Palestine
10/7/17
Dear People
Having a little time to myself tonight I think it will be well spent writing you a few lines to let you that I am again back to work. That I find it hard for a few days you can quite imagine. I just got back a day or two before we shifted from a sort of a rest camp out to the front again & at present we are having a very busy time going both day & most of the night in fact going more by night than day. The second day after getting back we were out on a big day left at four a.m. & did not get back to camp till ten at night, I need not say that the saddle felt
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it after a spell of two months & that I that I had a great sleep I need not state. At present this part of the country is very dusty it is like moving about on a mat of flour & that along with the heat one cannot but get very dirty & also remain so water not being very easily obtained. The train journey from the canal to our base camp was just a little under twelve hours and after waiting there all day horses came out for us & after riding for about two or more hours eventually arrived in camp about ten at night. It was on the 1st I left Moascar & it was the night of 2nd that camp was reached & as it was a straight run through on the train, just about twelve hours, you can gather some ideas of the distance
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we are out on this desert. You cannot believe the difference a couple of months have made on this part. In fact what was beautiful green country in March is now like a waste due to a great extent to the movement of troops, transports, & all the other pharaphonalia required to make up an army. That there has been some changes in certain quarter here I may state but just what I will have to leave you to gather from other sources, & that there will be some news from here shortly I feel certain. Now that Greece has declared her policy & the Russians are again on the move things should soon get very warm for someone in our quarter & I think if he can take the dose that is intended for him the Turk will need to be
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much stronger than he has hitherto proved himself in this quarter. So Kate also is bound for France & looking eagerly forward to getting her marching orders. From the way she spoke in her letter she is evidentally to be fairly close up to the firing line in one of most advanced hospitals I imagine. It is great some of things she has had maped out for me since hearing I had gone into hospital. The fact of the matter is that I wish I could get to that part myself or anywhere away from this quarter, the heat fairly knocks it out of one the only time there is any comfort is when the sun is not shining. By-the-way we witnessed a very fine eclipse of the moon here a few nights ago
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a total eclipse it was & lasted for the best part of an hour and during that period what had been a bright night was quite dull. It was the night of our big stunt & as it was just at its height when I was ready to turn in I did not wait to see the finish. Before leaving Moascar I heard that a mail boat bound for NZ was sunk just outside Colombo & I feel that in that mail were the parcels I sent out so if it does not arrive before this reaches you don’t forget to let me know. I am now hoping that all my mail for that period missed that mail. Now it is getting on for bed time & I had only about three hours last night I think you will excuse me
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if I ring off for the present. I also had a letter from Ernie yesterday but as he also was pressed for time it was just a short one but he seemed to be going well. Hoping this finds everybody in the best of health & believe me to be the same again.
Affectionately Your Bro.
Charlie
P.S. Since writing have received papers up to 28th April. Also have been told through orders of mails going down & feel certain that those I mentioned were aboard. Ch.
