Ernie McIntyre – Letter 45

Aust. & N.Z.
Base Depot
Monte Video Camp
Weymouth
1/11/1915

Dear Everybody,

After writing you in such a hurry from London, on receipt of telegram telling me to report at once, & that I was attached to the next draft which was expected to leave at a moments notice, I find myself, 5 days afterwards still in England.  So much for being in the army eh!  However it is no fault of ours we are not away, we are ready to move out at an hours notice, the delay being due to embarkation orders not having arrived from War Office.  How many more days we are likely to be here I know not, & care less.  It is not a very pleasant spot, the camp is very healthy well run & everything but it is most frightfully cold & wet.  I have been here 5 days & out of that number there has only been one fine day, & it was bitterly cold.  Have been surprised to find so many of the old regt. men here, not

[Page 2]

many of them going out with us though.  Most of them are going with next draft which is supposed to leave immediately after us.  However I am pleased to say that amongst the number going with me is H Crawford.  I was indeed surprised to see him here, I know he had been reported wounded but did not know he was in the old country.  As a matter of fact he did not leave the Peni. because of his wounds, they were he said only very slight, but becasus of a sceptic arm.  He is looking quite well & is in good form.  All the men going back with this lot are a good lot in good health, but I am afraid not as fit as they ought to be.  It is just possible that if we go straight into hard fighting they will crack up.  There is not much opportunity to do any training here & I guess there will be still less on the boat.  However we must just make the best of it, & hope that we will get a short spell over there before asked to do very much.  Have not the slightest idea where we are going to after leaving England, may be Egypt, Lemnos or even Dards.  There seems still to be a lingering idea that we will wind up in Serbia, I am afraid it is a case of the “Wish being father to the thought.”

[Page 3]

Since coming here I received two letters from Rothie, one written on 4th Oct. & the other on the 10th.  Am very glad to hear that everything is still going on very well.  What a treat it must be to have the weather so good.  According to paper reports the country particularly Southland is in a flourishing condition.  Things on the old place must be moving apace, work seems to be well forward.  So there is another race horse is there, & by all accounts it is to be considered a good one.  Am watching the papers for the doings of the other two, I see they are reported to be in forward condition, so expect there will be something doing.  Camp life here is pretty good despite the fact of the weather, the men are all in huts as are the officers.  Officers huts are divided into rooms & a stove in each room.  Each room is supposed to hold two, but owing to this draft being held up there is a little overcrowding & we have 3 in each room.  The rooms all have a table two bed two chairs & a couple of carpets, in them, so you see we are pretty well cared for.  The room I am in now is very comfortable indeed, but the one I got into at first was a caution, I was there for three days & was never warm all the time I was there.  Parades are practically nill, only for the issuing

[Page 4]

of equipment.  Our draft being fully equipped parades purely for the purpose of keeping them up to the mark, & we invariably go for a short march, with all equipment on.  All men & officer of drafts are excused camp duties, so that taking everything into consideration we might be much worse off.  Pretty hard luck though, being pushed out just before Xmas isn’t it.  However we do not mind, we will make up for all this when the game is over, we can not expect everything at a time like this.  I do not think there are many vain regrets.  The spirit of the men is simply splendid, there are very few who do not want to go back.  It is very noticeable they have not the same keeneness they had in Egypt, but they are going back willingly, steadier, more determined & better soldiers than they ever were.  You do not come across many men nowadays who says he is anxious to be back there again, all know perfectly well what is in front of them, & he would be a fool who said he liked the idea.  Am just in from giving the men their pay, the last they will draw for some considerable time I suppose, unless of course we are here for another 10 day.  It is too amusing seeing them all line up for their wee bit, some of them only getting 5/- for the 10 days, the best they can get is one pound, they are only allowed to draw 2/- a day.

[Page 5]

I left the Hoopers in good form, they all came down to see me off.  No mistake they are fine people & I never will be able to repay them for all they have done for me.  What they did not do for me when leaving was not worthdoing.  They were very pleased indeed to receive the photo you sent on Annie.  They have been good enough to give me one each of theirs, I did not send them on thinking they were just as safe in my box.  By the way I have left both my suit cases with them, also keys.  If I had known I would have had so much time I would have brought their photos down here & sent them home, for I have no doubt you would like to see them.  However I did not know & there is the end of the matter.  You will in all probability here from them again & I hope you will not at any time forget them.  When leaving they said my room would be kept ready for me, & I had to promise that if ever I landed in England again, no matter in what condition, I was to send them a wire immediately.  So now you may rest assured that I will never be without a home in this part of the world.  Well now time is running on again

[Page 6]

I do not know when the mail goes to N.Z. again, but I am wanting to catch the 4.20, PM. from here on the off chance of it catching a mail going out on Thurs.  I will again say Au rêvoir.  I will not say you will not hear from me from here again, because you may although it is probable that you won’t.  Oh! I am sending a cable this weekend telling you of my leaving & to change address on letters.  You will have to address them the same as before.  They will pick up the regt somewhere, & that is where I will land sooner or later.

Your,
Affectionate Brother
E.S. McI.

Previous / Next

letter-45-e-s-mcintyre-1-11-1915-page001001 letter-45-e-s-mcintyre-1-11-1915-page001002letter-45-e-s-mcintyre-1-11-1915-page001003letter-45-e-s-mcintyre-1-11-1915-page001004letter-45-e-s-mcintyre-1-11-1915-page001005letter-45-e-s-mcintyre-1-11-1915-page001006