Letters from Fred Leslie Biddle to his Mother, 1916-1917, Part 1 of 24

THE ONLY ENGLISH HOTEL IN ALEXANDRIA 
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: 
"WINDSOR-ALEXANDRIA." 
TELEPHONE NO. 679 
PROPRIETOR 
A.V. MILLINGEN 
ALSO OF THE 
SUMMER PALACE HOTEL 
RAMLEH. 
FACING THE SEA 
ALEXANDRIA EGYPT 
 

1.1.16 
Dear Mother, 
Just a brief note today I 
am O.K. & except for a bit of a tired feeling,  
as a sort of reaction, am feeling very fit. 
We had no letters on the Peninsula for 6 weeks  
before the evacuation & have just started to 
receive the delayed mail. 
I have yours of Nov 3^rd & 16^th & a lot  
of papers which I have not had time to open 
I arrived here at midday 27^th Dec. was sent 
to Cairo on duty, rushed around for a day 
then went to Tel-el-Kebir where we are forming 
a big camp for reorganisation & refitting. 
I left Tel-el-Kebir yesterday & arrived here 
late last night & am rushing around buying 
mess-Kit & looking after other things. 
To-morrow I will go to Cairo & after a portion of a  
day there will return to Tel-el-Kebir

THE ONLY ENGLISH HOTEL IN ALEXANDRIA 
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: 
"WINDSOR-ALEXANDRIA." 
TELEPHONE NO. 679 
PROPRIETOR 
A.V. MILLINGEN 
ALSO OF THE 
SUMMER PALACE HOTEL 
RAMLEH. 
FACING THE SEA 
ALEXANDRIA EGYPT 
2 
At present we are in a state of chaos & 
still waiting for lots of men & our guns to 
arrive. 
We were dribbled away in little bits & 
so are scattered all over the place at present. 
As you can imagine there is plenty to do 
so please excuse this short scrawl. 
I will send you a full account of the  
evacuation as soon as possible. 
Trust you got my cable sent today. 
Love to all 
Your affcte son 
Fred 
F Biddle

1-1-16

Cairo 
11.1.16 
QUIS AQUAM NILI BIBIT AERUM BIBET 
SHEPHEARD'S HOTEL 
CAIRO 
Dear Mother 
Just a few lines to  
say I am still O.K. except for 
a bad cold which is inclined to 
stick a bit. 
However everybody has one 
& when the unusual cold snap 
through which we are passing is  
over, no doubt, it will disappear. 
I am up here from Tel-el-Kebir, 
being called as a witness for  
character by one of our driver's

2 
who is in trouble with the Milty  
Police. 
As the case came on last Sat.dy, 
was then postponed to Monday 
& again till tomorrow (Wednesday) 
I am able to get a bit of a  
spell in. 
We are all very sick at being 
turned straight into the desert, 
& the leave granted (2% of the men 
for 48 hours) is scarcely worth giving. 
Personally I'm rather disgusted 
at it. & in the mood that I don't 
care who knows it.

3 
However we shall see whether  
the English troops are shoved 
into these unpleasant places, 
or put adjacent to towns where, 
at least occasionally, one may  
live a civilised life. 
One of the things I've realised 
is the remarkable enthusiasm of  
the average English officer in 
looking after his own comfort. 
However I didn't start 
out to growl & no doubt after 
we have all got over the re-action  
which followed the evacuation of  
ANZAC we shall be happy

4 
enough at T.E.K. 
We have been forbidden to  
describe the evacuation of ANZAC  
but I suspected that it was  
on a/c of the projected repeat of 
the manoeuvre at Cape Helles. 
which has just been accomplished 
Much love to everybody at  
home & all friends & relations 
have my Kindest regards 
I will write a decent letter  
when I get settled down. 
Your affcte son 
Fred