17/11/1915,
Dear Everybody,
After 3 weeks I have just received a N.Z. mail, & right pleased I was to get it. I have put off writing as long as possible hoping it would come to hand. I think there is still more floating round somewhere. I got two from Rothie, one from Lottie, one from Mr Diack, & I think there should still be another running around. The latest from Rothie was dated 30th Sept. & the others were written on or about 19th Sept. Lotties at anyrate, also Diack’s. Up to that time you had received mine of 4th Aug. what an eternity it seems to take them to reach you. The mails are getting very bad, can’t depend on them a bit. Have not received the gift for 19th Sept yet, & have now given up the ghost. Am having a great time in London, seeing all there is to be seen. Have had my final medical board & am down for general service. Am now waiting orders from Weymouth, calling
[Page 2]
me back. Should have been there a week ago but they are so full there just now, that they can not take anyone in. Do not know how long I will be here yet, may be called tomorrow & may not be called for a week. On arriving there I may be sent off at a days notice, on the other hand, may stay there a month, or perhaps only a week; such is the uncertainty of a soldiers life. Have given myself up to it now, don’t mind a bit, just do what ever is asked of me, as it comes along. Had hoped we would be sent to Bulgaria; seeing that the N.Z. & Aust. division was on Lemnos for some considerable period, reorganising, I thought there was a big possibility. However they have been sent back to the Peni, & there I suppose I must follow them. In Bulgaria there would have been a chance of doing something, but I am afraid we will have to sit pretty tight in Dards. until winter is over, take all the Turks choose to give us & say very little. Nothing we can do at Dards will be of any use, if the Germans get through Serbia & link up with the Turks. At time of writing news from that quarter is very gloomy indeed.
[Page 3]
It looks very much like as if it is going to be another Belgian affair. We see by tonights paper that Lord Kitchener has arrived on Gallipoli, perhaps he will make a move in some direction. I sincerely hope he will not sanction the withdrawal of the troops, for I am afraid it would cost us as many men to come off as it cost us to get there. I for one should not care to be in the rearguard. I believe the general opinion here is, that he has gone out to take charge of affairs in Bulgaria, that he is just having a look at the situation in Gallipoli before going on. Now for what I have been doing in London. Arrived from Edinburgh, from which place I think you last heard from me, on Tuesday night 2nd Nov. at about 7.45 P.M. after a very enjoyable run down. The railway service over here is simply perfect compared with our old busses in N.Z. Mrs Hooper & the oldest Miss H. were spending a short holiday in the south of England & did not get back till the following Monday. The Wed. I spent in purchasing various articles for my kit, expecting to be off on the 10th.
[Page 4]
Thurs Miss Hooper took me over Westminster Abby & Roman Catholic Cath. Friday did not do much during the day, went up to London on my own; when I say I went up to London, I mean I went to the City part of the town, which is 7 miles from here; visited the records offices returning to Blackheath for lunch. In evening I went in to Romeo & Juliet, Grand Opera, & really it was simply gorgeous. Saturday I went out to Hampstead Heath which is about 14 miles from here, & spent the week end with some people I promised to go & stay with, while in Dundee. They took me to see the Scarlet Pimpernel in the evening, & it was a treat also. Sunday was not a very pleasant day, rather foggy, however I had a good look round Hampstead, & in the evening they took me to a Sunday concert in what is called the Palladium, & rare good concert it was too. Monday I journeyed to Walton on Thames, some 17 miles from middle of London, but only on the outskirts of the city. It is there that the hospital for the N.Z. wounded soldiers is situated. It is a beautiful spot & the men who are sent there are very fortunate indeed, very well looked after.
[Page 5]
I expected to find a number of the N.Z. nurses there, but such was not the case, only a very few are there, & none I knew. Tues, was Lord Mayors day, not a very pleasant day as regards weather, but very interesting & enjoyable from all other points of view. Tremendeous crowds, & not a few soldiers. The Lord Mayor’s procession was not such a gorgeous night as it would have been, had the weather been fine, the men with the gorgeous uniforms having to wear over coats. However, the whole thing was exceedingly interesting indeed, & we had an excellent window seat. Wed. the day on which my leave ended, we spent very quietly, going in to London in evening. Four of us, both Miss Hoopers’, Leslie & self decided to have a night out, do things in style etc. So we kicked off by having dinner at one of the flashest places in London, Trocadero by name, & a rare dinner it was, afterwards going to the Shaftsbury Theatre to Grand Opera, the piece being the “Tales of Hoffman.” It was exceedingly good, but not so good as Romeo & Juliet. However we enjoyed it immensely & landed home somewhere about mid-night.
[Page 6]
Thurs. did not do very much, however had face enough to have my photo taken, which have turned out not half bad. Had hoped to have them in N.Z. for Christmas but am afraid they will be too late now; also received notice to attend medical board next day. Friday both Leslie & I went up for our board & were passed for general service, being instructed to await orders from O.C. camp, Weymouth, which orders we are at the present time carrying out. Sat. Mrs Hooper having obtained a special order, took me round the Tower, & of what I saw there I will have to keep until I get back. From the Tower we passed to Parliament Buildings going through both houses, a privilige which can only be exercised on Sat. Mrs Hooper left me after lunch, & Miss Hooper & I went along to Shaftsbury Theatre again, the piece being Faust, Grand Opera. Off all the pieces I have heard I think I liked the best, it was simply glorious. Sunday we all, with the exception of Leslie went to the Greenwich Parish Church, & fine old place, boasting a splendid organ, & a very fine man preaching.
