Sept. 12th 1916.
Dear Everybody,
It is Tuesday night, the hour is 9.30 & we are just out from dinner. I know you will agree with me that it is a very late late hour, but nevertheless it is the custom here & we must put up with it; I personally would prefer our meal to be at seven, would then have an opportunity to walk it off before going to bed. Since writing you last from London, have had
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a big mail from N.Z. Letters from all parts of the Islands & from all & sundry. How I am going to answer them all I know not. Seems to me that the circle of correspondence is getting beyond me. Some of them will have to be content with P.C.s. I am afraid. When writing last I was not very sure about my position re going to France. I went over to Sling on my return, & made inquiries & found that I was on the next draft of officers to go out, & was under orders to hold myself in readiness to get out at
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12 hours notice. So far there is no more word, but am expecting it any day. The whole affair is governed by, how the N.Z. division fares in the present fighting. If it gets a slap up, we are for it straight, on the other hand, if they win through without serious casualties, we may be here for some time yet. In mail received, were letters from the children at cornation, & I must apologise Eileen, for not letting you know that your letters were reaching
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me all right. However, there was a period of about a month when I had not heard from Cornation, but they all came to hand all right, & I need not mention how pleased I always am to get them. I also had a letter from Mrs. Menzies, in which she mentions she has written me on several occasions, but I am afraid they have gone west, for that is the only one I have had from her for months. She does seem so pleased to have George back again, & I am glad to hear he is settling down all right again. I wonder how
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long it will be before the rest of us get an opportunity of settling down. At the present time, although it is quite clear, & beyond all shadow of a doubt, which way the war is going, the end is nowhere yet in sight. I was awfully surprised to hear that George Wilson had enlisted, surely things have not reached such a hitch for him to turn out yet. What is Aunty going to do, poor old soul
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it will break her heart to part with him, & end her altogether should anything happen him. What a pity it is he did not get into the same lot as Charl. I have heard never a word of Jack Hamilton, I wonder if he is all right. We get the daily casualty list, & have not seen his name on any of them, so I guess he must be still going strong. Bert Foster & Percy Instone I managed to see for about 20 minutes a few days ago. Both are looking well & very fit. They were leaving the same evening for
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Edinburgh, & I am sure that if they have as good a time as most of the N.Z.s. they are assured of a very good time indeed. At last I have heard of Jack McIlwrick, he is with the squadron in France. His address will be, 9/ whatever his number is Tpr J. McIlwrick Otago Mtd. Rifles, New Zealand Expd. Force, B.E.F. France. He evidently has been there for some time, went straight from here to join them in France. We have had a great
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day here today, the Bde., of which this regt. forms a part, was inspected by Lord French. Such a piece of eye-wash you never did see. It was good of course, but not half such a sight as was our divisional reviews in Egypt. Yet the air of importance that everyone wore, would make you think so. It took as long to get the Bde. on parade as it did for us to parade the division. The former is about 2000 strong, & the latter about 20 000. However it is over & I
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for one am pleased that it is over & done with. Have had a letter or two from Kate since she arrived at Walton-on-Thames & I think she is going to like it all right. Evidently plenty of work to be done, but I think that agrees with her. I can’t get over Uncle John going off so quickly, I thought he was keeping so well. To hear that Mrs Gillies had gone, came as no great surprise, for she seemed
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so frail when I left. Just received a letter from Jessie tonight, dated 23 July. It is the same date as those received a couple of days ago. Oh! what is happening to Eric Mier’s, is conscription going to rope him in, or is he going to be left peacefully alone. Mr & Mrs Hooper are going out of London for some months, to a place in the South of England. Poor people, they are at present absolute wrecks of their former selves. I do hope
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that this holiday will put them on their feet again. Mrs Hooper I am afraid is bordering on a nervous breakdown. It is now a quarter to eleven, & as all lights go out at 11. I must be off. In the meantime Au Revoir
Your,
Affect Brother,
E.S. McI.
