Letters from Robert Edmund Antill to his Parents, 1916 - Part 3 of 13

For God, For King & For Country 
Y.M.C.A. 
H.M. FORCES IN EGYPT. 
MEDITERRANEAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. 

Y.MC.A. 
PATRON 
Y.M.C.A NATIONAL COUNCIL 
H.M. THE KING 

Y.MC.A. 
PATRON 
MILITARY CAMP DEPT 
H.R.H. DUKE OF CONNAUGHT 

Reply to...Antill Company...M.G.S. .....Bat. 14.....Regt. 4 Brig .....April 1916 
Stationed at Egypt 
AIF. 

Dear Mother & Father, 
How pleased I am 
I recieved your first letter yesterday 
with handkerchief enclosed & as you 
can gess I hope there are some parcels 
on the road over. I am back in the M.G.S. 
again but we have different guns 
this time, they are Lewis guns 
half the wae weight of the others. 
The weather we are having here is 
almost to hot for Niggars so you 
can gess how we fair, but there it 
might be a lot worse its know 
use of rumbling & it is a case of grin 
& bear it, & my leg has stood the test 
very well though about a c week ago 
I thought it would let me down. 
How are all at home & how is

Red Loin st, goin good I hope. We 
shall be here for a while but not too 
long & then off to a place called 
( -----) perhaps if we can gess 
but I must not tell not to far from 
home any way. Well I have very 
little to say as it is such a dry 
place so I will now close 
hoping one & all are well at home 
I remain 
Your very loving Son 
Bob.

No 1228 
L. Cpl R. Antill 
Lewis Machine Gun Section 
14 Batt. 4 Brig. 
Egypt A.I.F. 
April 22nd 
1916. 

Dear Mother & Father, 
Have just 
recieved very letter from you & 
also parcel which was torch. The 
parcel h has been rather a long 
time getting here, but still it 
arrived. 
When I took the torch out it 
was covered with coffee which 
was also in parcel, you see it has 
been through a very hot cliamate 
& was pretty sticky when I 
recieved same, but never the 
less was very tasty. 
I was beginning to think that

it had gone down on one of the boats 
Of course I cannot tell you wear 
I actually am, but we are not too 
far from salt water. 
At times I begin to think this 
is a very _^slow life just Sand, Sand, 
Sand, but there it might be 
worse only very little. 
Now how are all at home & as 
per usual the workings at 
Red Lion St. I suppose the 
wether is just begining to get 
up top in England now & I can 
tell you I would not mind 
being there now, but there one 
never knows one's luck does he 
well we will hope for the 
best. 
Myself I am in pink of 
condition & if any thing 
getting fat if its only in 
the face. 
How is Roby doing with his 
work is he still at the same place 
& still on night work.

I have told you in previous letters 
that I am back in the old section 
well out of all of us here there 
is only 5 of us he the original 
section. 
We are being isued with ribbons 
for all who saw service at 
Galipoli it is to be a blue one 
& for all who landed on 25 April 
a red one, so I shall have both 
I am going down to Cairo for 2 weeks 
in about a weeks time to a school 
for instruction on this new gun 
so that will be a change. 
Well I havent much more to say so 
I think I will now close hoping 
one & all are well at home 
as I as myself 
I remain 
Your loving son 
Bob.

Reg No 1228. L.M.G.S. 
14 Batt. 4 Brigade 
A.I.F. Egypt 
May 8th 1916. 

Dear Mother & Father, 
It is rather a 
long time since I last wrote, well I 
hope you recieved that table centre 
safely which I sent a few weeks 
ago. 
I am very pleased to say that the 
easter parcel arrived yesterday 
& everything in it was tiptop. 
bar the toffee which in rather a 
sticky state, you know the heat 
plays up with things like that 
especially chocolate which is 
not worth sending. The easter 
egg was first class & just 
enough to go round the tent. We 
had the salmon & sardines for 
this dinner.

I think I am now just about through 
my stifist course in the army 
(except for the bullets) & you may 
be some what surprised when I tell 
you but I am going through a 
instructional school to qualfie as 
as a first class Lewis Machine 
Gun instructor & I can tell you 
its a pretty stiff test, it is a 
fortnights course & I have now 
been at it 4 days & this afternoon 
at 4 oclock I go through my 
first examination on detailing gun 
drill I am quite sure I shall pass 
this one & I have great hopes of the 
rest mind you I shall have to 
go my hardest. 
It is about the hardest fortnights 
brain work I have put in for a 
very long time and such a lot 
of writen lectures & notes. 
These last 4 nights I have been 
up very nearly all night 
writing & studying which as you

can gets gets very dry, but then 
I shant mind a bit If I can pull 
it off alright, if it was for a 
first class gunner I would 
have monting to fear in the least 
but as an instructor is rather 
ticklish. 
It is needless for me to say we are 
still in this god forsaken place 
but not for long now I hope, 
why do you how much water 
we are allowed per day. 2 pints. 
& we have to wash our selves & 
clothes in that, so you can see we 
would go rather dirty if it ws 
not for a swim now & again in 
the Suez Canal & a [[grab?]] (I can 
now swim across, distance 150 yards) 
I received a letter from Lallie last 
week & the last letter received 
was from Dolly dated about 
April 11th & of course the parcel 
yesterday. I told I recieved torch

safely in last & first parcel before 
this. Oh I forgot to mention we had 
a bit of a flare up on Anzac day 
April 25th 1916 anv. of landing 
at the peninsula & also Uncle 
Walters Death. 
All men who landed on the original 
25 were isued with red ribons & 
all who saw fighting on there blag 
so you see I wore both which I 
am sending home as they were 
only a one day decoration. 
Now Mother you say you are getting
your teeth fixed up, well I 
very sincerely hope that by the 
time you recieve this letter your 
pain is all over & that you 
are quite used to the false ones. 
I must say although we are in 
such a awful place & am 
fealing in best of nick & if 
anything putting on weight. 
We are getting robbed right

left by these niggers what I mean 
is by the way they charge I 
will just quote to you an instance, 
they are selling Peek Frean's 
biscuits & I was watching them open 
a fresh box & inside was a ticket 
marked on 8d per pound & what 
do you think they are selling 
them to us for well its 1/10 per 
pound & what can we do nothing. 
Well I have very little more to 
say so I think I will now close 
& get ready for this examination 
hoping one & all are well at home 
as I am myself 
I remain 
Your very loving Son 
Bob.