Item 02: John Herbert Butler correspondence, 1914-1920 - Page 20

[Page 20]

Australian Light Horse Camp
Ma'adi
Egypt
B. Squadron
2nd Light Horse

16 Dec, 1914

Darling Mum & Kids

We're just settled down here now. We got news that we were coming here to spend the winter, just after we had left Aden. This camp is composed of Light Horse only & Army Service Corps, about 2000. The rest 26,000 are camped under the large pyrimids just 8 miles from Cairo. We are about 6 miles from Cairo in a sort of desert. There are some large stepped pyramids to the East of us but the large ones with the Sphinx are the ones the main body are camped under. I hope you got my previous letters, but of course you "might" not have, because everything was so strictly censored & the officers told us it would be a long time before they got to Aus. Now, of course the censorship is over. Of course you've heard by now of the "Emden" affair. We – the whole force – were sailing past the Cocos Islands on Nov 8th (Sunday) & the "Emden" was waiting on the other side of the islands to complete coaling & then to attack us (she had sunk 20 British merchantmen beforehand) well on Monday morning while we were having physical exercise the "Sydney" got a wireless message from