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[Page 574]
[This letter, pages 574 to 577, written on the letterhead of the Majestic Hotel, Alexandria, and headed pages 13 to 16, appears to be a fragment of a much longer letter, and with some pages out of order. Transcribed here in the order in which it should be read. The word "Girls" appears at the top of each page; not transcribed.]
[Page 13]
Did you ever know friend of mine to adopt that attitude when reading the newspaper. The lady is reading the morning edition, while her younger companion with her back towards me is deeply immersed in a volume. In how many ways one can be reminded of those far away. No typewriter handy, hence this pen has to do full work. It is a nib that slips with facility across the page and the hand that guides it loves the driving, or rather dragging of it.
You will find some enclosures that may interest you. Maggie did well to come out top in the Chemistry examination with a percentage of 87. Think you not so. Please congratulate her for me. She appears to have plenty of brains & to improve as she climbs upwards. Clever girl good luck to her
During two evenings, with a pal from Sydney, I do not know his name, he was Secty. to the Naval & Military Club in Phillip St, I wandered round the roads & lanes of the native quarter of Alexandria (9 p.m. to 11-30 pm). Why does not an epidemic of some kind sweep all the people away. The surface is not formed, except in the main thoroughfares where flags exist, the width is so narrow that no vehicle can pass along; the balonies [balconies] of the upper stories almost meet, the shops are but recesses in the walls, there is no drainage, the smell in many places is vile, the people sit round talking or praying, sipping coffee or other liquid smoking cigarettes. The narrow unpaved thoroughfare does duty in the day time as a vegetable market, the stalls are piled against the wall and in many places there is room for but a few persons to pass at one time. This is where in January last we saw the wonderful cabbages and cauliflowers about which I wrote to you. 'Memberest you? Why plague, typhus, typhoid, malignant scarlatina, meningitis, or the like does not destroy them all, is a conundrum? It may be that your Uncle Andys (R.I.P.)
[Page 14]
was the correct one, viz: "Where there is plenty of dirt the organisms of the place are antagonistic to & kill off those which produce disease in the human individual". There is more in this than one is inclined to admit.
In the letter from de Largil is enclosed two cuttings, the published writings of Springthorpe about the management of the Red Cross organisation in Egypt & the Mediterranean generally. I hope that Ramsay Smith & Barrett will fight their best, & badly beat Martin, Springthorpe, and the rest. The former two when compared with the latter pair are as holy Angels to Satan.
9-10-15. Met Austin Curtin last night. He is on the ship Kanowna and is leaving today or tomorrow for Australia. He has promised to call to see you that he may speak to you about me. I purpose lunching with him and others on board the ship today. He & his colleagues have been to England. He looks very well, but has aged a lot since I saw him last.
3 p.m. Have lunched on the Hospital Ship Kanowna. Besides Austin Curtin, Fluffie Viccars [Vickers], no longer Fluffie is on board, a Captain, looking as silly and as skin marked as ever, if not worse. The ship is not likely to leave for several days and mayhap a week. Dr. Hamilton of Adelaide, brother to the man with the awful wife, is a Major on board; he dines with me tomorrow night if I am still here. A nurse staying in the hospital & who was with Mrs. Fiasshi [Fiaschi] showed me an order she has just received to join a ship for Mudros this afternoon. She asked me if I were going by the same vessel, I replied that so far no information had been received by me. You are sure to meet the festive Fluffie in Macquarie St. You can then ask him did he see me and where.
This
[Page 15]
city is to the Australian a place much behind the times. Yet how can one coming from our Country, so recently occupied by people from the old lands afford to criticise a people who have lived on the spot for more than two thousand years, who have seen the coming and going of Empires, Kingdoms, Republics, Democracies of all kinds, whose forebeares more than the twenty centuries ago built & equipped libraries palaces wharfs and all other necessities demanded by 800 thousand inhabitants? Yet the unpaved undrained roads narrow lanes which are called streets, the balconies of the upper stories almost touching overhead, the sheep the goats the fowls the pigeons the donkeys all hearding together compell one to have the thought run through his mind:– Well this is a filthy hole, how far behind the times, & itis wonder that epedemics pass by and leave anyone alive. Yet To us other methods which we adopt. With the habitations, as with the food, were we to attempt to live in them we, most probably, would die of some disease and the place be left desolate. The black man always impeaches the white as being one who cannot stand hardships, mayhap it is true in many regards, two of them being dirt and little food. Glad no necessity exists for me to stay here all my life. Cairo could be made comfortable enough but Alexandra never. Why should I write this? It may be that being accustomed one could spend a very happy life here, but at first acquaintance it does not appear to be possible.
Now for an afternoon nap, and thereafter to await orders.
10 p.m. 9-10-15. Have just received the following:– "Please arrange for
[Page 16]
Lieut Col. Nash and 1 orderly to embark on the ship Ismalia, quay 45, at 10 a.m. 10th October 1915." Jerom & I shall therefore D.V. be on board tomorrow morning ready for our trip across the Mediterranean Sea. We hope that all will be well and that good fortune will wait upon us all the time. If possible I shall send a wire to you acquainting you with our progress. I do not know for how long I am to be away or what will be my position across the water, the orders in that regard will probably come to hand all right in due time.
And now good bye for the present. Should there be not too much mal-de-mer my pen will be set to work to keep you well acquainted with, each day to keep you informed of our progress and of the happenings that may befall us. Jerom has just come along, I had to send for him. He says that he was ready for bed. He is t be here at 6 a.m. to get everything ready.
Now good bye for the present, I shall post this before I go to bed, that there may be no neglecting it when we are hurring away.
My trunk boxes are left in charge of the Army Service Cops at the Base for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Mustapha, Egypt. Address in full on enclosed envelope that you may have no dubiety about it. Please keep the address in case there be necessity to use it.
Good bye my dears. God bless each & all of you. May Fortune in her best shape be always with you. To my friends best wishes. To each of you heaps of love & loads of kisses from
Your loving & affectionate Father
John B Nash
The Misses Nash
219 Macquarie St
Sydney. N. S. Wales
[Captain Austin Sydney Curtin (33), Captain Wilfred Vickers (31) and Major James Alexander Greer Hamilton (59) all served on No 2 Hospital Ship A61 Kanowna.
Mrs Amy Fiaschi (nee Curtis), wife of Dr Thomas Henry Fiaschi. See page 595 for information about Dr Thomas Henry Fiaschi and his son Dr Piero Fiaschi, both of whom served with the AAMC in WW1.]