Letters from John Wesley Hetherington to his Family, 1914-1915 - Part 3

Mena Camp. Cairo
Feb. 6/ 1915.
6

Dear Ones at Home./
Once more I endeavour to keep pace with events, and
things have been somewhat interesting this week. Some of
the Victorian Brigade left for Ismalia this week and
there are rumors that they are have been in actions. I scarcely
think that is true as they would be most likely held as support.
However the Indians on the Canal seem to have given the
Turks all they needed. I was at the Kasr-el-Nil Barracks
yesterday and was in the room where the prisoners captured
are confined. They are a mixed lot Syrians & Turks, and 
very poorly clad, but on the whole they are not a bad set
of men physically. There are several officers too & we were
in beside them until we got notice to quit by a "Terrier" officer
The "Terriers" are looking after the prisoners. The advent of these
prisoners have aroused a certain amount of excitement
among the Turks etc in Cairo & the barracks have to be watched
very closely for spies. I don't think the men who were captured
will worry much about rejoining they seem satisfied to be on
the shelf. So far there hasn't been a great deal of excitement
in the City itself and our fellows move round in the same old
way, though they are feeling the pinch of straitened finances
at present The privates are only allowed 2/- a day & they soon
run through that especially if they patronise the wet canteen.
We have wet & dry canteens here & you can get a decent feed
of fried eggs & chips for 2 piastries (5d). Provisions generally are
pretty stiff especially biscuits & jam. However we live pretty well
and a hungry stomache needs little sauce.
Our training has now been relaxed somewhat, not before time, for
 

we were all becoming fed up with sand thumping. This week has
been spent in firing practices and they have allowed us to march
without packs packs. This latter is a great boon, but they didn't
grant it until they had some deaths from pneumonia and sick
men galore hanging round the camp. The packs used to make
us perspire across the lungs (just like a poultice) and then
when a cold wind sprang up we felt it through & through.
It tried the strongest constitutions, and finally they have
decided to march us in packs only when unavoidable.
We had the first death in one Batt^ln yesterday, a young chap
died of pneumonia after a very short illness. The firing party
have just left for the funeral; he will he buried in the English
Cemetery in Cairo. Our Batt^ln has been very fortunate so far.
Several men left for Sydney this week, medically unfit and
inefficients and 89 men are coming in from the Second Conting^t.
(arrived this week) to fill their places. The 2nds look an
untidy lot to us, and of course they are busy painting the
town red as our crowd did on arrival, but they won't want
much Cairo in a week or two when they've tramped 10 or 12 miles
across the desert every day. Our men are smarter now &
much better disciplined, and if we persevere we may eventually
become soldiers. Of course we hear all sorts of rumours as to
our next move but we are becoming rumour proof now & simply
wait & see. I sent a small parcel of things away this week hope you
get it safe. It isn't much as I had intended getting something more
later, but am not too flush of cash just now. Should my
letters be stopped at any time don't think it at all strange
as the authorities may put the stopper on at any moment if we
move. I was pleased to receive "Geordie" Club balance sheet, 'tis
the best they ever had I bet. We have a full day off once
 

 

a week now and get leave from 10am to 11pm. If only Sydney
were nearer, I should like to be home to tea every night. I am
enclosing a small photo taken out at the rifle range one day
recently. I am nearest the Camera with a pen mark on me, and
you will see the Natives all round selling "Eggs a cook" Or-ring-es"
"Cakes Cairo" etc, etc It was funny to see two of our blokes carrying
a donkey round the ground, and one day last week a sentry
was supposed to bail up an enemy & demand the counter
sign. This is how he did it "Halt! who goes there! "Friend!"
"Advance friend & bring your counter-lunch". The
Brigadier was standing near by & he almost collapsed.
I think the Turks are just about our mark, and I reckon
we'll have to go to school a long while yet before we
take tickets for Berlin. The thing of most interest is
not the war but the Machine Gun pet monkey & his
cobber the dog pup, they afford the regiment heaps of
amusement & sources of wonderment.
I am well & hearty & we are well provided for.
Have not received any parcel yet.
With love to you one & all.
Wes/.
Mother

I have plenty socks but could have done with
the singlets you mentioned having sent, still expecting
them to turn up so won't buy any yet.
 

Mena Camp Cairo.

