Correspondence relating to Mary Anne 'Bessie' Pocock, pre-1914 - Part 9

Message from Mr & Mrs G. [[Yant?]] Every letter
I should like to write to them some time

but is - is hardly worth while.

Your loving sister Bessie.
I keep so well [[? sis]] had some

neuralgia & that not glorious
& Everybody is so nice to us & all
are so anxious to see & make our
acquaintance the old saying a Prophet-
in his own country & Etc. I always have the
title Lady Sup^dt. No 2 Military Hospital - in all
business & money transactions & Etc.
 

June 13th

Well my dear people I wrote to you

in a desperate hurry last week

on the eve of our departure, but
here we are still in East London
There was a wire to tell us to stop

where we were as the Lines
(Railway) between us and our
destination had been torn up by 
the Boers. so a good thing we

had not started and here we

are still waiting for instructions

it is very tiring to energetic
people. of course long before you
get this  goodness knows
where we shall be. but I'll
write as soon as I know any
thing definite.  I think if you

still address East London we 
may get them some day.
If there is war with China &
they want us to go it will be

lovely to see another country

I hope we get the chance if
there should be any trouble & the
 

one blessing we still are with 
the same officers here, and
I hope and trust we shall
remain with them.  they are
still waiting for orders as we
are you know. Never know the
hour we may get a wire to
go at once or perhaps stay
here and take our own
place back again.  We all
want to go up to the front
except Major James and he
has seen so much that
he is quite content to live
quietly but not so the rest 
of us.  I am so anxious to go
I want to be in the thick

of the excitement. You know
I nearly die each time I 
get a holiday and nothing
to do.  We have been so
hard worked over here that

this idleness does not agree
with me. At any rate a few

days are quite enough. 
it is a funny place over here

hot abt midday and very cold
night and morning.  Nearly always

windy. in fact gales, and
dust you cannot see your
way a few yards ahead

the gravel and what little

blue metal they have on
their streets actually flies
about, and nearly kills you

I don't think I ever saw

such dust.  No vegetation

the shrubby undergrowth &
small trees are positively

white - or more correctly

speaking dark brown with

dry dust - real Khaki color.
No wonder the Soldiers are
dressed in Khaki :  one
Irishman going so far as

to say, after seeing hills,
anthills, trees & Etc. all one
color he saw some locusts &
grasshoppers.  of course looking
brown. Blow me if even
 

the bloomin. insects aint
dressed in Khaki: You know
they never have any rain
over here in the winter and
I'm thinking that it is many
months since they have

had none for many winters
tho' the days sometimes
are lovely.  I should think
if they had good rainy
seasons and worked a

little harder, it would  be
a beautiful, wealthy country

but the few white people

one sees working have abt

a doz: Kafirs, men & women
carrying and helping them
it really makes one ill to 
see people  one's own color
so frightfully lazy, do nothing
but order  & scold the poor
black race.  tho' the majority
of the Kafir people are dirty - &
horrible tho' they work so hard
& get very little pay for it -
 

 xxxx course if all the military people xxx

xx it would be as bad as Copmanhurst
xxx should die.  tho' I believe it- is to be made
a Garrison Town  xxx and no doubt they
give all the positions to the English
beauties before they give us anything.

xxer no mention anything nice anyone

xxxx or tells me for it only makes the
others  jealous  & then there is  no peace.
I get all I can. I want to [[know?]] all those
men well. for if ever I wanted. an
appointment - or anything they would
xx so useful  to me. and the men
 xxxxxxxxx all of such good positions
both at home and in the Army here.
I had such a nice letter from Major Owens
Mother. his father is a General. They were

very anxious for from the first wire

"Dangerously ill" till my note written

for him a month after they heard
nothing.  they expected him  xxad of
course. the other one. whose father is a 
General. went for home. last week. for-

well that is the one Col. Campbell has
promised me the Maltese Cross for he
belonged to his Regt: he is only joking I think

 

 

xxx had a few of the very xxx hot days I 
expect over here last week. then Rxxx xxx
torrents of rain all in little spurts or [[?]]
as we call them overflow and you can hardly
cross after a storm, A place that was quite
dry before. but it soak's in so soon and the
Earth is quite dry & hard. after all the sheets of
water having fallen on xxx
abt 20. Kafir women were pact in a waggon
dressed in every color under the Sun. bright
such a pretty gay picture a flag of many
colors flying in the centre. it turned
out to be a Kaffir's wedding we heard
after. but if you had seen their black
shining faces. white teeth. & bright dress
you would never have forgotten xxx
driving like mad. Evidently someone
who employed the men lead the waggon
and horses. there they were all sitting
in a [[rows?]] [[nearly?]] 20 [[l'm?]] [[sure?]]. A large Mule
waggon. the District Commissioner married
the we heard.
Everything looks so green & bright here
with the heavy storms of rain lately.
very hot. this is the last day of the old 
year I'm glad we are still out here
I don't want to go back you know one big xxx
wish there was a chance of something here
but there is nothing good enough I'm afraid.

 

We have so many Refugees here that I'd not

be surprised at their trying anything like that
it is supposed that they want food. We have
a Search. light - playing all over the town all night
where they put is on yon trees. I think they

could [[?]] recognising one. it is so bright and when

it shines on the green trees & the Church Spire

& white Church it is perfectly beautiful.

Report says that there were abt: 30 Boer within

a mile or more of our Mil post last night but not

near enough for our men to [[?]] the Big [[?]] on them

they have had extra xxx [[?]] on all round

the Refugee camp has for some nights

past. they are very cold. An officer of course is

with them. some shooting again last night

but I do not think anything of importance 

they are supposed to shoot any men who get

beyond the outposts & often it is a Shadow or
Sheep. Or more serious sometimes when one of

our own men for some reason never explained

go there & are shot- or wounded. they have to be

so careful of spies & check  & I think they come

in without them knowing. the truth I think is

our men get so nervous these dark nights - they are 

always expecting to be shot any minute - so

as soon as they hear a sound or see a shadow

they fire 

Seems strange that men can and are expected

to shoot as many of each other as they can.

Everybody says the Boers will never give in they do

not care now what becomes of themselves, families or homes.

Fancy that old S.Lee putting my letter in the paper. did 

it read very ridiculous. What did I write about -

if I write to old [[?]] Jast he will not

do that or that his wife will not think it strange. I

have not made up my mind whether I shall

write to him yet [[?]] [[?]]

Give my love to all the friends I know. tell them

anything you like. I have not written to Mrs [[Snryht?]]

for ages. Nor have i heard of Miss Bahlsen. I 

wonder if she is in Sydney. Fancy that [[Geal?]]

woman never answering my letter. Nor even the

one I sent with the Commemorative did you ever see

[[Dr. Filaschi?]] he never wrote after he went home.

I suppose you never see Dr Hood. I do hope that

the King is giving medals when I go home. I have not

heard anything yet of course. I am afraid my old

friend has not even got my letter yet, he goes

away inspecting stations for two or three months

at a time & I would not leave here that I 

hear from him he was here only a month

ago I wish I had arranged then with him 

however I suppose he will get it sometime

I hope soon  also that he will be able to do

what I want

Ive always [[?wanted]], [[?heart]] of

a soldier You can

understand how often

my heart goes to 

Middleburg and [[?]] I

xxxxxxxx as not for Smith

Mun ^day from Nrs. Pocock-

P- [[?]]. M.A.M.C.

[[?]] wish from [[FMceston?]]

& said he had a fever

on duty at the Hospital

at Middleburg and would I 

allocate any [[?]] [[?]]

Can you tell us anything