27th. Gen. Hospital
Cairo
13/5/17
Dear People
Long before this reaches you I daresay you will have had some word as to my where-abouts. It is a fortnight tomorrow since I first took bad & arrive here three days ago after having had a day or two in different hospitals on the way down. The trip itself took three days but of course they were not long days the longest on the train being about six hours. The worst part is now over but the Dr says it will be some time before I am properly well as Dysentery takes a lot of getting rid of. I would feel much more at home if I was getting about, but that will come in good time.
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You will have seen by the papers that Jacko had carried out air raids on our hospitals up at the front. Three nights they came over & dropped bombs purposely on the hospitals. I was unlucky enough to be there for two of them & I don’t mind admitting that I never want to go through the same experience again. When one is out in the field these things are expected & prepared for but there one is practically helpless. The first bomb dropped just alongside the tent I was in but we escaped very luckily one man being killed outright the only casualty in the tent although the tent was pierced in dozens of places with both shrapnel & machine gun bullet holes. The Australians just beside us fared worse a bomb landing fair in the middle of a big marquee killing several & wounding more.
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They must have dropped all of thirty bombs & was hovering round using his guns for it must have been the best part of an hour & was so low I believe had one had the energy a stone would easily have reached them. The second night he got rid of his load more rapidly & was not so low & of course did not do any damage as far as personal damage is concerned most of the bombs missing the mark. This night he dropped about twenty to twenty five, the third time he came further back & had a go at another hospital. Bet you life he will be the loser in the long run. Of course this coming down here to have the inwards put right has enabled one to get a glimpse of the better part of Egypt & really it is an
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eye opener all the way from Tel-el-Kibir into Cairo is magnificent the crops at present are being harvested & are good. There is not a foot of waste land any where & only the fields of standing crop are with some labourers. No doubt it is wonderful what irrigation does in these parts. Of Cairo I have not seen anything but perhaps will very soon at least. I am looking forward to it. Have not heard of what is going on out at the front since coming down. I had only joined up about two days after having left when I had to come away. I missed the mail in two places so have not had a letter from anywhere for a long while. I expect there will be a bundle along here any of these old days I received
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a parcel of Kate’s today so a letter should not be far away. There is nothing fresh to write about except to say that we are feeling the heat somewhat these days. When the winter days go one misses the cooler atmosphere here more than anywhere else I think. Will close for the present hoping this finds all in the best of health & believe be to be doing well also.
Your Affect Brother
Charlie.
P.S. You might just say if green edged envelopes I have been sending have arrived safely. Ch.
