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.