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[Page 73]
Aerdrome Camp,
Heliopolis.
Abour four miles from Cairo.
Wednesday, 7/4/15.
Dear Father,
I received your letter written early in March, yesterday, and was more than glad to get it. You cannot imagine how we all look forward to mail day here, which only occurs once a fortnight.
I'm glad you were all interested in that one of mine written on the Reef, and why I did not mention anything about publishing it was because I did not think it would be allowed to be put in print. But so many things have happened since then, that all that seems a very long time ago. We have been in Egypt about a fortnight now, and I reckon I have had the stiffest luck of any soldier here – but more of that later.
I think when I last wrote fully we were on board the "Siang Bee" nearing Suez. The trip up the Red Sea was contrary to expectations, quite the coldest we had experienced since leaving Sydney. I had always thought it was supposed to be very steamy and hot. The nights were really cold and we had to use our blankets the first time for a good while.
Well, on arrival at Suez we were informed that we could not go through the Canal, as it was too dangerous, the Turks being pretty close and intermittently making rushes to try and cross, though they seemed only half-hearted about it. The result was that we entrained at Suez and came on to Cairo that way.
The railway runs right along the Canal, almost all the way to Ismailia, where we branch off to Cairo, and though it was night when we went through we could see plainly (it was moonlight) the Indians and New Zealanders entrenched on both sides of the Canal. It seemed to me a funny thing that some 2300 soldiers should make that journey, as we did, through hostile country, without even one sound of ammunition.
Why, had half a dozen Turks managed to reach the line, they could have