Moascar
3/11/17
Dear People
Here it is Sunday again & I am still in this part of the world, not doing much but at the same time a little more than has been the case for the last four or five weeks. Today of course is an off day our only parades being for inspection of lines & afterwards for church, the last I am not long released from & am getting a start with this letter to put in the time until dinner of comes on. It is rather dull at times today and occasionally we hear the gentle patter of a few drops of rain on the tent. For over a week now it has been threatening but other than just a few drops it never comes to anything in fact not enough to lay the dust. Some of these days are the worst we have to put up with because while the sun is hidden it is fine & cool but when it appears again it is simply scorching. However we don’t have much of this stamp to put up with but any time for the next few months we can expect a change. The nights are getting much longer also and at times it gets fairly chilly before morning in fact from the time we get up (5-15) until about half past six it is something to do to keep warm unless getting in some vigorous exercise or doing some light work. So much for the climate conditions I think you will soon know them as well as we do ourselves.
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I daresay you will know in the course of a day or or two of the capture of Beersheba by our troops during the latter end of last week. It has been officially announced here that this position was won & that the mounted troops played no unimportant part during the initial operations & were also prominent during the final stages of the fall of what has been considered one of the strongest positions that our troops here have yet been called upon to face. The enemy has suffered heavily as regards casualties, prisoners, and material, and we, our casualties are light considering the nature of the country & the difficulties that had to be overcome. That the fall of Beersheba will make a vast difference to the operations that will follow in the vicinity is only natural when the positions are considered. It is at a time like this that one feels it being away from the unit & not knowing just exactly how things are going with the rest of the boys. However unless the usual good luck that has hither to attended our Brigade has changed there is no need to fear for it. Of course we hear about a hundred different roumours in the course of a day but we have to use our own judgemeant & unless it is official it is not worth considering. At anyrate by the time the whole affair is finished it is hard to say where one will join up with the Brigade again, perhaps on the Banks of Jordan, you know the almost impossible is being accomplished now-a-days. At the present time there appears to be a succession
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of air raids over London and districts but our men are also having a big say over German towns etc. News from the Western front is good & there the enemy are having all the worst of it, we have been having some fine captures there lately & it does not appear as though there has been anything approaching the heavy engagements that they have been for the last six or seven months. The Italians are having a little reverse but they will eventually come out on top & it is a poor fight when your opponent can’t get one blow in. I made rather an unpleasant discovery amongst my clothing last night & had straight way to make a complete change of clothing & a purchase a tin of disinfectant powder. Today I made good use of it & hope for good results in a day or two. It is the cold season of the year that these things are most troublesome the reason being I suppose that they come out of the sand for something warmer. We had a big paper & parcel mail during the week end but as all mine had arrived there was none coming that I knew of so was easy about it. It is pretty near time we were having another letter mail it is nearly a month since the last one. I just got a p.c. away with one of my old officers a few days ago which I hope will reach you by Xmas as I daresay it will be well into the New Year by the time you get this. I am sending a few more photographs of Kirk & self taken while in Port Said. Now I think I will have to ring off for the present hoping this finds you all in the best of health & enjoying a Prosperous Season.
Your Brother
Charlie.
