Plymouth
10/1/1916
Dear Everybody,
I do not know when the mail goes for N.Z. but unless I take this opportunity of dropping a line I am afraid I will not get another before leaving this fine old land. When last I wrote you I was still at Weymouth not attached to any draft, & expecting to be shifted up to Hornchurch a place a few miles out of London. I was rather disappointed at not getting off with the draft, but had some compensation in the fact that I was thereby enabled to spend Xmas in London. Now I am attached to that draft which left Weymouth on 29th. Dec
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& have had the pleasure of the Xmas in London as well, a pleasure that was not afforded to any of the other officers here. The old axiom is quite correct- all good things to those who wait-. On New Year’s Day Leslie & I were just settling down for a game of billiards in the mess at Weymouth, when Glendining walked up to me & said in his characteristic way “ pack your kit McIntyre & be ready to clear out in half an hour”. That was all-, I naturally thought we were, for he came with me going as a sort of advance party to Hornchurch. However when we got to the station I put the question to him, & he said that we were coming to join this draft which had, owing to some mistake at War Office been held up here. The position
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was this, that when the draft arrived here they found they had more than they could handle with the officers at their disposal, & they wired Weymouth accordingly. Glen and I were sent on under orders that if a senior officer was required, he was to go & if junior I was for it. When we arrived they made it pretty plain that they did not desire Glen’s company & he is none too keen to go back, hence my presence on strength. My pen has just gone dry, & I have nothing to fill it with. We left Weymouth 4.30 P.M. arriving Plymouth 10.30, an awful slow journey. We met O.C. of draft in the hotel & gained his permission to remain in the town over night. We have been here 10 days now &
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although orders are not out yet we are expecting to be off sometime tomorrow. Plymouth is a fine place & we have enjoyed our stay here immensely. The surrounding country is just splendid & I should just like to see it in March, it must be a perfect picture. Yesterday Sund., four of us went for a short motor run out to the Dartmoor & it was very nice indeed. The weather has not been good down here, but these last few days have been passing fair, & today is very pleasant. Returning to town from our motor run, this young fellow Rhodes I mentioned in one of my previous letters, treated us to a rattling dinner at the best hotel in Plymouth.
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Just finished lunch, & in the course of which the Maj informed us that we are off tomorrow morning, leaving here 8 A.M. Needless to say all are very much bucked over the news; despite the fact that we have had such a good time down here. We received the news of the evacuation of Cape Helles this morn. That this came & was treated as a great surprise you may easily guess, for I think I have written previously stating that we did not think they would ever attempt to leave there. However the operation has been a great success, there only being one casualty, & 17 guns left behind. It can be considered as a great tribute of Generalship on General Birdwoods part. Sir Ian Hamilton’s despatch on the Gallipoli campaign is also old now, but what an
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account it is. Never in any part of it does he doubt the ability & fighting qualities of the men in his command. On the other hand he admits the utter failure of the higher commanders, and takes a good deal of the blame on his own shoulders. To sum it all up he himself was not a strong enough General for the job. I received your cable which you dispatched somewhere about the 1st of January just the other day. The short delay, which in reality was very short, was due to me being shifted from Weymouth down here. Kate you say left on the 5th. Well I am wondering now where she is likely to call, if she goes to Alexandria I will run a good chance of seeing her, on the other hand if she come direct to England I will miss her. If I had the faintest idea how to address a letter to her I would do so, but as it is, it is out of the question.
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Just a few days ago I received 3 huge packages of mail, some 60 letters in all, all being sent on from the Dardanelles. Did not get any packages or papers though. Up to time of writing have not received or heard any word of the things anyone of you sent off for Xmas. Can not make that out, they should have come to hand all right. Well now time is running on & I am due on parade in 20 minutes so I must be off. Where next you hear from me I do not know may-hap Malta. At any rate I will write first opportunity. Oh! I am pretty well certain it is Egypt we are making for
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but where our next field of operations is likely to be I have grave doubts. Now that Helles has been evacuated it is almost inconceivable that the Germans etc. will continue their intentions on the canal. However one never knows, it most certainly will be a bigger mouthful than they can swallow. Au Rêvoir for the present & the best of jolly good luck.
Your,
Affectionate Brother
E.S. McI
