Letters from Geoffrey Gordon McCrae to his family, 1916 - Part 7

MOASCAR

8/6/16

CPO

McC

3 

two of the original staff that

were at Lemnos left) The programme

was arranged by Tom Dawson

the comedian who for years was

on at Rickards and now is a member

of this Battalion a worthy fellow, in

faith.  He together with many excellent

amateurs and several professionals

provided much amusement & pleasure

to some two or three thousand officers &

men.  We have thus made our impression

and instead of being nonentities we are

now somebodies in the other Battalions

estimation. I hope you do not think I

am conceited far from it I am aware

painfully of many weaknesses and when

one is in the position of C.O. one knows

that the critical eyes of both those over

and under him are ever sizing him up.

General Elliott is anxious to get Hugh

into this Brigade and will push him

along if we can get him I wish I

knew what unit he was with so I

could get in touch with him. I am

enjoying the best of health at 

present. I am going up to Cairo for

[the week end with the General if nothing happens

in the meantime to prevent us. We are having Divisional 

sports next Tuesday. No time for more will close 

with much love from your loving Son & Brother

Geoff.

1 DRL427

4/13

8/6/16.

MOASCAR

15. 6. 1916.

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

Our days in Egypt are numbered

and I have had my final Cairo leave

which was spent with Gen Elliott he

told everyone we met that I would

soon be a Colonel so if he says that

I suppose there must be something

in the wind.  I have been doing

the work of that rank for the

past month. I hope I will be able

to successfully carry the great

responsibility that is thus coming 

upon me and greet myself like

a man and bring honor to our

name.  We had a Divisional Sports

Meeting to-day and our Brigade won

the Championship. This is a feather

in our cap and has caused much

elation to the boys. I pray God we 

may do as well on the battlefield

as on the sports ground. I have

just had a letters from Honey

Winifred & Maude all dated early

2

in April. I wish I knew which

Unit Hugh was coming out with

the General is anxious for him

to join up with us so if he

has not left when you receive

this tell him to apply to come

with reinforcements to this Brigade

I went to look for Keith & Roy Ekerstien

today but could not find them,

this may be the last letter you will

receive from me for some time at

least until we reach the other

side and provided we don't

strike a "tinfish" which of course

is quite within the bounds of

possibility. Should that happen

I pray that I may "go to my God

like a soldier"  I will be glad to

get away from this heat which

is most enervating and is sapping

our energies. Farewell my dearest

ones, you are ever in my thoughts and

hence your influence is my guiding

star. May God be with you till we

meet again.

Much love from Geoff.

1 DR427

4/13

15/6/16

UNION-CASTLE LINE

R.M.S."KINFAUNS CASTLE"

21st June 1916.

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

We are about to bid

farewell to Egypt and have

been lying out in the harbour

here for the past three days

waiting the word to sail.

This is a very fine ship and

I am very comfortable with a

stateroom to myself. There is an

English Major travelling by

this ship who is very musical

and has all the latest music

so we have great sing songs

every evening. We had a rather

a fine trip down here from

Moascar the whole unit travelled

down in one train of low-sided 

trucks. We started at 10

in the evening and arrived

alongside at 6 next morning

thus avoiding the heat of the day

We had our valises spread on

the floor of the trucks and could

lie down and whatch the

stretches of moonlit desert &

cultivation fly past us.  We

had hampers prepared at

Ismailia before leaving and

we thus were provided with

a very excellent midnight

supper. When the train halted

to take in water at some of

the most desolate places on the

line.  Gyppies as if by magic

appeared out of the desert,

crying "Eggs a' cook" "Eggs a' bread"

at 2 in the morning.  I quite

enjoyed the experience and was

able to get a few hours sleep
despite the bumping of the trucks

and ringing crashes of the buffers

at every change of pace.  I know

not w^^hither we are now bound

but I believe its France

I am very well and in

good spirits.  The weather

here is extremely muggy

and the perspiration which

exudes from one is simply

astonishing everything we 

possess is soaked even to

our tunics which are all

marked.  the Troop decks are

young living Hells there is 

little or no breeze to cool

our fevered brows.  We are

too crowded to be able to do

any work on the decks so

the men are having a holiday

anyhow it's too hot to work.

I think I have about exhausted

my news so will conclude

Things are looking much

more hopeful now the

Russian steamroller has

got a move on I expect

Kaiser Bill's beginning to

scratch his head after the

knocks he's been getting of 

late.  May the whole show

soon conclude and allow

us to live again like

rational human beings.

I sincerely hope that you

are all in the very best

of health, wishing ^you every joy

Believe me.

Your loving son & brother

Geoff.

UNION-CASTLE LINE

R.M.S. "KINFAUNS CASTLE"

26. 6. 1916.

Dearest Mother Father & Helen

To-day finds us a

bit North West of Cape Bon

tearing along for all we are

worth escorted by a destroyer.

We have just past a ship

which by her lines I'm sure

was the "Mashobra" she was

too far ^^away to be certain might

have been a sister ship.  We

were four days in Alexandria

harbour before we sailed

after that we were under

escort the whole time as

fast as one ship would

leave us another would

come over the horizon to

take her place.  The navy have