Sunday
16/5/1915
Dear Everybody
Here we are again, & I am out of hospital now & getting very fit again. It is just 6 weeks tomorrow since I went off duty, & by jove it just seems like a fortnight. This will be a very hurried note for I am in here with Perry, Mitchell & McKay, & we all are going to church to night. Everything is going on very well here, that is in Alexandria, but I am afraid we have got our hands full at the Dard’s. It seem that rather than having a run over victory, our forces, at the time of writing, are having as much as they can do to hold the ground they have gained, leave alone advancing very far. In no instance have our troops been beaten, but there has been unparalled fighting to gain a little ground & then to stick to what they have gained. I do not know whether you are getting the true state of things stated to you in the papers or not, but should the Allies be claiming overwhelming victories or stating that the Dards are already in their possession, they are stating absolutely what is untrue. According to reports here there has been no harder task ever been set troops in this war or any other than has been set our lads over here, & I think the “roll of honour” list & list of casualties will prove that. We have some British officers out here who were at the retreat from Mons & they say Mons was nothing compared to what is going on out here. When I tell you the Otago infantry battalion is now practically non existent it will give you some idea of what is doing. I think I told you before that they were set a very formidable task
[Page 2]
on the Sunday night, & that on the Monday at a muster parade, out of 1000 men only 320 answered roll call, well that was absolutely correct. Since then they have had other two very heavy engagements & have been very badly cut up, but on all occassions have gained their objectives & managed to stick to them. The Auckland infantry Bat. also had a pretty rough passage. The infantry reinforcements have all been pushed forward & now they are sending, or have sent the N.Z. & all the Aust. Mtd Brigade men dismounted. At least they are sending 75% of them the other 25% are being left to look after the horses. Last week we received orders to go dismounted, but the day following that order was countermanded & we were to mark-time for a few days. The next thing we heard was that, the 12th Squdn whiche we had left at Zeitoun had got orders to go in our place along with some Aust. mounted men, all dismounted of course. I am writing this on Mon. Well yesterday morn we again received orders to supply 350 men with the necessary officers, to sail from Alexandria about the middle of the week. We are satisfied this time that the order is final, & that by Friday at the latest we will be on the high seas. Of course we are going dismounted too. We are taking all the men we have here, & we will require 50 more of the men that are left at Zeitoun to make up the required number. All our reinforcements are still at Zeitoun, but owing to this order they are all going to be shifted up here, & they a going to look after our horses. You will perceive by this that they are pushing every available man into the field, & it all goes to show how hard they are being held. However in the course for very short time there will be as many men out here as will be
[Page 3]
to carry out these operations, & carry them out very effectively too. What the N.Z. Public will think & say when they get the casualty list I dare not think, but I hope it will shoot home to some of those young fellows who are eligible & should be here, the very grave situation in which we are placed & the necessity for keeping this force up to its full fighting strength, by enlisting & give themselves freely towards doing their little bit to keep the old flag flying. If on receipt of the news of the reception our lads got at the Dardanells does not stir some of them up to the sense of their responsibility, I am afraid I will find it very easy to have very little to do with some of our noble citizens in & around Thornbury should I have the good fortune to get back safely. As I sit here I could easily mark down 40 or 50 names of people living in Thornbury, Wimatuku, Calcium & surrounding districts, that have every right in the world to be here & would not be inflicting hardships on anyone by coming. I can tick off in no time family after family who have plenty of eligible sons, are very well to do, & have not one single person to represent them. It seems to me that these people are quite prepared to calmly sit down & reap the benefits somebody elses sons have won for them. I can easily imagine some of them sitting safely in their homes & talking of this as they talked of the S.A. war, of what a fine picnic the soldiers were having. & what a great deal of credit the Colonial soldiers got for what little bit they did. When this is over I have no doubt but what some of them will have the same to say about us, & our long stay here. However we do not care, the N.Z.s have proved their quality & ability
[Page 4]
at the Dardanells. They have proved to be equal to any in the British army, when asked to do it. Perhaps to a certain extent the remarks about the men in S.A. was correct, but if so it was because they were never asked to do anything else. Anyway our men over here faced & carried positions in the face of what was termed as an absolute inferno, & over & above that took positions, put other troops in their place to hold them, but the latter were not up to it, & evacuated the positions so dearly bought. Nothing daunted our lads up & at it again, & secured the position for the second time. However that does not prove our worth, but buy the “Grace of God” we will do our best to up hold the good opinion the fellows that have gone before us have already won. And if looks & intentions stand for anything I have not the slightest doubt but what they will make themselves felt, for without a doubt they are as fine a lot of men as the Dominion could produce, & are now fitter than ever they were. It is not quite decided yet that I am going, Mr Perry is still in charge of my troop. As a matter of form I have yet to be examined by the Doctor & to be declared fit, before they will let me go. However I have not the slightes doubt of the Dr. verdict, so I think I will be for it, allright. It would be too hard to be left again. We have only one regret about going, & that is that after 9 months hard training we have to leave our horses behind.
[Page 5]
Well I have just received the Dr.s verdict & I am to go along with the rest, & Hurrah! for that. We got a very welcome mail again last night, & it consisted of a letter from Rothie, one from Mr Diack & an Otago W. for this chicken. Must congratulate Mr Thos. on his double win at Riverton. Buller must be in good form indeed, & it was evidently a bitter pill for the “Soldiers Chorus” following. How much I should liked to have been there, only I know, & you can guess. I was astonished to hear of Jack’s bad luck. How on earth could the fire have started, & were they at home at the time. Most unfortunate at this time of year. You remember me saying that I would not get a duplicate receipt for the suit case I have put into Thos. Cook’s & Sons, well I have one now, & I am going to send it home with this letter. In the event of anything happening to me, all you will have to do will be to produce the receipt to one of Thos Cook’s & Sons agents & the case will be forewarded to you. The Agents in Invercargill is WB Scandrett & Sons. However I can tell you that it is my intention to come back some time, so that in all probability you will not need to bother. As that is a matter that is left to a Greater Being than ours I suppose the least said about it the better.
[Page 6]
Well now time is running on & I must get my kit packed. When I started this I said it would be a letter in a hurry, but it has taken me 4 days to write it, & I must still say it is a letter in a hurry. It is now 3. PM. Wed.
19/5/1915, & we are to be ready to march out of camp at 8.AM. tomorrow morning. Our hut will not take much packing, as we are not taking any transport we have just to take what we can carry on our own backs. That includes 1 compete change of under clothing, cardigan jacket, sleeping cap, shaving gear, oil sheet & one blanket & great coat! Not much but I can assure you with all your equipment up it is a very big load for we cavalry men. If you see Mr. Diack tell him I got this letter written just after Easter, & that I was exceedingly pleased to get it. Tell him that if he does not hear from me again before I leave here, that it was because time was lacking. Tell him also that his suggestion to write Buller on the military post card if we were going to France, & Waiau if we were going to Dard. was a brilliant idea, but that he must remember that it says distinctly on the card that no word whatever must be written on same; so that settles that lot. Again, that Mr Perry wishes to be remembered to himself & Mrs Diack. Now the next time you hear from me will in all probability be on one of those same cards, so you must perforce be satisfied. So Au Revoir for the present. E.S.McI.
[Page 7]
I have no time to read this over, so if it is not a series of repetition I am surprised. Having taken four days over it, anything might be in it.
Au Revoir
Your Loving
Brother. E.S.
