Moascar Camp
Ismailia
16/4/16
Sunday
Dear Everybody,
You see I am still in this quarter of the globe, despite the fact that the N.Z. division has gone to France. Not only has the division gone but we have sent forward from here the first draft of reinforcements. I thought for some time I was going forward with the advanced base, Infantry. But just a day or two before the division left, I received orders to report to the training Bttn. & here I am. The night before the division left I saw Col Charters again, & he told he was still one officer short & if I was still willing to go with him. Certainly I said, if you can get the transfer through. He said he had put in another application for it, & that I
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should get busy myself. Needless to say I did, & went so far as to pay General Russell a visit. He was very approachable about it, but said he would hold out no hope to me, he said he was not prepared to transfer any more men from the Mtd Rfls to the Infantry, & that he must have reinforcements for the Otago Squdn that had gone forward with the division, & that that was the position I was in. He went on to say that it was not likely I would get away with the first draft, but that I would in all probability get with the second. I listened very patiently to it all, & when he was done told him that I would rather transfer to the infantry than have anything more to do with the Squdn. It was no use,
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he would not sanction, & I had perforce to retire dissatisfied, & here I am still & will be I suppose until the 11th reinforcements arrive, which ought to be in about 5 weeks time at most. The railway transport office work I gave up when the division was off. Since then I have been doing very little. Now however I have had to take over the Adjutants work of the N.Z. details, that is all the other units other than Infantry & Mounted rifles. Not a very easy task I can assure you, but it will be a very good experience. How long it is going to last I do not know. A Maj Jenkins of the Otago Mtd Regiment is the O.C. & a very good sort. All men belonging to Artillery Engineers, A.S.C, A.M.C.
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& such like, report to us from hospital. We are responsible for the discipline pay, rationing & equipping of these men, & sending them forward with the drafts of reinforcements. At present we have only 140 men, but it will not be long before the number go up. As a matter of fact we are getting 90 more this morning & 90 butes they are. They are coming to us from the Vet Corps, & are about the roughest lot there is in the army. We can see a lot of fun in front of us. Plenty of use for “Kings Regulations” & “Manual of Military Law” tut tut! Have not had any more mail since writing you last, & do not expect to get any for a long time now. It is going to be a big question now the delivery of the mails, so many men having transferred from their old regiments to new units, well nigh impossible to trace them.
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Imagine our surprise, I mean McCurdy & myself, when one day about a fortnight ago, Lieuts Hargest & Millard arrived in camp. They both came over with the 10th reinforcements. Much it would have been for both of them had they not come back so soon, or at least they should not have come back until they had got some promotion. They did not know of the cutting up of the regiment until they arrived in camp. Both are struck of the strength of the old regiment. Since coming back they have transferred to the Otago Inf regiment, & are doing duty with the training Battn of that regiment now. In a couple of days we are shifting from here to Tel-el-Kebhir, a few more miles away
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from everywhere, only hope it won’t be for long. We are to camp on the old battle ground, rather interesting I should say. Have not yet received any more word from Kate, only rumours of there whereabouts. Some of the N.Z. Sisters in Cairo heard that they were at Salonica once but where they are now I can not say. Have heard rumours of the doings of the Aust. on their arrival in France. Took the place by storm the first they arrived, & according to a statement made by an Aust Maj; eleven of them were lined up & shot next morning. Not a bad record if it is true. There is no doubt about it, it is going to be the only way to deal with these fellows. When they see that the authorities mean
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business perhaps they will come to their senses. The same thing is awaiting any of our men if they start getting over the traces. Again I must be getting off. It is just getting on to lunch time, & I am feeling pretty hot, & the flies are about eating me alive. Oh! about 3 days ago we had the worst Khamsun we have yet experienced in Egypt. Really it was simply awful. Inside the tent it was almost as bad as out, when it was over we had about ¼ of an inch of dust on top of everything. Well, Cheer oh! & trusting this finds you all in as good form & health, as it leaves me.
Your, Affect
Brother, E.S.McI.
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Please tell Diack that if he does not hear from me this mail, he will hear from me soon. E.S.
