Zeitoun Camp
Cairo
26/2/1916.
Dear Everybody,
Just a line or two to show there is no ill feeling, & to prove that I have not much news. Have been rather busy all week & hope that with General’s inspection in the morning we can look foreward to a slacker week, to perhaps some definite word as to what we are likely to do, & where we are going. We have been holding 900 men in readiness to move out in a moment’s notice for over a week now, & we are hoping they will get their marching orders tomorrow. I got an English mail today two letters from the Hoopers, & two N.Z. letters that had gone there for me. In the Hoopers letters they wrote of having met Kate & they had been having a good look round. They all seem to be rather struck with her, & I will bet they will leave no stone unturned to give her a good time. Kate was going to stay with them on Saturday night and over Sunday. During the week I had a letter from Kate written while lying in the stream at Southampton. It was dated 31st Jan & the letter I had from the Hoopers was dated 3rd
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January, so that they did not waste much time in getting up to London. Neither Kate nor the Hoopers mentioned how long they were likely to be in London, or on what date the boat was to leave. However if they stopped a fortnight, as Kate said they were going to, they will by this time be on the high seas again, and ought to be nearing Alexandria if they are coming this way. Am hoping to be able to get a day or two off to enable to run up there to see her. It would be tip top if she could get long enough off to enable her to come down to Cairo for a day or two and have a look round. What is going to happen to us here we do not know, but do not expect to be in Egypt in another six weeks time. We have been, and are intensely interested over the Russian successes in Armenia. What far reaching effect they will have in the movement of the Allies’ troops in the East is very hard to forecast. But it certainly looks like the beginning of the end of the Turks in Asia Minor. To the average
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person the full strategic value of the capture of Erzerum by the Russians, does not carry its true weight. During the week I was out visiting some Armenian people in Cairo, & they happened to know Erzerum very well. Their father had a very narrow escape when fleeing from the place during the massacres of 1894 & 1895. The whole family are old enough to remember them very well. They considered Erzerum almost impregnable and expected it to stand a siege of three months at least. Instead of that the place fell in less than a fortnight. They strongly suspect there was some treachery within. We are now looking forward to the occupation of Bagdad by some allied force, & that at no very great distant date. An officer in our mess had a letter from his brother in France today. The forces over there seem to be quite confident, & expressed themselves as having a great time at present watching the Germans running. According to the papers the Germans seem to be making another
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last desperate attempt to get on the offensive both on Eastern and Western frontiers. Up to the present they have not succeeded, in fact they have come off 2nd best on every occasion. The last letter I had from home is dated 10/1/1916, Annie is the author. We have been expecting a N.Z. mail these last three days but it has not come to hand yet. Got a letter from Jeanie and one from Mr Diack, both having gone to London & are dated Nove. 15. I think I told you last week that I had seen Jack Hamilton & one of the Brown boys. I put all sorts of leading questions to Jack about Bessie’s engagement, & approaching marriage, but he would not let drop a word. The very next day I got Annie’s letter telling me the wedding had taken place. Isn’t he pretty pure? They were to have come back again, but I am afraid they have been sent off before they could get back. Well now I think that is about all I have this week. May know more next.
Ever Your
Affectionate Brother, ESMcI
