Item 02: John Herbert Butler correspondence, 1914-1920 - Page 24

[Page 24]

[letter from John Butler's cousin Charles Bean to John's mother Amy]
Jan. 2nd 1915

Dear Aunt Amy
I'm scrawling this line from brother Jack's tent whilst he is examining a prisoner outside - & several prisoners; who say they are ill. I saw your Jack the other day – Boxing Day. He is at Maadi Camp 10 miles from here

[Sketch showing Cairo, the Mena camp to the west of Cairo, a tramline connecting the camp with Cairo and the location of pyramids just south of the camp. South of Cairo on the River Niles is depicted the Maadi camp]
We are about 10 miles from Cairo at the Pyramids.

Your Jack seems to be in with a nice lot of felloes as far as I can see - & he was looking very well & fit, & burnt fairly red; 20 odd of them have the one very big tent & they seem to get on pretty well together. I have been kept going pretty constantly writing & cabling or I should have written to you last week. We went into Cairo together. Jack had a shave or haircut whilst I went off & interviewed some official people. We then went to the Grand Continental Hotel to dinner – it was very crowded but we found a corner & had a good tuck in – then went out

[written in the margin]
I am sending old Joan my box of chocolates from the Australians in London – (one piece I broke off & eat myself to see what it was like. Chas.

I got her letter – many thanks for it – I'll write if I get time Love to her & Nancy & Claud. Chas.