fieldambulance. aug22 dearmay · 2" "...
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Excerpt of letters from Alf E Weymouth to his family and friends in Launceston Tasmania. Alf enlisted in Tasmania as was a member of the Tasmanian contingent of 3rd Field Ambulance. 2 Balfour place Launceston Aug 22nd 14 Dear May I am just writing a hurried line to you to say “Good bye” for a few months. I am going with the Contingent from Hobart, in about three weeks time and have got two days off to come home and see them before going into camp. I have joined the ambulance Corp, so there is little chance of being [popped] over and the worst will be very interesting. They tell me there is small chance of writing when you get to the front so I thought I had better seize the opportunity now. I hope this finds you all well. I made up my mind on Friday to go. Brownell told me my place would probably be open for me when I returned, and said they were very pleased that I was going, and they would do everything they could to help me. Father and the girls have taken it very well, and everything has turned out smoothly so that I feel confident that I am doing the right thing. Give my love to Tom and the children, and accept the same for yourself. From your affectionate brother Alf.
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“Lorne” Goulburn Street, Hobart 20/9/14 Dear May Just a line, before we sail. We were told we were to come to Adelaide for a fortnight to train, but I was very much disappointed to find it was a mistake. The Dr left here by Express yesterday to go the Melb. And inspect the transport, and is coming back in her, so we should be on the water by Saturday next at the latest. I had a bad week with vaccination, but feel grand this week. Father and Ethel and Annie came to the camp to see me on Wednesday, and Eva came the previous Thurs. It was a perfect day so that they saw camp life under its most favourable conditions. I got a note from Miss Newman last week, saying her mother was posting me a parcel. It contained a Woollen Muffler, Balaclava Cap, pair of Mitts, and a [Colies] Kit Bag. They are made in the colour of our Corp. Ie Choc Brown. They are beautifully warm, and will prove very useful.
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I am enclosing a PC (? photograph) of our Corp, with my address after sailing, on the back. All mail is to be addressed so, and they forward to wherever we are. I must now close with love to Tom, the children and yourself, and good-‐bye till I return, when I shall endeavour to call your way. From your affectionate brother, Alf.
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ A little piece from May’s note (Not sure where this belongs but think sent from Mena Camp ADS) A few more lines to let you know where I am. It does not seem that least bit like Christmas week, and midwinter. We have some men from South Aus in our Corp. It is nice being all together and a complete ambulance we have 250 men, 60 horses and 20 wagons in our company. The camp is like a town there are about 20,000 men. We have to look after about 4000 I hope this finds you all in best of health. Have the girls gone over to Tassy this year. Remember me to them when you see them. How many of the wanderers got back to Launceston for Xmas this year. I must close now as it is getting late and I shall miss the mail. We have not got any letters yet but are expecting them every day. With love to all from Your affectionate brother Alf
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Mena Camp Dec 26th 1914 Dear Friends Another Xmas day is past and I thought you would like to hear how we spent it. As the Egyptians are mostly non-‐Christians very little notice was taken of the day in this country. I have often wondered what it would be like not to serve behind a counter on Xmas Eve. It was a beautiful moonlight night so several from our tent went for a walk up the main street of our camp, past the canvas shops, on to the Melbourne Y.M.C.A. reading rooms. On our way back we purchased tin fish, pineapple, half a pound of butter and rolls which we had for supper. Lights out went at 10pm. We were roused at 5 am by the Tassy band playing Christmas Carols “Hark the Herald Angels” and other appropriate hymns. At ¼ past 6 am the Reveille sounded and we turned out. We were let off drill for the day, but only a few were allowed to leave. We received for breakfast for 8 men, 2lbs bread, 1/2lb of butter, a tiny piece of cold beef and 8 bantam eggs. The butter was a special Xmas extra. After breakfast we received our first mail since leaving Australian waters. It was only necessary to look at the faces of the men to tell who had received letters and who had been missed. I received two letters and two cards. For Xmas dinner we received a small slice of roast beef (very tough), a spoonful of cabbage and a small potato, each man also 21/2 lbs of bread between 8 men. The officers came round to the tents at dinner time and presented us with a cake of Chiller’s Chocolate to each man, and wished us the compliments of the Season.
