Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 1

[Page 1]

[Oliver Hogue, a journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald, age 34, and unmarried, enlisted in the 2nd Light Horse Brigade in Dec.1914, and commissioned 2nd Lieut.   He served in Gallipoli and Egypt and was promoted Major.   He died of influenza while on leave in England on 3 Feb. 1919]

At Sea :-

My Dear Jean & Tien & Lodiga, & Mabel & Francie & Viv & Linda & Else & Bubbles & Viva     [His siblings]

Somehow or other there always seems a lot of work to be done on a ship like this, so don't you girls imagine that we are lolling about the decks all day long & smoking. And as I have hardly time to address you all individually, I am risking a composite letter which may be passed on till all have read it then relegated to oblivion.

I would so like to tell you real news but that necessary evil the censor has to read all [our] letters, so I must cut out all references to a hundred things you would like to read about & just put in piffle that no one would mind missing. You will be glad (I hope) to hear that so far I have not missed a meal though several of my friends have had to stay below.

On the whole the voyage has been very calm & peaceful except on leaving - & again on leaving - . I had almost forgotten that I must not mention places. Perhaps I can state that the weather is tropical, but there is a canvas bath on the upper deck & so we can have a 'surf' when we like.