Letters from Geoffrey Gordon McCrae to his family, July - September 1915 - Part 2

cpd  

GG McC

1st AUSTRALIAN STATIONARY HOSPITAL

17. 7. 1915

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

My face is rapidly 

assuming its normal condition

again and I don't think I

shall even be marked. The

Doctors consider it was a miracle 

that my eyes were not seriously 

damaged. The Great God has 

shown me great mercy in this 

campaign and I trust he shall 

hear our prayers and bring me 

safely back to you all. When

you are continually facing death 

day after day week in week out

you begin to realize the futility 

of human conciets and the our

utter dependence on the Almighty

The sun has scorched up 

the beauties of this island

and now where there used

 to be a blaze of brilliant color

naught but dust is found.

68

Last night Dr Levrick who

was down at the South 

Pole with Scott gave us

an illustrated lecture on 

his experiences it was

a most cooling sight to

look upon the scenes of

ice & snow and most 

refreshing midst this

heat & dust. We have the 

two giant Cunard Boats

Aquitania and Mauretanian

in Port. Nothing to tell

you more

Much love to all

From Geoff

1DRL 427

4113

cpd

GG McC

1st AUSTRALIAN

STATIONARY HOSPITAL

19. 7. 1915

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

Colonel Bryant is 

sending me down to Alexandria

To recuperate my face is 

beginning to assume its 

normal lines again I am

feeling pretty fit physically

put not quite up to standing

up to shell fire yet. but I 

shall ^be set right up after my

trip. They gave me a little 

send off by inviting me into

their officers mess last night

we had a very fine dinner

I really have nothing to write 

about but just thought I let 

you know what my 

movements were I enclose

a cutting from the "Times"

in which is announced

70

my first wound Poor

old Perenuzel had one leg

so shattered that it had

to be amputated and

Flockhart had his head

smashed I doubt if he 

will live. Here am I 

still hanging on having

had two narrow escapes

I wonder what next will 

befall me. Although life 

is very boring it is wonderful

how you long to cling to it

but it is not our present 

life we hang on for it is the 

life of the future if we

ever return

1DRL427

4113

General Hospital

ALEXANDRIA

25th July 1915

Dearest Mother Father & Helen.

I am almost myself again with the 

exception of my internal economy which has

not yet quite righted itself. I was a week 

up there in the Field Hospital and had a 

beautiful trip here in a Hospital ship. This is 

an earthly paradise after Gallipoli I am sleeping

out in a tent on the square it is beautifully airy 

and kept spotlessly clean and the meals are simply 

gorgeous after what we have been accustomed to.

The Sisters and nurses are awfully good to us

My face is alright except it is pockmarked

where the skin was torn away. I shall probably 

always bear these marks as a memento. I am

sending several things home by Major Blizard which

I hope you will like I am being sent to Cyprus for

a holiday. Yesterday I went for a sail on the

Harbour which was "par exellence." Day before yesterday

I was acquainted with the beauties of the Egyptian

summer gliding through shady avenues of brilliant foliage

along Canna bordered canals in a huge magnificent Rolls

Royce then dashing out along the Cairo Road through crops

of maize and sugarcane and groves of bananas

and date palms then through the magnificent

Nuza Garden out to San Stefano and back

through the fashionable suburbs of Victoria

and Ramleh which are composed of beautiful 

dwellings set in lavish gardens such as the ones 

seen in the setting of Photo-plays.

everywhere in this vicinity is there evidence of 

wealth & opulence. I much prefer this place to 

Cairo the heat is not so terrible it is exactly

like summer in Sydney. I have had to fit 

myself out with a summer kit seeing everything 

I brought away was winter clothing I have found

as Helen has done before that new clothes are as

good as a tonic. In the old things I came down 

from Gallipoli in I was often taken for a private 

and rudely ordered from places reserved for officers 

until I drew attention to the crowns on my 

shoulder straps, which brought confusion and 

abject appologies from many a pompous & officious

N.C.O. Nothing more of interest just now

Will write again when I have

Much love to all

From 

Geoff.

CONVALESCENT HOME

MT THROOD0S. CYPRUS.

4th August 19145

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

A thousand thanks for your letters and 

congratulations of 29th June. I have come up here 

to get fit and one could not imagine a better 

chosen spot. We are 6000ft above sea level in 

a pine forest there is a most glorious drive up 

here a distance of 40 miles climbing over hills 

all the way there are altogether 964 turns in the

road. Which in many places hangs on to precipitous 

cliffs by its eyebrows and as the cars run along

here at about 50 miles an hour its fairly 

exciting far more so than Gallipoli, you dash down

a steep incline and the road seems to end in 

a cliff face and just as you think you are about 

to be dashed into eternity you find the road

suddenly swings back almost in it's own tracks

and the _^car sways and almost collides with its' own

back and dashes on along the next stretch only to

repeat the performance times out of number ever

getting higher and the scenery more magnificent.

I am shareing a tent with a chap Called Bruce from

Christchurch New Zealand. an awfully nice fellow

we chum_∧med up in The Alexandria Hospital

And have knocked about together ever since. This

is the summer resort for the Government

Officials of the island and Egypt; there are 

lots of them up here now with their wives

The Governor gave a garden party yesterday 

but I did not go. Most of the women look

prematurely old I have not met any of them

yet but they are awfully good and give 

three concerts a week. There is a good tennis 

club here and the life appears to be

exactly similar to that you read of in 

stories about the Hill-Stations out in India-

I _^am writing this out on the verrandah of the 

Mess House. which looks out over mile upon

mile of pine covered mountains and deep 

ravines, here and there the sombre green

of the pines is relieved by the bright

vineyards. The atmosphere is marvellously

clear and you can see the whole Island 

from the summit of Mount Olympus-

No more news

Much love

from 

Geoff.
4 DRL 427
4/13

cpd

GG McC

MT.TROOD0S

CYPRUS. 14.8.15

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

I am sending you

some photos I have taken

during my stay here. I 

am quite well again and

able to leave here after a 

stay of ten days rather than

a month as originally

intended. I have been 

playing very strenuous

Tennis and Hill climbing

a lot. I lunched with 

the Governor at Government 

House yesterday. No time 

for more

Much love 

from Geoff.

S.S."SURADA."

Mediterranean

16. 8. 1915

Dearest Mother father & Helen,

Having become perfectly fit I am now

en route for the Peninsular once again. I have

left Cyprus with it's beautiful scenery and air, 

it's sour wine and cliquey community. I am 

very glad to have been there, as it is out

of the general run of places one expects to 

visit during the ordinary course of one's life,

and I have been able to get some ripping photos 

which will give you some idea of the island, 

I had the priviledge of dining one evening

with the Kings Advocate for Cyprus: he had a 

most luxurious cottage in the fastnesses of 

the pine-covered mountains furnished with 

exquisite taste; The dinner was equal to 

that served in the best of rest_∧aurants and 

the most glorious madeira I have tasted. It

was a most pleasing surprise to find oneself

in such comfort after an hour's mule ride along 

a rocky trail through the dark pine forest. Thus

this learned bachelor spends his summer months 

in the wilderness. I also lunched with the 

Governor at his pretty summer residence. He has