys & all relations & friends & especially 
to your own dear self 
Your affete son 
Fred 
PS. Hope you got the brass-work long ago. 
If not write the "Cairo Express Agency" about it. 
Shirley B Goodun Fred

Received your letters of 
April 20th also Father's 
Isabel's & Hollis's. 
Very glad to get them. 
McCormack had to be taken 
off the ship just before sailing 
with appendicitis & has been 
operated on. We expect him 
with us in a day or two. 
Wolfenden & Siddall, the other 
subs, have both been killed 
instantaneously. 
Siddall has was hit by a shell 
& smashed up very badly, but 
could never have known what 
hit him.  
Wolfenden was killed a couple 
of weeks earlier by a bullet in 
the head. 
Fred