Feb 21/1915

7
Dear Ones at Home
I missed writing last week as we were out for a
weeks bivouac on the edge of the desert about 8 miles from the ancient city of Memphis. We did some night manoeuvres including a sham attack on some old temple ruins. I took the opportunity of some
spare time to travel to Memphis on the old time method of travelling
on ass. We passed some big excavations on the road, uncovering
an ancient burial place and there were lots of skulls, bones, mummys
apparall, etc. to be seen, also ancient beads, earthenware, and most
surprizing of all, they were carting the dust of these bodies to be used
as fertillizer on the land round about. There was not a great deal
to see at Memphis, as of course much of the sa city is now buried
up or overgrown, but it must have been an important place in
olden times. There is a tremendous big statute of Ramses and other
monuments too, but as I have often said, you can't understand much
of these things unless you study them and we don't get much time
to study Egyptology. The training is now being relaxed somewhat and
the regiment have had 3 days "easy" time. Our Brigadier has reported
the 1st Brigade "fit for war" so we may not be long in getting a
move on, that is if we don't get put into quarantine for smallpox.
We have had one or two cases and lost one man through it, he dodged
being vaccinated too the same chap. We have had to submit to
vaccination over & over, and if a man wouldn't submit, the Drs got
a squad of men threw the objector and sat on him till they were finished with him. They certainly won't shift us if they have any suspicion of smallpox among us. We have now lost 3 men in the Batt^ln two from pneumonia, wh and there have been lots of cases in the other Batt^lns,  from the same cause. The pneumonia here takes them off like a flash, one of our chaps died in 40 minutes from the 1st attack. I believe we
 

have a high death rate for a picked body of men, and certainly
a very big sick list every day. The authorities must have got frightened
a bit for the give us much more consideration now. They are going to put us into short pants and helmets, like some of the Indian troops. The
Ghurkhas wear short drill pants exposing the knees and we are to
have the same. There is also a rumour that we will go on to
England before leaving for the front, though of course Dame
Rumour is always busy in the Camp and you hear a dozen yarns
in as many minutes. I have had a postcard from Meg, letters from Joe
and a postcard from Alfie who has been staying with Joe a few days. Joe forwarded this along with his. The 2nd Conting^t are with us now and have been split up among the others as reinforc^ts. The inefficients are being sent back to Australia next week also the undesirables and
medically unfit and I guess there will be a fair crowd of them.
The Turks have evidently cleared away from the Canal as
everything seems quiet here now, and the hopes we had of a
scrap there seem doomed to disappointment. I believe if the Turks
had had any success there we should have had a lively time with
some of the natives in Cairo, though many of them have no stomach
for soldiering and will do anything to avoid being called upon to
serve. In the Arab quarters of the City they aren't too respectful to us, and 

perhaps 'tis as well we don't understand all they say. You needn't
trouble to send the £2 every month to Joe, send £2 every two months
till I write you further, as I have sent him £15 on from here.
Shall now conclude as I have written to Mr. Strongman, Mr. Harper Sr & George Foreman. Hope Mother is keeping well and all of you likewise, I am in 

A1 health, & getting fat on STEW.
With Kindest love
Wes.
 

8
Feb 28/15.
BRITISH SOLDIERS' CAFE,

CAIRO, EGYPT.

Dear Ones at Home. 
I am writing a short letter this week as I
have been fairly busy and have not had much
time to myself. I received the parcel yesterday after
much delay for I see you sent it away about Dec 6th.
Better late than never, however, and I have already had
a feed of chocolate. I don't half like them either, not
much, I only wish the tin had been about 3 ft deep.
I also received about a ton of newspapers, is Fred
devoting his Saturdays to tying up papers, our postal
Corporal is doing a growl. However, every thing is welcome,
the singlet is just the thing hope there is a mate for him
on the way. I was very sorry to hear of Mothers sickness,
when is she going to take that trip away, I do hope that
She is herself again now. The No-Licence people keep
in close touch and write me every week that is real fine,
and I've had letter from Syd Mellor & many other so I
feel quite elated and the boys in my tent are rather
envious. I met another Burwood man last week end
who has come as Arm Sergt. with the Light Horse he is a
friend of the tall dark chap who worked at Randwick with

 

