23/1/17
On the Desert
By the Sea
Egypt
Dear Folk.
At last I have received a letter or two from N.Z. one from home and another from Auckland but all dated well into Oct so that I think there must still be some floating around for me somewhere near. At anyrate I have none to say that you have received any written by me in Australia although I have had one from Kate telling me that you had some word of me from there. Her Letter I had rather promptly as it was written on 23rd Dec. & I landed it the beginning of the week. The thing concerning us most at the present time is the weather after a very stormy few days about Xmas & N.Y. we have had beautiful weather until yesterday when it started to blow a gale, of course out here when it blows the sand is no treat
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At night it came on to rain and during the night there were some very heavy showers they however settled the dust for today but it still blows & is mighty cold, but I think it will be over again after today, hope so anyway. At present we are having a spell in a nice position close to the sea & one can have a plunge any time of the day if he desires. The worst feature is a shortage of wood it is a case of a two or three hours ride to get a decent supply & then you have to be lucky enough to strike a place where few have been before you. It goes hard having to go without a hot drink a morning like it was this morning. There is also a good supply of decently fresh water easily obtained by digging a few feet quite close to the sea. Strange to say it is so soft near the sea and the further inland we are the more salt it is so much so that it cannot be used for drinking or cooking purposes & all the water required for our own use has to be carried often may miles by our camels.
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The Raffa fight will now be history in N.Z. I suppose & of the brilliant achievement of the N.Z. Mtd Brigade a good deal will have been said. No doubt it was a splendid bit of work but from all account was not mounted mens work however they did it & that a minimum loss to ourselves. Of the actual fighting I had none although well up within earshot of the position could even see the shells from our own guns bursting during the early part of the day. As it happened my job this time was to escort the provision etc. camels up to the spot where we camped the night after the fight. A most tiresome & weary job it is to the ugly brutes go so slow & as quiet a whole string can go past & one would not be aware of it unless watching or some part of their load made a noise. The journey out took us about thirteen hours & we came back in something like ten of course it was daylight coming home but going out the last four or five hours was done in the dark.
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So you see I have not yet been under fire so cannot say what affect it has on me. The place we are at present is close to the position the Turks evacuated a few days before Xmas that of El Arish & a long way from the enemy. I might well be disappointed that I was not up to them the last time as our boys crossed into Palestine and were fighting amongst green fields in fact a fairly well cultivated part of the country. A decent sight I should imagine after barren desert. So Ern had returned to the fray again & in France I wonder what he is with from the way Kate wrote I imagine it will be in infantry. He must have put up a good performance at the sports to come out on top. I expect you will have had some word of him since he landed in France he must have had a fine trip although a slow one the first time out there. So the neighbours have proved to be good sports Eh! You will be having some big times I guess how are McNeils coming along. I guess Harry will have seen something ere this. Andrew will soon be leaving to I suppose they will
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all be infantry now you never said what George was in but I take it from what happened just after I left F that everybody is in the infantry. 24/ I left off here yester afternoon to go & do one of the hundred & one odd jobs having to be done at this game. As I thought the weather has improved a great deal & the sea which was very heavy the past few days has calmed down considerably & that is a good sign. Have seen Lin several times since arriving out here he is just the same hard old case & is looking fine. We had a long ride & yarn today I was on the hunt for wood & struck him going the same way so that suited us right down to the ground. When I arrived home we managed to have some meat that we have been trying to cook for three days. Don’t think it was cooking all the time, just in fits and starts, when there was some fire under it! I saw a list of those called up under the ballot system the other day & although I recognise a good many of the names cannot
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remember the fellows themselves. Strange is it not that F Weirs name should appear in that list the way it does when he enlisted some months before, Lin brought me along a Referee with the result of the Gore Races in it & I see that T.P. scored a win & in decent time too hope she has been able to repeat that dose since. What about Ardenvohs winning the N.Z. Cup Eh! makes the big chestnut stand out don’t you think. I have been having a few games of football out here & my it is hard work if it was not that it helps to keep one fit I should leave it alone altogether. The CMR played a match against the Scottish Borderers last Saturday & I was a representative. After a very solid contest we eventually beat them by five to three. “Yours Truly” securing a try, it being converted, they having a penalty goal early in the first spell. However we managed to turn the tables just in time.
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How are you taking to your new position Lottie I hope it proves to be to you liking & that you are sending everyone about their business. Any word of Cecil I expect he will have had a long spell in France before this. From all accounts wool and stock generally are selling at a big figure just now. C Foster must have had his head on the right way when he sold for the Thornbury factory. By this time shearing will be well over for another year. You Auckland people seem to be having a big job to get it done of course there will be a shortage every where at this time. I wonder if you have all the Featherston trip yet Jeannie. Do you ever hear from “mine host” either of you two. I have heard that most of the saw mills have closed down for sometime is that correct in the Orepuki region. The boys there will be out of a job if that is correct. They will be getting quite big now. How about the Coronation folk they will have had a good season at the factory. From what I
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had in your letter Rollie must about be manager now Norman & Eileen I suppose still carry on with their studies. Have had no word from them at Coronation since leaving N.Z. I think my store of writing matter has run out so will bring this to a close. Hope you will be able to read it when it does arrive. Have not seen any of the boys that joined the camel corps since they left us at Moascar. The thirteenth Mtd that have been in England for a long while have joined us up now. A Leiut. McIntyre came over with them but I cannot find out whether it was Ern or not. He was in the same camps at any rate. Must stop & get to bed. Remembrances to neighbours friends & relations. Hoping this finds one & all as well as it leaves me.
Affect. Your Brother
Charlie
[Written at top of Page 1]
Address,
10th C.M.R.
N.Z. Mtd Brigade
Egypt.
