Item 04: Letters sent by Robert Christian Wilson to his family, 1916 - Page 117
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[Page 117]
Ras-el tin
Alexandria
19th July, 1916
Dear Boys
Finish this place; I am off back to the desert to day.
First of all I had better fix up about some photos I am sending you – The shop made a mistake and did not print me off any coppies as I had ordered so I think when you get them you had better go to the Harrington's and get one of each so that Mother can have can have all the same sort of gas-light photos. Rostron & I printed of a douzen so that I could tell you what some of the negatives were. Of the others - the rabbit is a pet one here – the goats are a mob that stop live just in front of Ras-el-tin here; you can see what the country is like and I cant find out at all what the goats eat & yet they are all fat. Fat tailed sheep – they have hair only it is wool like goats – Hassan is our waiter here – All the horses here are arabs – you see little weedy ones pulling tremendous loads, they are all terribly poor and all stallions. You will be able to make out the rest your self I think.
I am very well equipped for the desert this time; I bought a compass with a luminous dial cost 10/- a wristlet one, a person needs one out there, especially in these sand storms – also a French dictionary and Tolstoi's "Le Faux Coupon" in French - I have been reading the french paper here & talking to french people & getting quite good at it so I am going to keep it up & it will be something to do.