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There was one advantage about a Xmas dinner of this sort there was no tightness felt about the bottom button of our waistcoat, as is often the case after a Xmas dinner at home. In the afternoon I took one of the driver’s places and helped take the horses to water, we ride one and lead the others, we had to go about a mile. It is great exercise. A straight line must be observed but some of the horses think they would be better on your opposite side or also a little ahead. The one I was leading kept biting my horse, so it was great gymnasium. The Sargeant who was with us, did not consider that the one cup of tea issued at breakfast time sufficient liquid for his requirements, this results in his being rather unsteady in his saddle, and when his horse side stepped suddenly he was landing on his back in the sand (general applause). Some of the men held a sports meeting on the sand. It was very amusing to see the Donkey race about 7 of our fellows were mounted on Donkeys and the Arab boy owner of the donkeys ran behind and pounded them with a stick. The boys dress in light nightdress looking costumes and when run they gather them up over their arms. When the horses first got among the Camels here it was almost impossible to hold them. One night about 60 horses were being brought along the road to camp and passed a camel train, (ie several tied together). The horses stampeded and one man was severely hurt a motor car was smashed and a horse killed. The motor cars along the road from Mena to Cairo which is a good road level but very narrow, are often driven through considerable traffic at the rate of 30 to 45 miles an hour. There have been three serious smashes during the past week, several cab horses and 4 people killed. They take the soldiers into Cairo at 2/-‐ a head covering the distance in about 20 minutes, whilst the tram takes an hour. Our Ambulance is now complete, we have men from Queensland, West Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. There are 281 men, 80 horses, 10 ambulance wagons, 10 transport wagons, 3 water carts. The officers are 1 Colonel, 1 Major, 7 Captains and 1 lieutenant. I have 8 fellows in our tent and they are all very nice fellows. Seven men have been appointed to nurse in hospital under a staff sergeant. We have one week in the general hospital, one in the isolation hospital, one in Mena Home and one doing drills etc. We each have a tent with twelve beds in to look after. Our hours are 6am to 9pm during hospital weeks, the remaining men are washmen, transport stretcher bearers, drivers etc. We are all taught bandaging and first aid. The Territorials who are training here are all very small in size as compared with the Australians. Our Colonel was giving us a lecture on broken bones this morning. “A broken bone in a child is often termed as a ‘greenstick’ fracture, they do not break clean but are similar to a green stick when one tries to break it”. He asked the question “are we likely to get greenstick fractures in our work at the front?” No-‐one could think of any so he said “If we are sent to the front with the Territorials we are”. The Egyptian people seem to like the Australians best. I think it is because they spend more money. Last week I mentioned I climbed to the top of the Pyramid “Cheops” after the king who built it. This week we went inside and visited the chamber where the king is buried. We had to take our boots off as the stones inside are worn as smooth as glass. The passage is about 45 inches wide and about 30 feet high. The smooth stone floor has slight notches cut in the stone for foothold, and the passage descends for a short distance and then ascends at an angle of about ...% straight to the centre of the pyramid and about 250 feet long. It terminates in the very centre of the pyramid, half way up to the top in a chamber composed of huge blocks of granite. The blocks forming the ceiling are estimated to weigh 16 tons. We saw the sarcophagus which is hewn out of a solid block of gery granite. It is about 3 ft 6 in square, 6 ½ ft long and the other sides are about 6 inches thick. The King’s mummified remains are in the Cairo Museum. The blocks of granite had to be brought 500 miles and engineers today are mystified as to how they were put in place.
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I must now close with kid regards and best wishes for a Prosperous and Happy New Year From Yours sincerely Alf. E. Weymouth.
