Dug Out
4/6/1915
Dear Everybody
I suppose that by the time this reaches you, you will have received my two military post-cards. They certainly do not give you much information, but at least they let you know that I am still in the land of the living, & that I am going on very well. In fact, with the strict censorship there is, I will not be able to tell you very much more. Just how much I am permitted to say I do not know, but will not say too much in case they should cut the letter out altogether. We have just finished our tea & a very good one it was too, considering we are right at the game. Strange to say the men are living better now than they ever did during their course of training. When I say men I mean officers too, because there is no difference out here so far as rations are concerned. We just draw our allowance with the troops, & it is such an elaborate an allowance that we never want. The only thing we get short of is water
[Page 2]
& we certainly do have to cut it pretty fine to make it go round. We are allowed 1/2 a gallon a day, & were it just an ordinary day we would find it quite sufficient. However it is the common comment that they, the men would willingly give up some of their other rations if they could only get more water. It is a peculiar thing but other than giving me a parched mouth the firing had no other effect whatever. However the dry mouth was such as I have never before experienced, & I do not care if I never do again, it makes it very hard to speak, & very much worse to give orders. I have spoken to several others since we have been in action & they speak of the same complaint. I am not permitted to say when or where we were engaged, but I think I am safe in saying that while the attack lasted, which was from 9.P.M. until about 4.P.M. it was pretty hot & at two stages of the game we were pretty hardly pressed. It was a pretty tough on us to have such an hot engagement for the first one. It was an out-post position where the attack was launched, & we had just relieved the picquet by about a quarter of an hour, & were not properly settled down when we heard the undeniable battle cry of Allah, Allah! & were suddenly aroused to the fact
[Page 3]
that we were being attacked. To make matters a shade worse the man we took the post over from, told us that on that particular side we need not fear any trouble, for they had not seen anything all day. As a consequence we did not man that side of the position very heavily, but rather put the most men on the side where he expected the trouble come from if any came at all. Just after we entered the trenches, & had placed a sentry at the ions entrance, giving him the necessary instruct- word went round our line that the Turks had got our pass word & that about twelve of them had entered our lines. The sentry sent for me & told me what had happened, needless to say he was in a great funk. It seems that after we had entered the trenches & placed this sentry, 12 men advanced to the entrance in the ordinary manner, were halted by the sentry in the proper way, asked for the countersign, gave it, & as a consequence were allowed to pass in. As they passed, the sentry thought they were peculiarly dressed, & that they carried peculiar looking packs. He simultaneously heard the rumor that about the
[Page 4]
word, & straight away got in a funk. This whole business put every-body on the alert, & made the men rather jumpy a fact which takes a good deal of setting right at night. Well we were just getting them steadied when a Capt came to our post from a neighbouring one, to warn us that his regiment was sending some of their men back to camp past our post, & that we would be sure not to fire on them. This man gave the countersign all right but before he got passed the sentry the remainder of the group became suspicious & halted the man again & ordered him to put his hands up, & they kept him there until they sent for an officer. Of course the man was all right & was very wild at being covered in the way he was, but was quite satisfied when the situation was explained to him. This little incident was not over very long when we got to business. I am not permitted to say how many casualties there were, but I can tell you they were very few & only 1 fatal. All the lads that any of you know are all very well & are going strong. Jack McIlwrick, & Hugh Crawford are
[Page 5]
exceptionally well & looking very fit. Bertie Hutton is also looking better than I have ever seen him. His machine has bee in work pretty often & has done very good work. Summing the whole thing up we have had a very strenuous week of it, & a pretty severe christening. The first week we were here we held a small section of the trenches in the main position, & had to come out here to these out post positions every night. That is about about 170 men were detailed every day to relieve then men on out post, they of course remain on the post for 24 hours. We are still putting our post in a state of defence, & two of them at least would cost master Turk some trouble to take, & the other one is pretty well fixed up. Since we left Alexandria we have had, with the exception of this last 7 day, a very easy time. We left Mex which was the place where we were camped at Alexandria, on Thursday night and arrived at Lemnos on Sunday morn. We left there on the following Thurs night & were properly on the job on the Sat. Since leaving Alexandria I have
[Page 6]
received no mail of any kind. However I do not despair for mail comes up here pretty regularly, & I suppose mine will come with the rest. Well now time is running on & as the mail closes at 9. AM. & it is now 8.45. AM. I shall have to put a peg in. So funny water is very short, & just at this moment McCurdy is having his morning wash & to see him pouring the water out of his water bottle on to his hands & then rubbing his face makes one think of the time when I used to be accused of giving my face a cats lick. That is not to say that we have to go with out a wash altogether. Last night & every night when not on duty we can go into the sea for a swim, for it is only about 150 yards away from us. However during the day the snipers are too good a shot to risk going for a swim in daylight. Well now hoping to hear from you in the course of a day or two. I remain your
Sincere Brother
E S McIntyre