[Page 7]
After the service the elder Miss Hooper & I went on to what is called a Foundling Home. It is a place which was given by an old sea captain, as a home for orphans & for stray babies which were left in the streets as not wanteds’. It is a rare old instution & has some fine old legends attached to it, but time & paper will not permit of me holding forth on them. We were in time for the service there also, & really the singing was perfect. The choir is composed of five professional singers, they are paid so much to go there every Sunday & sing for the benifit of the children exclusively, but visitors may go along if they choose. In fact they are only too pleased for anyone to go along. We stayed to see them all go in to dinner, & really it is splendid the way these children are managed & trained. They receive a splendid education, & anyone of them showing special ability is enabled to go in for higher education if he or she chooses. Some of them become very responsible citizens, & hold very responsible positions
[Page 8]
in India also. The organ is simply glorious, was presented to the instution by Handel, & he very often used to go there & play it. From there we journeyed on to the Alber Hall, the largest concert hall in London, & what a rare building it is. Here we had a musical treat indeed, second to nothing I have ever heard. While sitting at breakfast on Monday morning I received a telegram from R. Hutton asking me to meet him in London on Sunday morning at 7 A.M., he was arriving from Edinburgh on his way down to meet Miss Hutton, so much for the mail delivery just now, it was actually 25 hours late in reaching me. However I sailed up to London in company with Miss Hooper, & after a good deal of telephoning managed to pick Hutton up at one o’clock, at Charing Cross station. In the afternoon we three went through the law courts, having the good fortune to see the Lord Chief Justice
[Page 9]
& two other notables on the bench. They were dealing with a criminal appeal case, & the Lord Chief Justice was none other than Sir Rufus Issacs himself. Before going there, & before meeting Hutton we had also been through St Paul’s Cath. From the law courts we passed through what is called Middle Temple & Temple Church. All this area is known as Temple Bar. From there we went on to House of Parliment, but here Miss Hooper had to leave us, because she could not come into the House while the House was sitting. We had the good fortune to hear McAsquith speake Mr Tennant, Sir Edward Carson & several other gentlemen give their testimony’s also. Leaving the House we went along to the Regent Palace hotel, which is one of the best London can produce, for dinner; & then to the Coliseum, the largest Theatre in London. The programme was an excellent one, & we enjoyed the evening very much.
[Page 10]
A change of paper, the other being rather thick. Tuesday we had another good day, starting off with the inspection of the 21 field guns captured at Loos on 25th Sept, & the 3 German aeroplanes & two torpedo from the Emden. They were exhibited in the House Guards Parade. Next we went through the Natural History Museum, the like of which I suppose has no match in the world. Hutton having developed a very severe cold had to retire at this stage of the game. However Miss Hooper & I went on to the London Museum, exhibited here are all the cornation robes worn by King & Queen at the cornation. Also a number of Queen Victoria’s old dresses & of a number of other Kings & Queens also. Hutton had not heard a single world of the Ionic up till this, & did not quite know what to think. Wed. we met him again, having lunch with him, & afterwards going to Royalty Theatre to play called “The man who stayed at Home.” It is one of the finest things I have seen for a long time. That brings us up to Wed. eve the 17th Nove. & time of writing. After coming from the Theatre Hutton rung up the shipping office & they said they had had no word of the Ionic, however that proved to be a lie, for at that moment the Ionic had been alongside the Tilbury wharfe for two hours, & Miss Hutton must have been on her way to London. However I came on to Blackheath, & just a few moments ago received a ring from R. Hutton telling me that Miss Hutton had
[Page 11]
arrived. A few minutes afterwards I had a call from Miss Hutton herself, & have made arrangements to meet them in London tomorrow. What a darn’d mix up it has been, to think that both her brother & father were down here to meet her & that neither of them were on the wharfe when she arrived. However she picked them up all right, & was, when speaking to me, very excited at having met them again. I am very pleased to hear that everything is going on so well at home, & that the weather & everything is keeping up. From the tone of the letters received I judge that things could not very well be better under the circumstances. How well foreward the work seems to be. Oh! I was out at Reymonds again a few nights ago, had a very enjoyable evening & they were very kind indeed. I am afraid I have written more than I can send for a penny now, so I think it is about time I put a peg in. I had wanted to write to Mr Diack this mail but I am afraid I can not manage it. So please tell him that I have not forgotten him altogether & that he will hear from me sometime. My circle of correspondence has grown so that it takes me all my time to cope with it. Trusting this will find you all in the very best of health & spirits; as it leaves me
Your,
Affectionate Brother
E.S. McI.
Mrs Hooper wishes me to convey to you her kindest regards, also other statements which I think she had better convey herself.
E.S.