 

me tell Fred, Black is his name. He wanted me to

go as Corpl with him in the Light Horse but it is

impossible to get transfers I'm afraid. I am taking

no hurt where I am only I've had to do a bit of sand

plugging since I came. I used to be on parade every

day but I saw the Sergt Major about it and he

got me relieved of that, as it was really too much to

have to parade and assist the Armt Sergt too. This is

an awful country for rifles, sand, sand, everywhere, &

it is a most aggravating thing to clean your rifle up O.K.,

and let it fall accidentally in the sand. Our chaps

here are up in arms about some statements by Bean

in the papers in Austral^a. In some articles he has been

writing he has certainly filed us up pretty rough,

some of it is deserved some isn't, but anyway old

King Booze is at the bottom of it all. Some of the

stuff they sold our men for Whisky was absolutely

putrid poison, Whisky is bad enough at any time

but this concoction sent them right out. It is

an awful wicked sort of a place and of course

the men ran wild after being so long on the ship

without touching land. Then the had a few pounds

to play with at Xmas and that helped too, but

anyway I'm pleased to say they are much steadier

now and they may, eventually, make soldiers of

some of us. The 3rd Brigade (Infantry) Queensland

&south are moving away from here but where to

we don't know, some say Constantinople, some

Marseilles, some Home. We expect to leave shortly for

the same mysterious port, so don't be surprized if

you don't hear from me for a week or so, and I

might add that the censorship is on all our letters

again. I paid a visit to the Cairo Zoo today of course

it knocks Sydney Zoo into a cocked hat; and one

of the x strangest sights I saw was a Sudanese

Highland Pipe band. The pipes were all right and you 

could imagine it was the 42nd or the Gordons until

you spotted the showy uniforms of the band boys (they

were all Reformatory Boys). The Methodist Church even have

a service in Cairo tonight & I rather intended being

present but feel I must write you instead, as the

mail closes at 10pm. The weather is great just now

sometimes very hot through the day & freezing cold at

night, still I can eat any old time in this country

and it agrees with me all right.

I forgot to add that I saw the Pontoons captured from

the Turks at the Canal. They are at the Zoo, and they

are interesting as they have bullet holes & one big shell

hole in one of them. They show how they must have been

peppered; and they certainly won't see any more service.

They are made of thin steel about 1/8" thick and on the

way across the desert they were used as water tanks.

They are now resting in peace near the Crocodile pool,

who will.

I am writing this in a room full of Terriers,

Queenslanders, New Zealanders, Herts Yeomanry, etc, not to

mention the men from Wooloomooloo. It is a place run by

British Residents for us chaps & you can get a decent

plate of bacon & eggs with tea for 7½d, I come here when I'm

hard up. A lot of the chaps look upon me as a sort of

money lender as I never booze nor go in for expensive luxuries

and I have piastres lent out all over the camp & find I'm

short myself. They are pretty particular about paying

back, at least the ones I lend it to are, for you bet I don't

distribute piastres to boozers, not much.

Thanks very much for again I had got reduced to

Woodbines & they saved my life. Cigarettes are fairly

cheap in Cairo. I get a lot of Home papers here and

our tent has the appearance of the paper rack at home

sometimes & they don't know which to chuck out &

which to keep for I've often got some special ones marked.

It's just like Home Sweet Home.

Our training is practically over now & they are picking

out the no goods to be sent back to Australia.

Shall now close with love to you all.

Tell Mother I want to hear of her going away for a spell.

Wes/.

Mena Camp, Cairo, Egypt

Sat. March 6/15

9

Dear Folks at Home./

I am taking an earlier opportunity to write this week. We have been out

all night, the whole division, carrying out a big movement; and as they

have not given us leave this afternoon as we expected would be done, I

find I have time to write a letter or two. The training is much less

severe now, the troops having more leisure time and consequently,

are much more contented. I was only out once last week, and have

had a much easier time altogether. The big movement of last

night wasn't very hard, but we had to stay out all night without

blankets. We carried out movements of attack from about 4pm

to midnight then we rested till 5am and "stood fast", (waited

for orders) till if when we moved back to camp. When we

went out in the afternoon it was blazing hot, the sun sets at

6 o'clock and then it becomes "nippy" very quickly. It was

one of the coldest nights I've been out in, and very few of us

got any sleep so we had to march up & down to keep our

feet from freezing. The sand loses it's heat very quickly.

We didn't have much to eat from leaving camp to getting back

again, bread & water diet, but Ye Gods made up for it when we

did get back & I don't know how many fried eggs I accounted for.

Anyway I opened out with tea & finished up with coffee & milk.

We have some coffee & milk (private stores) that we picked up as we were 

leaving the ship quite accidentally of course, and it wasn't a small

lot either infact it was a full box we labelled it "War Stores".

I don't think that box will live to reach the front, its in galloping

consumption now. We still have some cases of pneumonia recuring

though the smallpox appears to have been checked. Good job too for it

meant another obstacle to one going further North. I like Egypt.