Letters from Geoffrey Gordon McCrae to his family, October - December 1915 - Part 5

LEMNOS

14.11.1916

 

Dear Mother.

Enclosed are a few

souvenirs.  The Turkish Buckle

and cartridge are from the

now famous Lone Pine position.

There is also a Greek and an

Egyptian coin.  The box is

one of the Christmas Gifts from

Princess Mart.  I would be

glad if you would keep the

buckle for me till I return

Helen can wear it if she wishes

You can do with the rest

what you will

Much love

from

Geoff

 

LEMNOS

20.11.1915

Dearest Mother father & Helen

 

We are still here despite many

attempts to get us away. I sold my

boat for £13 so I made not much a

bad bargain out of it considering the

Greeks had stolen two anchors & 

two oars and much rope.  We hear

with grief that the boat carry my

some thousands of bags of mail for

us had been torpedoed & sank.   We

have been done nothing but pack up &

unpack lately so there is nothing

to relate.  We are living in a very

poverty stricken state now we have

parted with all our tables & chairs

beds etc.  Night are very cold & the

air laden with frost but I man

age to maintain good health &

spirits.  I had a bath in the hot

mineral springs at Therma yesterday

rode there & back on donkeys. Good

luck           Much love

from Geoff

 

ANZAC

26.11.1915

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

 

I was very glad to receive

your letters of 4/5th October.  I am glad

the CO appreciates my work it

is nice to know as he never shows

it to any one personally as it is

difficult to know whether you

are pleasing him.  He has nothing

from England and is at present

at Lecious.  I have a request to

make and that is you will

Keep on the telephone at my

expense.  Both call & investment

charges.  I have never contributed

anything to the upkeep of the

house so I claim this as my

privilege.  I would take an

[[         ]] proposition re you

Legacy.  I have not drawn any

pay for a long time so I have

a £100 credit in my paybook

I am putting some forms to

remit it to you, take any

 

amount you like out of it for you

own self as I have a lot to pay

you back for and would like

to do so now that I am able.

The weather is rather miserable

at present we had a tremendous thunder

storm last night.  I have weaned myself

from body belts away to them making

too much a harbour for service

Washing water is a very scarce

commodity.  I am [[.     ]].   [[.  ]] excellent

health the stay at Lemnos having

been very beneficial. I have no

more news so will cease wishes

every good thing

Much love

from your loving

Geoff

 

ANZAC. 2.12.1915

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

We anxiously awaiting our

mail which is promised any day now

since i last wrote I have had mu

first experience with snow. I awoke

one morning to find the whole country

side under two inches of snow and

a young blizard blowing.  It was a

most beautiful sight but more suited

to Russian Troops than ours.  it was

resistingly cold.  We moved because

that day and had a very arduous

time of it owing to steep hill tracks

covered inches deep in slippery mud.

That day we had very little to eat and

very particle of our Kit was bespattered

with frozen mud however the elements

have repeated them the evil and we

are now having glorious spring weather

and have a fairly comfortable bivouac

I am feeling very fit, we turn us about

6pm each evening the only way in

Keeping warm and candles are scarce

 

The night and early mornings are very

sharp and days bright and sunny.

They are getting up an Anzac New

Year Magazine to which I have

contributed a sketch and hope it

will be accepted as it will be

quite an Historical affairs.  i met

Bean the morning and

he remembers his trip from

Hobart with Helen distinctly

4.12.1915  This afternoon there was

a very intense bombardment down

at Cape Helles,   Cruisers monitors

destroyers and show batteries

keep the whole earth and sky

vibrating with an awful [[. ]]

stick as I have never before

experiences.  I have wanted variety

for four days for the mail so will

not delay this note any longer

Much love

from 

Geoff

 

ANZAC

9.12.1915

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

 