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Mena Camp Egypt Jan 2nd 1915 Since writing last we have experienced a two days dust storm on the Sahara. The sand not being as fine as Portville sand did not blow so badly, but bad enough – I was in charge of an hospital tent with 14 patients and how to do the dressing and keep them clean was a problem. This week we had a parade before Sir George Reid, 10,000 men paraded one day and 10,000 the following day. He said in his address it was the finest display of manhood he has ever been privileged to witness, and when on see the British Territorials camped here they can well imagine that he was not exaggerating from a physical standpoint. The hospital ship arrived at Alexandria last Thursday – a number of the nurses came through on a visit to Mena House. It is an up to date hotel, which is being used as a hospital, and is situated at the base of the Pyramids. I have been stationed at Mena House this week. It is a fine building, in fact, a fashionable tourist hotel, there are 250 rooms in it. The ward I am working in is the dining room, it is about 60 feet square and has a large dome ceiling supported by arches, there is a raised platform running all round the room. It was the practice to have large dining tables in the well at the centre, and round the sides small tables. The room is beautifully decorated. All the wood work is carved and stained in dark colours, we have about 70 surgical cases in the ward. There are about 300 patients in the hospital. The Tasmanian nurses are quite up to the standard of the best from the other states. I refer to female nurses now. We had four brought out by a Sydney physician, and they are splendid, they take no end of trouble to teach us all they can. We are working on shifts, I am on an easy one this time. Last week in camp, we started at 6 am and finished at 9pm. This week I am on from 2 pm to 8pm. We can get a pass to Cairo each morning if we wish. A friend and I visited the Egyptian Bazaar last Wednesday morning. They sell beautiful embroidered silk goods, real Turkish carpets, prices up to £200 each. Copper and Brass hand worked bowls etc.etc. They are expert salesmen, but one needs to pay them just about 1/3 what they ask. One man showed me some very fine tapestry cloths with pictures of different Egyptian scenes upon them. We saw two native funerals, four men carried the corpse, the coffin was covered with a light print cloth. A number of men preceded the coffin making a mournful singing noise, looking round as if their thoughts were far from things funereal. Following the coffin were a number of women some of them shedding tears. Last Sunday a company of scouts passed through the camp. They were from Cairo and doing a route march, they were French and smarter in appearance that the Australian scouts. They had a good trumpet band and at the rear was a baggage cart and small water cart drawn by several of the boys.
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A few days ago I went on the train and it was full of Italian boy scouts. They seem full of the military spirit here. There are a lot of Italians in Cairo. We have been hearing a lot about Turks here. An invasion is expected in the near future, but I am afraid they will wake up when they to the Suez Canal with its defences. A large reservoir of concrete was built just near the camp and when they filled it with water the corner burst and we were short of water for a couple of days. I received 6 letters yesterday, 2 from home dated respectively the 8th and 12th Nov ’14. Three days previously I received one dated 13/12/14. The mails are very irregular. Yesterday I went into town by the 8.30am train. It was delightful, the air was like an Australian spring. The crops along the sides of the road which is as straight as an arrow for 6 miles are looking a picture, with the natives in their coloured dresses, camels, donkeys and other animals dotted here and there at work, and in the back ground clumps of date palms, native villages, and in one place a native burial ground with a number of sycamore tree. They are very like large pear trees with similar leaves, and fruit, exactly like green figs, but growing in clusters similar to the walnuts. An Arab friend who was on the train with me, informed me that the road and also a fine house at the foot of the Pyramids was built in 25 days, by the order of the then Ruler of Egypt, so that a French Princess who was visiting Egypt might be taken to the Pyramids to inspect them. He compelled every available man to work so as to complete the work in time. The princess slept at the house one night only. The road today is completely shelter by 2 rows of beautiful acacia trees. Halfway into town a man got on the footboard of the tram and collared one of the conductors by his neck cloth and tried to pull him off the train. The train stopped, but the fellow stuck to the conductor like a leach, another conductor tried to free them but unsuccessfully. A native told me the man was accusing the conductor of stealing £100 from him. The man who intervened first patted them on the cheeks, then rubbed their faces together whispering in their ears to try and pacify them, but they still held on, at last the account conductor punched the assailants head; here, several people interfered, a policeman came up and the jabbering continued for another 5 minutes then the policeman took the man who caused the row away, and the conductor got into train. It was the funniest drama one could wish to see. We only stopped 20 minutes and might have been there now only a couple of us shook the train driver up, so he got a move on. The Egyptian Museum is a magnificent building. There is an Arabian Museum in Cairo also devoted to modern exhibits. The Egyptian Museum is devoted to things ancient that have been unearthed by excavation and from the Pyramids. There are dozens of mummies. I saw that of Rameses II and several other Pharaohs, there is no end of stone statuary. At the end of the Museum facing the entrance are the figures of Rameses and his Queen in a sitting position. The queen has her arm round the Kings waist as is the case with several other pieces of dual statuary. The ladies in those days appear not to have been so modest as in the present era. The piece first mentioned must be at least 25ft high. There is a great collection of native jewellery and works of art, also a great number of mummified animals. I presume sacred animals, as dogs, sheep, fish etc. etc. I could not get a guide book printed in English, some of the things were labelled in English as well as French and Arabic. I saw a number of the nurses from the hospital ship which arrived 2 days ago. They had been granted 2 days leave to look round. One of them informed me that some of them were to be stationed at the military hospital at the Citadel. About 30 visited Mena house on Friday, we are expecting to move very soon now your etc Sgt AE Weymouth.
