Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 40

[Page 40]           
                               
Maadi Egypt
All Fools Day 1915

My dear Mother, Father, Anne, Jean, Tien, Jim, Clarrie, Liz, Frank, Did, Phil, Leoda all the nephews & nieces, Mabel, Francie, Viva, Ida C, Molly M, Nora N, Linda, Viv, Else, Bubbles, and the rest:-
Greetings:-

When an Englishman has nothing to do he says " lets go and kill something". When I have nothing to do I say "Let me go and write to home & Mother. Then I say "But   what about writing to all the good folk who write to me" So I must solve my problem by writing these composite letters."  

First let me say that I have one important item of news. That is that the first batch of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade has been ordered to the front. It is only a small contingent but it is a start. They leave Sunday for Alexandria and then embark for ?   No one here knows definitely.    But somehow we all think we are going to Constantinople. There are big things in the air in the Levant. Sir Ian Hamilton paid a lightning visit here last week and then departed. Every day sees more troops - French and British - landing at Alexandria.   The fact was yesterday recorded in the local press so there is no harm in announcing it here.

Any day now we may get word to move off. Three weeks ago we got a message to be ready to move at a moments notice. But nothing came of it. Now we are hoping that the time has at last arrived for Australia to put in her oar.