Ghezeh Camp
Cairo
15/3/16.
Dear Everybody,
If you received my last letter before you get this it will have explained to you that we are not supposed to send any mail out of Egypt for six weeks after the 9th of March. Since writing that I have been a long way, right into Asia, what do you think of that now, & back here to Cairo again. We went down from Zeitoun with all the men there were there, baggage & baggage, to the Canal. On arriving there the men were all taken over by the artillery, & we were left without a charge, & without a home. However we put in the night with the artillery officers, & then reported to divisional headquarters next morning for orders. From there we were ordered to rejoin our regiment & accordingly did so. In forming the new division of New Zealanders alone, they require a great number of men for the new artillery, the engineers & army service corp, & it is these units the men we took down are being posted, hence our being done out of a job. We reported to the regiment only to find out that it was being cut up also, only one squadron being left as divisional troops to the N.Z. division. Here again was a mix up, more men & officers out of work. The men have
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since been posted to the new pioneer battalion, also some of the officers. A number of the officers have been detailed to the infantry, & there are a number of others without appointments, among the latter I find myself. How long it will last I do not know, but I hope it will not be too long. Col. Grigor has been very nasty about the whole thing, & has not helped any of the officers along a little bit; in fact if he had been half a man at all the old regiment never would have been cut up. If Col Bauchop could only see what is going on now, it would make him turn in his grave, I think. When I found out what was going on, I did, at the request of Col Charters, who is now in command of the 1st Otago infantry battalion, put in an application for a transfer to his battalion. I wrote out the application, sent it into the orderly room for Col Grigor to sign, but he was not in. However I met him a few minutes afterwards, & I spoke to him about it, & by jove! he got quite nasty about it, & he said he would consider it. Consider it he did, to my disadvantage though, for when I went into the orderly room next morning to see if he had sent it on, it was still there, & not signed. It was quite apparent then that he was not going to give me any help in the matter, in fact quite the opposite.
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As soon as I saw how things were going I went straight off to Col. Charters & told him that Col. Grigor was not putting the matter through, & that he was inclined to block it. “Well!” he said, “I am going to have a fight for it from this end” & he put in an application to the effect that I should be detailed to his battalion. By the time this got through it was too late, for Col. Grigor must have been along before him, for in next day’s orders it appeared that I was to report to the N.Z. base camp for a medical board, & here I am. Lieut. McCurdy is in the same fix only he was not applying for a transfer. What they are putting us before a board for I can not think for we were never healthier in our lives. Personally I think it is only a polite way of telling us to go back to the base & when here let us stay here until a vacancy occurs somewhere. Before leaving Ismalia Col. Charters told me to wire him the result of the medical baord’s inquiry. If they declare me fit for service, which they must do, he is going to have another shot at getting hold of me. Apart from the desire to get with Charters I would give anything to get the transfer through, just to deal old Grigor one. He is without question the greatest egotist I have ever come across. He has sacrificed to fate of the regiment to
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gain his own ends, & there is no mistake that up to the present he has had all the luck. Well now enough of that, perhaps the next time you hear from me I will be transport officer in the Otago infantry battalion, or perhaps I will still be at the base, where ever it will be. Maj. Orbell is leaving here for N.Z. on Thursday, that is tomorrow, & I am sending this letter with him, or else you might not have heard from me for some time yet. He will post it in N.Z. so there is no danger of it being censored else I would not have written the way I have. It was not until we had been across the canal for some hours that we realized that we really stood on Asiatic sand. McCurdy & I were riding out to headquarters which are some 4 or 5 miles over the canal when old Mac gave vent to the idea, else we might have gone on for long enough. If this war goes on long enough there seems to be little doubt that what we will see a few more parts of the world yet. We have it from General Godley’s own lips that the forces are going to France. He had a pow-wow with the officers on Saturday morning.
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As a matter of fact the first Aust. division left the canal yesterday. Everybody is jumping for joy over the news that we are practically done with Gen. Godley. The 1 & 2 divisions of the Aust. forces & the N.Z. division are to form the 1st ANZAC Army Corp, & General Birdwood is to be in command. General Godley is to command the 2nd Army Corp. I heard yesterday that the Marama sailed for Salonika & not for England as I thought. Of course I am not sure that that is correct, but it will be very interesting for Kate if it is. Well now I must be off. I am going into Cairo to meet Miss Taylor who is nursing in the Citadel Hospital. I promised the Hoopers when leaving London that I would look her up. I managed to get in touch with her last night, by telephone. By the way I am meeting her at Shepherds Hotel, won’t some of you join us for tea? so wish you could. Well I think I have given you pretty near all the news that is of any account. It is simply a scorching day, & it is very hot here in the tent. Well now Au revoir for the present. Tell Mr Diack what is going on.
Your Affectionate
Brother E.S.McI.