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-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Mena Camp Feb 12th Although we are not actually at the front we of the Australian camp are getting about as much work as we shall later on. For seven weeks now, I have been constantly on duty, we have been treating an average of about 100 patients in each of the divisions the whole of the time. Although there are 80 men in each section there are only 7 men and 2 supernumeries from each detailed especially for nursing duties. We started at our own Field Hospital and from then on we had a turn at the Base Hospital (Mena House) then we had 10 days in the Isolation Hospital and now we are back at the Field Hospital again. All the patients from the E Brigade are sent to us for observation, we keep them a day or two and if the case is serious, we send it [sic] on to Mena House otherwise we nurses it for 2 or 3 days, then return it back to its own lines. We are getting a great many cases of Influenza with high temperatures and very sore throats at present. About 4 days of careful treatment with a plentiful application of throat paint usually suffices to rectify matters. We are supposed to work from 6.30 am until 2pm and then start again at 2 pm until 10 pm, but in many cases we start at 6.30 am and work till 10pm getting our own food whilst attending to the wants of the 14 patients under individual personal charge. In our spare time we get lectures etc. A number of our men were into the ? .........barrack hospital in Cairo last Tuesday afternoon to witness the dissecting of three Turks, who had been killed in the war, I was not privileged to go as I was on duty. You will have heard through the papers of the engagement on the Suez Canal, they got all they wanted and the balance of them retired. The papers state that 3000 men were left behind as prisoners etc. We have been kept in readiness for some weeks, but our time has not yet come. We are still having good weather, with the exception of a few days when the landscape outside a radius of 500 yards is completely blotted out by sand in suspension. Last week we had a route march of about 12 miles, we started along the road to Cairo and branched off on to a narrow road marching along the top of embankment winding past a number of native villages and through the green fields with their life giving irrigation channels. We saw the natives at work in the fields with their primitive plows [sic] constituted by a large forked limb of a tree shaped like a wish bone with three parts of one arm broken off, this short arm forming the plow [sic] ?stick. The two humped............................ oxen are used to draw the plow. Here and there along the road we would come across the houses of a family of farm labourers. The make a tent similar to those seen in picture of the Bedouin Arabs and composed of old salt bags interspersed with an occasional strip of material with brown, red and green stripes and propped up at irregular distances with sticks about 4 feet high. They surround this with a palisade dried maize stalks. There are usually a few fowls, goats, pigs a donkey etc and they all appear to occupy the
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same room as the proprietor. We have learned to rough it somewhat in camp but I do hope I am never asked to dinner at one of these houses. We passed by a native village and saw them making bricks in exactly the same way as the Children of Israel did the job out of mud, similar to that seen at Bridgewater when the tide is out, mixed up with straw about 3 inches long. The whole Brigade with its transports etc covered about 7 miles of road formed out in column of route. Last Sunday I visited the Mosque of the Sultan and also that of Sultan Hassam. In the first I saw the sarcophagus of several notables amongst them that of the grandmother of the present Sultan, other mainly of his family also that of the father of the ................... who has first been deposed in the Sultan’s favour. His monuments are most beautifully sculptured out of marble. One of them was carved ebony wood inlaid with silver a magnificent piece of work. They occupied a room with a very high domed roof and extensive decoration. On the floor was a beautiful Persian carpet. There was also a row of solid silver bells standing on the floor about 3 ft 6 in high and suspended from the roof a number of large fancy glass lamps. In the Sultan Hassam Mosque I saw a gate overlaid with bronze and embossed with silver and gold. One of the guides stated that it cost 6000 francs (£ 200). There was also another