Dundee
13/10/1915,
Dear Everybody,
I thought when I wrote you last week that it would be the last you would get from me from this quarter, however I received word from those peoples Hoopers with whom I was staying in London, & it was there I was going to from Edinburgh, but I am very sorry to say their youngest son was killed, or rather wounded & died of wounds on the 28th Sept, evidently in the advance that commenced on the 25th. They wrote me to that effect, but wanted me to go to them just the same on my arrival in London. I could not do that so have spent another week here & am now leaving on the 18th, that will leave me, by the time I have done Edinburgh, about a fortnight at most in London. I will have to put in a week at least with the Hoopers, Mrs Hooper would be very much offended if I did not go to see them, & she will not hear of me going to any of the hotels. It is very sad their youngest son being killed, he was getting on so well & they were all very proud of him. Mr & Mrs Hooper were sent for when he was wounded, & arrived in France in time to hear that he had been buried that afternoon. Had they not been delayed on the way over they would have at least seen him, but I am afraid not alive. That is the second son in 3 months, the other was their oldest
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& was a doctor in one of the hospitals in London. I would like you to write them a line when you hear this. Last night I received a big budget from N.Z. some of it had been delayed for a week, can’t make out why I got the first letter since I arrived in England from you Lottie & Kate only last night. I think some of my mail is still held up somewhere, as I have never received the parcel you sent me to celebrate the 19th Sept. However I have not given up hope yet, it is war time & we can hardly expect to get things as regularly as in ordinary times, very lucky to get as much as we do. I would like to know if the spoons I have been sending from here have been reaching you all-right. Up to date I think I have sent 4 from various places. Amongst the mail received were very welcome & long looked ones from Jack & Mr Diack, theirs too have been going astray I think, however the threads seem to have been straightened out again & all seems to be running smoothly. There was one from Balamona, Cornation & two from Rothie not a bad lot was it. I am very pleased to hear that everything is going along all right, & also that the weather is so good. The seasons seem to have changed entirely, Aug. & Sept used to be such bad months. Just as well to take advantage of it while it lasts, for remember what happened last year, the same may happen again. The weather
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here at the present time is very good, & very like our own autumn days. I gather from the Rothie letters that more crop is being put in this year, & never fear but what it will be wanted. I am very much afraid that Lord Kitchner knew what he was talking about when he said the war would last three years. How well Jack seems to be getting on with the mill, I thought that that line would have suffered very heavily before this. I sort of gathered from Rothie letter that you have been selling off some of the younger horses, is that correct & if so which ones? Up to you Charl. to answer that. I know which one you were sending to the sale in aid of the Country Queen, & I surmise that the one you are breaking in for Tom is that bay one, the oldest one that came from Spriggs. Fancy old Pat away, he did not cost the place much & was not a bad old nag. Mr Diack wrote & said that Ward must have bought him because he would know his proper place on parade, for he was sure Ward didn’t. You may have written me regarding how much oats etc were sold lat season, & how much per bushel, but I have never received it yet, in Dards most likely. I have never got a single letter sent on from there or heard from any of the other officer of the Squdn. despite the fact that I wrote them from both Malta & London.
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From Jeanies & Kates own letter I gather that she has left Greytown & has volunteered for service abroad, & at time of writing her letter just received she is nursing at Trentham. Well if my deductions are correct, I am very glad you have done so Kate. I have been hoping all along that you would volunteer for service abroad, but did not want to mention it to you thinking that I might make you take a step that perhaps you would regret afterwards. However now that you have done it I am very pleased, & sincerely hope you will not be disappointed again, the way you were when you went to Trentham. It is quite possible that at time of writing you may be on the water, & if so this will never reach you, & it may be some time before I get in direct touch with you again. In that case they will just have to send contents of this on from Rothie until such time as I get your address. It would be great if we were to meet somewhere in the east. would’nt it. Sorry to hear you had to go out to that old sanatorium again Lottie, however when your are done with it this time you are done with it for good. I wonder if you are thinking about crossing the water when done with Dunedin. I have been instructed to be sure & ask you Kate if ever you land in this quarter you are to come
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& see these people. I would advise you to do so you would never forget it, or regret it either. (Address is J. B. Black. “The Hermitage” Tayport Dundee.) No harm in giving you the address, because no one ever knows what is going to turn up these amazing times. When in London I happened to mention to Mrs Hooper that I should not be surprised to hear any day that you had volunteered, & she straight way replied that if you did & were ever in London she would only be too pleased for you to go there, & she said she could even get you into a hospital there if you liked. Castles in the air, what do you think? Should you ever get away you will find I have no doubt, the work very interesting, but the hours are pretty long. Things in general seem to be humming around Thornbury, what with bazaars & the carnival things seem to be pretty busy, & the money coming foreward for the various funds all-right. People in N. Z. are responding splendidly, & I am glad to say it is being thoroughly recognised over here. The matter of recruiting is being held up as an example to the different Dominions. It seems that Aust & N.Z. have done more in proportion to population than anywhere else. I am still confident that if we have to fight to the death, both N.Z. & Aust. have a long way to go before they get to the end of the money & the last
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availiable man is in the firing line. Neither this country to any of the colonies are being pinched yet, at any rate there are not any visible signs of it, sacrifices are being made & made cheerfully, but we have not been asked to make such sacrifices as some nations have. I am very pleased to hear that Thornbury is turning out another man, what struck Jack Hamilton, it took him some time to waken up but now that he has done so good luck to him. Your letter is the first word I had got of young Webb being wounded. I saw him in Egypt some time before we left, but never heard anything about him since. Am glad to hear he is getting on all-right. I have not heard anything more about the regt being sent back to Egypt to re-organise, may be correct & it may not. The Balkan problem has burst, & we find them arrayed against us, did not at one stage of the drama think that such a development could be possible! however it has come & has to be dealt with. It is the down fall of Bulgaria, it will have no ultimate effect on the war but may prolong it considerably. One thing is certain, it will make the settlement after the war is over a much more simple task. Last night we received the first news of their troops being in action. It will be
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interesting to watch Greece’s actions. There seems to be underhand work going on there somewhere. This practically means that a winter campaign is un-avoidable on Gallipoli, unless things are squashed in Serbia, should by any chance the Germans link up with Bulgaria I am afraid all our work on the Peni will have been for nothing. Taking things all round the present news would lead one to think that we have the Germans on toast. The progress is slow in France but it is progress, & I believe that now it has begun it will be steady. In Russia the tide has turned, & it would seem as if the cast into Serbia is a last desperate effort to break through somewhere. The fighting there is very severe but a great number of Allied troops are being sent to Salonika, enough to stem the invasion very effectively. My own condition is steadily improving, I had no idea though that it would take so long to get up strength again. I think I mentioned in my last letter that I had got into touch with G. Menzies. Remember me to them Lottie, & tell them that I will see George in about 3 weeks time, unless of course he gets away before I can get down. Give my kindest regards to any whom may be kind enough to inquire after me. I would like to see Charls turn out for the ball.
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This day 12 months ago we were making arrangements at Miramar for our final departure. One can hardly believe it is so long. Had a letter from Jeanie Gillies last week, & everybody seemed to be pretty well. Well I have come to the end of my tether again. Oh! I have had a very kind invitation to go & stay with Birtie Huttons brother while in Edinburgh, very kind of them isn’t it. Well Au rêvoir for present.
Your Affectionate
Brother
E. S. McI.
