Charlie McIntyre – Letter 52

Moascar
Egypt
21/10/17

My Dear People

Here it is Sunday morn & as usual bright & shiny.  In this quarter it is an easy day nothing whatever doing after ten o’clock so that there is no one to worry us & we just carry on with what pleases us.  The last ten or twelve days have been more or less busy or interesting to some extent.  As I told you in my last letter I was anticipating a trip to Cairo with a football team that event came off.  A week last Thursday we left & after playing a series of three matches returned following Tuesday having had a good time & a successful tour in-as-much as we won all three matches, & put up good scores without

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once having our line crossed.  On the Friday we met the School of Instruction defeating them by eleven to nil, then on Saturday we met & defeated the Anzac Provost Corps by thirteen to nil.  On Sunday we had a spell, which all needed, & on Monday we again added another win to our already triumphant list by running up a score of twenty one against the Camel Corps.  Of the three games I played in two those on Friday & Monday although good to watch they were poor games to be playing in especially when one is not over fit, we seemed to be all the time running round in circles & not doing much work.  However we had a good spin in every way & thoroughly enjoyed our weekend as it made a break in the monotony of Base Camp life.  On Monday night our team was entertained at

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dinner given by the N.Z. Y.M.C.A. & it was a good affair & a splendid finish to our (tour).  Owing to some misunderstanding about six of us missed the train on Tuesday morning & had to put in another day in Cairo but eventually got back same night & nothing said or done with regard there to.  Just returned after having a cup of tea, these we enjoy more than anything else about the camp a cup of tea in the morning, afternoon, or before going to bed makes a big difference especially as we can get a few small cakes along with it.  This canteen was just started in our camp last June & has proved a great success & will be a boon when the cold nights come again in a few weeks.  During the week those of us who are not on training have been doing fatigues, guards etc & kept pretty busy.  The

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night before last I was doing duty near the station when a body of those Reinfs that were left in Melbourne came into camp.  As it happened I dropped on Fred Weir first pop but had not much time to speak to him then as they were bustling round in the dark getting away off to camp.  Last night when I came off I looked him up again & had a great old yarn.  By jove he is looking well & has had a splendid trip across, I thought I was going to get back to my unit before he came along & would have been disappointed had that been the case.  Through being away on duty yesterday I missed a draft going up so it is hard to say when I will be out of this again.  When I got back from Cairo I found a few letters awaiting me and

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your parcel posted about the same time.  Your letter was dated 29/7/17 & you had just received cable of Ernies having been wounded.  Also had one from you Lottie & one from Coronation.  Last night I received another from Kate & one from Balamona.  Kate is again back to work but her duties now are quite different to what they were in General Hospital because the cases only pass through Stationary Hospital & ere sent to the several Hospitals after being diagonized.  What she will have to do I have a pretty good idea having passed through similar places here, over there however they have more to put up with in some respects than out this part.  Enclosed is a picture of our team in Cairo & the one is a snap taken of a few of us just after a game amongst our

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selves at Raffa some months ago.  By the way I am not going to have any more football out here although feeling good after a half hours training here I found that the games were too much as did most of those taking part.  Now I think I have said about all there is to say from this quarter at present.  I daresay by the time this reaches you the seasons operations will be well under way.  Hoping this finds all in the best of health and believe me to be good.

Your Affect Brother
Charlie.

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