Thank you very much for

your letter of 10th October.  The Colonel

arrived back the day before yesterday

looking awfully fit having had

a lovely time in England. I was

told he was to arrive at 7 in the

morning so went to meet him.  The

first [[.  ]] of troops came ashore

at 11.30 pm and the next at 1 am

I happened to meet Capt Le Meiscunicoe

on the beach and he took me up

to the hospital gave me supper and

a bed and put a man on to watch

for the next load which arrived

at 5.30 am. The Col and I set out

at once for our bivouac which we

reached at 7 am.  Whilst on the

beach a rather funny though tragic

incident took place. A number of

Egyptians found a bomb this they

took for a lamp and overjoyed

 

with their find stood round it

and lit it with the result that

it burst wounding seven of them

I am now back with "B" Co again

with Swift as my second in command

I am just having a new [[  ]]   [[    ]]

out of the earth. Abdul has been

throwing 8 m high explosive about

lately but beyond that there is

nothing doing here.  I am very

well and in good spirits.  The

latest  [[    ]] are very cheesy

I written to Kate excepting the

job of Gawd father.  The weather

here is beautiful at present

I think that contains all local

news.  Things have settled almost

to a routine and consequently 

there is nothing of importance

to tell you of Good luck

and much love

from

Geoff

 

MUDROS. 27.12.15

Dear Mother Father & Helen

You will doubtlessly wonder

at the long gap between this and

my previous letter. A week prior to

the evacuation we were forbidden

to send letters away and the ban

has not yet been raised not will

it be until we reach our next

destination.  The mail outward

before the prohibition I believe was

destroyed by fire so hence This

long neglect. I have received your

letters written in October for which

I thank you. I cannot find out

anything definite about Pte Gordon

Hawkings  This effects if not already

forwarded to his relatives would

be at Intermediate Base Mustaffa.

Banades Alexandria.  Mother I forgive

you for your remarks about Maude

and are delighted to know you now

view our affection from the right stand

point.  I am not allowed to give you

any details about that brilliant

operation of the evacuation which

I doubt has its historic parallel

suffice it to say the 7th had the

honour of being amongst the last

 

troops to leave.  The move was a

triumph. of organization coupled with

good discipline.  If you hear anyone

making any disparaging remarks 

about the discipline of the Australians

take it with a large grain of salt.

i and many other of our officers were

the victims of a gang of Greek Sailors

our baggage was shipped off several

days before us and the men on the

ship went through our things Took

what they wanted and jettisoned

the rest.  Thus I arrived here with

only what I stood up in.  The

sisters at the Hospital came to

the rescue with towels sweaters

blankets and socks. so our lot

was much more bearable than

it otherwise would have been

Christmas came and went very

quietly.  I got a letter from Mrs

Creswick with a beautiful assort

ment of things in it.  I also received

a parcel from Maude. and a

plum pudding from a lady in

Barkers Road So all my gifts

 

came close from home.  I am

sending you by this mail our

Christmas Cards which are a bit

late I confess yet will none the

less be historical and therefore

acceptable.  I had a card from

Mrs McKenna a letter from Mrs Kellican

and some cards from Wyneuke.

I am in very good health despite

the miserable wet and muddy

surroundings in which we find

ourselves. There is however the

consolation that it is not to last

for long.  I thank you for the many

papers you have sent.  Christmas

eve was a very sad one  for me

I did not go out with the rest 

of the crowd. The night was still

but cloudy except for brief

intervals where the moon looked

through the crevices and

 

turned the waters of harbour into

a brilliant sheet of silver and

the great silent ships in their

hundreds looked like a flock of

gigantic waterfowl sleeping upon

its surface.  Over the water came

the distant sounds of Christmas

Carols sung by parties  of Tommies

at the Hospitals and the old

familiar tunes brought weird

memories of home and Maude

and a realization of the

great gulf which is fixed

[[  ]] thee and me.   May God

give me my next Christmas at

home.  Give my love to 

everyone

Much love from 

Your loving Geoff

 

Enclosed are a few more photos

give Maude 

a copy