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[Page 16]
Last letter (I think) from EGYPT.
7.5.'15
My dear Father, Mother, Ame, Jean, Tien, Clarrie, Phil, Frank, Did, Mabel, Viva, Francie, Vera, Molly, Mrs.K., Ida, Farmer Whyte, Percy Allen, All the Nephews and nieces, Billy & Sophie, Viv, Linda, Else, Mag M. &c., &c., &c.
Do you know I'm almost ashamed to write any more letters from Egypt? Here we have been stuck here for months and months while our Comrades have been doing all the fighting. We suppose the G.O.C. knows what is best but we were very resentful at not getting a slap at the Turks on the Canal. However that is all over now and we leave in a couple of days for the front. You have already heard how splendidly our Infantry fought in the Dardanelles. I've seen scores of the wounded and they are very cheerful and anxious to get back to the front. Our Light Horse were very sore at having to wait till the landing had been effected. Now we find that it is so rough and mountainous that there is little chance for Light Horse operations for some time. So our Brigade volunteered to go dismounted and the offer was accepted. It was a great sacrifice but the boys were terribly anxious to get into the fun. We are leaving some of the reinforcements and some Indians to look after our horses.
We were on a route march and bivouac to Helwan when an urgent message arrived from the General and we had to hurry back to Maadi. Then there was excitement and cheering all along the line. The days of the desert and heat and dust and flies were past at least and we would get a slap at the Turk.
We are now very busy getting ready to move off. I think Brigade Headquarters will keep mounted, so I will probably retain "Herald" and leave the other horses here. We have so many false alarms of late; so many rumours about leaving that came to nought that we won't believe anything until we actually start off. But our machine guns are leaving tomorrow and we should leave on Tuesday or Wednesday. If that is so this will probably be the last letter I can send from Egypt. I won't be sorry and I'm sure you'll be glad to know that the brigade is at last doing the work it set out to do. This last letter should be a nice long one, but we, are too busy to give me much of a chance.
There are of course several interesting sidelights on the Dardenelles situation that will greatly interest pater and Farmer Whyte. Winston Churchill was responsible for the Navy commencing operations before the Army was ready to co-operate. Kitchener was strongly opposed to this. But Greece was to blame for they broke their promise. England gave Greece £8,000,000 on the understanding that she would declare war the moment the fleet started to shell the forts. But Greece never did her share. That is why Ian Hamilton had to rush to the scene with an insufficient force. This force did marvelously well, but had to face terrible odds. Reinforcements are now coming forward from England and France and of course from Egypt where our