Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1915 - Part 3

3
made any difference to my putting on
weight I can turn the scales at 12½
stones, so the climate agrees with
me.
I am sending a few views of the
surrounding county Be careful
when opening the rolled ones.
I got a
letter from Jim. He is still complaining
that he is not allowed to join
like the rest.
This is all I can think
of now so I will close with
love from George

 

Aerodrome
Heliopolis
29~3~15
All at home
I received your weekly letter by the last
mail and see by it that the drought has
not broken yet I never received Jim’s weekly
letter for he never misses to write and I
have not received one from Bessie since
I left though I have written three
times but I suppose it will come
along in good time.
I have not seen Les
for three weeks and I do not know
where he is or how he is getting on
I have not been out on Parade for
five days. My throat has gone wrong
and I cannot swallow anything
but it is better by far than it was
but cannot talk much
We have had a
new issue of clothing also a Cardigan
Jacket and a lanyard & knife
The Battalion
 

2
is out on a bivouac. The travelling
kitchens are a great help on these cold
nights. During the day you would be
roasted in the sun and about five
o’clock you want an overcoat on
for it changes from hot to cold
very suddenly
I suppose you have received
some of the boxes that I sent
along. I sent some by the last mail
I went through the citadel last Sunday
Before entering you had to buy a loan
of a pair of straw slippers for one
Piastre equals 2½. Then we had a
guide to show us around. He showed
us first the tomb of the builder
of the citadel. You are not allowed
to go near it; but it can be seen
through the iron rails. There are
thousands upon thousands of
electric lamps all in each in a
glass cover. The floor is cover with
two feet thick of carpet which is taken
up year and replaced by a new one.
The 

citadel is built of solid alabaster which
is supposed to be taken of the pyramids
The xx There is only about two feet left
on the top of one of them.
A number
of the Gurkhas who were wounded on
the canal are at the hospital
at the citadel. They are a sturdy
build of men. Sone of them have
several bullet wounds and bayonet
scars. I was talking to one who could
speak pretty good English. He was
in Victoria fifteen years ago. He
knew one of my tent mates who
came from Bairnsdale. His name
was xxx Matron
We do not get much
Australian news here, and the papers
are very much sought after. They
are passed from hand to hand for
to read.
We have lost another comrade
out of the fourteen 14^th. He died very suddenly
in the hospital. He is to be
buried on Sunday.
 

4
I got my Photo taken by Electric Flash
light. It is not much but I will send
for one along
Do you know the Ryan’s
from Horsham. I have one of them in
my section.
I have heard that the third
Brigade have landed in England. It
has not been officially stated yet
Jim Kilgariff is out of the hospital
again He does not look too good
I do not know of anymore to say
so I will close, with love
from George
 

Aerderome Camp
Heliopolis
2/4/15
Dear Bess
I have not received a letter
from you since I left the shores
of Australia. If you had have
written they have gone astray
I never received a letter from home
by the last mail either so they must
have missed it
Egypt is the same
dusty hole. When marching across
the desert you sometimes cannot
see the man in front of you &
you have to plough along for three
or four hours and sometimes
witthout a drink either. You bet we
get a bit dry and dusty but that
is all in the game of being a
soldier
I have seen some lovely sights
and some filthy ones too.
In some of
 

the streets everything is tipped out and left
to rot. You can bet when the African
sun come out that there is a fair
sweet smell
I have not her seen Leslie for
a good while so I do not know how
or where he is.
The third 2^nd Rfts to the
4^th Brigade have arrived
The is a plague
of locusts around here. They darken
the sun at time
They came when we were
being inspected the the General
This is all this time as I
will close with love from
George
 

Adredrome
Heliopolis
8/4/15
Dear Bess
I received your letter, the first since
I left Australia. to you are back kid -
whacking again, as you call it.
This place
is getting very dirty especially when there
are thousands of Light Horse &
Artillery galloping all around you.
You can guess the dust they kick
up. You get very dirty and very very
dry when out marching and skirmishing
on the desert especially when
you have to do 20 to 25 miles with
a full pack up, and a full pack
contains overcoat mess tin & cover
knife fork spoon housewife holdall
change of clothing comforter jersey
handkerchiefs bottle full of water
rations for 24 hours and all the
wet equipment with rifle & bayonet
so you can guess that we have not
 

3
it will reach you safely for it may be
the last you ever will receive from
me, who knows for I may go down
in the first battle
I am as well as
can be expected when you are always
eating sand
I will now close
dear Bess with love from Les &
myself hoping in God to see you all
again in the near future
I am your true brother
George

 

Aerodrome Camp
Heliopolis
8/4/15
All at home
I received your ever looked for
letter the first week in April, and
see that you have had no rain so
far. Things must be getting very bad
now. I got a letter from Bess. The first
since xxx I left Aust.
I am writing to
catch the mail back, and to get it
posted before I leave Egypt for we
are on the move any day now. Most
of the 1^st Cont. have gone. We do not
know where we are bound for, but
we know we will not be playing the
game any longer for there will be lead
flying pretty hot an thick
I have not seen
Les for about five weeks. We are not
allowed out of camp on account of a
slight disturbance in Cairo. It was soon
quelled by the piquet