N.Z. Training Regiment
Moascar.
Egypt.
8/11/17
My Dear People
I will try & write you something of a letter as I have an opportunity of getting it home with Tom Williams of Invercargill who is returning to NZ with a number of others from here. They are expecting to get away on Saturday & it is high time too they have been having a trying time here the last five or six weeks expecting all the time to go any day & also living in hopes of reaching home for Xmas. I am afraid they will miss by only a few days unless they get an exceptionally good & speedy trip, hard luck for both them & their people if they can’t get there up to date. Tom Williams knows you Eileen & Rolly & was asking about you the other day, it was his people you were staying with in Invercargill. He is a good chap & a real sport we have had some rare nights lately he was one of Lins pals all through & knows a good many of the boys from down there. I am asking him to go out & look you up when he gets back so you will know who it is when he happens along. As you will observe I am still at the base & the last week has been a hard one indeed, to put in when the rest of the boys up the line have been up to their eyes in
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in work. We hear that they have again played a prominent part in the operations especially the last two or three days when Gaza itself fell. A thing that all have been wanting for some months happened the other day. This is what it was, you would have noticed perhaps that in each scrap this front our troops never have been attacked, well it came off the other day when a large force of Turkish Infantry attacked the NZ Brigade. They found out however they were up against it and I believe our boys put up a magnificent fight not giving Jacko half a chance. We are told that the number of Turks left dead in front of the lines was in the vicinity of three hundred for only a few hours fighting. The position here was one that when started had to be gone on with or the consequences may have been much different. Since the Beersheba victory I believe mounted boys have been having a very trying time having to go something like fourteen miles to water & that at night. It is a fine thing to have all branches of the service working in coordinaton & such has been the case here. A great part of the front has always been within reach of our fleet, the artillery fire has increased enormously the air was kept open to our planes for bombing & reconnaissance & last of all the Infantry properly handled when under the orders & leadership of a capable commander. Now-a-days we have absolute confidence in our General which I am sorry to say we had not on some past occasions. All branches are confident of the success of this expedition now & I am sure that, after this, the worst blow that the Turks
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have yet received, progress will be steady. Nearly every day we hear from some quarter that there has been little doing on this front but perhaps for some special reason it has been kept quiet. However when looked at from the right point of view there are few but that will recognize the importance of operations east of the canal & the effect a decisive defeat of the Turks in Asia Minor will have on Central Europe. I daresay if you take a look at any maps of Palestine it will appear to you that we have yet a long way to go to reach Jerusalem but the fact of the matter is that once past Gaza that city is within striking distance. Now that we have this Jacks force bottled up (neck and crop) it may be very interesting to know how rapid an advance can be made into the better country in Palestine. Every thing is in our favour even to season of the year. So far as playing a square game during this war the Turks have proved over and over again that they are the most worthy of our enemies. Most of the items on this front for which they have been blamed have committed by the German & Austrians they have amongst them to stiffen them up. Had the Turks themselves all the say I am sure that long before this they would have been out of the fighting. What of things in NZ I see that the reinforcements are to be considerably reduced which is a good thing for surely our little country has been drained. I also have noticed that there is to be a big increase in Taxation to meet the war expenses.
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By the Powers the Government is going to hit the men with the money now surely what with the increase tax & the tremendously high cost of living anyone that is not in a very fair way of doing will have a hard time. I have some good news now, a mail that we have been expecting for some days has arrived and yours truly has his share. This morning before breakfast it was issued (not as a ration) and mine numbered ten, two from home, the same from Coronation, Lottie and Auckland & also one from Kate. The dates vary from 8th Aug to 24th but there appears to have been a break in the home ones as the last I had from there is 13th & 20th Aug & the last mail was the 1st. All bear news relative of Ernies death & Kate’s tells me that she has word that you have her letter of that time and I am glad to hear that it reached you safely. What a beautiful winter and early spring you have had & I hope it continues as the season advances. With regard to my correspondants Ruth all is well in that direction although perhaps I have got out of touch with some for a few months. Although it is hard work to keep it up one must endeavour to do so even though there is nothing to write about for the greater part of the time. However now that we will be moving again there should be a little more material for writing purposes. You don’t know how I wish I had been endowed with a little more vigorous imagination. What an awful long time you were without a mail I hope you have since had a good budget surely there
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must have been a big one on the Mongolia I daresay there would be some from myself from Cairo since the last you had was so early in May. Goodness how things must be booming in the stock department I hope the old place has a good stock on hand at those prices they would not go amis. The Druids Ball must have been a great success to be able to hand over such a sum of money all for one night. Just after dinner, such as it was, tomatoes, spring onions, bread & tea, by jove the rations are enough here I believe we have it better out at the front if it were as regular. However the main thing is to get filled up isn’t it. I daresay you will think I have nothing to do & that is just about what it amounts to put in about twenty minutes picking up rubbish this a.m. & it will be hard luck if we get enough to keep us occupied that length of time this afternoon. Most days lately however we have had a little drill or something just to remind us that we are not here for a holiday. A nasty wind has struck up since dinner time & in a tent it is just a cloud of dust which makes it very uncomfortable. I will put this away in the meantime & perhaps get some more to say during the next couple of days. 10/11/17 I will have to get this finished off today because the boys are expected to be leaving tomorrow in fact some did go this morning to make preparations on the boat. Nothing of any consequence has happened here during the last couple of days have noting unusual in the routine of affairs. It is
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annoying to be hear & hear of the rest of the boys chasing Jacko’s for all they are worth & we hear today that they have got very close to the Holy City itself but what foundation there is for that I cannot say but it is quite within the bounds of possibility. When one considers the matter & thinks of the fresh country they are seeing as they advance it makes one more unsettled than ever. What is a great help in this affair is the capture of a good many miles of railway intact & as our own was only a few miles from the end you can see how easy it becomes to get supplies forward. It was only a matter of a few days to link up both lines & that part of the business was under way while the fighting was going on. Perhaps I had better stop this sort of talk as one never knows what might happen before this reaches you, but some day I hope to be able to give a more detailed account of operations & things in general. Enclosed are a couple of coins I got from some of the bedouins at Khan Yunus also a Turkish five Piastre note from the same place. Needless to say the note is valueless & it was a shame to see the number that the Turks had rung off on to these poor innocent creatures. As for the coins I don’t know the value of them but they are decent as curios. Perhaps in a little while I may be able to forward something a little more interesting. Now I think that I will have to ring off as I have come to the end of my tether I suppose I will think of something when this is away. Hoping this finds you all in the best of health and spirits & believe me to be the same. Kinds regards to all.
Your affect Brother
Charlie.