door that Napoleon had stripped the metal from. I also saw the coronation chair of Hassam, it is over 600 years old. ... into the design of decorations on the walls are a number of pieces of real turquoise as large as fowls eggs. Embedded in the masonry of one of the towers in a cannon ball, and also a number of marks where balls have struck. They were fired at it by the Turkish they mistook the building for part of the Citadel. In the centre of the building is a large courtyard, with three large halls opening on to it. In these halls the Arab students would receive their lectures, and off them again a room about 20 feet square and round the walls rows of windows. These were belonging to the rooms where the students slept. We next went to the tombs of the Caliphs which are a good mile to the right of the Citadel. Here are buried the Mamlukes who held offices previous to Mahoumet Ali. They are said to have been a wicked lot. Mahoumet Ali had the whole of the family massacred at the Citadel with the exception of one who jumped over the wall, a drop of 40 feet and afterward died from injuries received. There are a number of small mosques. A quaint little dwarf took our shoes at the entrance. The floors of all these places are covered with Turkish carpets and slippers are provided at the door to wear over our boots. There are about 10 tombs of the Mamlukes and quite a number of other persons of note. The principal one being that of Ibrahim Pasha a very fine piece of bronze statuary full life size mounted on a charger. The whole quite 35 feet high, occupies a prominent position in the central street of Cairo. It was erected after his return from the invasion of Turkey. He was the son of Mahoumet Ali and led an army against Turkey but the Great Powers ordered him to return a year later. He paid a friendly visit to the Sultan who caused poison to be put into his coffee. His tomb is beautifully sculptured marble with a line from the Koran inserted in the different panels on each side. It took 4 years to complete and cost £3000. At either end of the monument is a small pillar similar to our headstone. On the one at the head is inscribed the name etc and the one at the foot is the headdress worn by the person sculptured on the top of it. A number of priests are in charge here, they were sitting about reading the Koran, praying and occasionally breaking forth into a plaintive singing that had a kind of deep guttural sound that is an impossibility to and Australian. After leaving here we took train for Cairo. An American whom I made the acquaintance of told me he would take me to the place where Joseph and Mary with the child Jesus were hid when they fled
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to Egypt. The train took us through some very dirty narrow streets into the oldest part of the city. After leaving the train we wound our way still deeper into the mazes of streets and after five minutes’ walk came to a fine Greek Church. This is a square building with a large dome roof. On the ceiling in the centre of the dome is a beautiful painting of Christ the colouring in the robes being very........... the inner vesture is ...... .................. and the outer cloak royal blue. Below this is a row of cherubs then a row of pictures of the Saints and early fathers of the Greek Church. On the walls are three pictures about 10 feet high by 4 ft wide, one is a picture of St George the Patron Saint of the Church, another is a picture of “Suffer the Little Children to come unto me” and is very fine ...... All the figures are nearly life size. The daises in the field just asked to be picked so real are they. There is a small altar with a picture of the Madonna and child and over the top a royal crown. At the end of the building an altar with a beautifully embroidered curtain edged with old lace and candles burning in front. On the right was a small altar with tin bags strung up in front gifts brought by mothers who came to intercede for their children. The floor is of marble and has a circular row of seats with a large clear space in the centre and round the side. We next visited a Jewish Synagogue with a marble in it marking the place where Moses is supposed to have knelt in prayer when he came to worship with his people in bondage. We were also shown a very old copy of the Jewish script and written upon leather in Hebrew 900BC. Also a number of other scrolls in beautifully embossed cases inlaid with mother of pearl. After that we visited a Coptic Church which is built over the cave in which Joseph and Mary hid with the Child Jesus. We descended down steps into the cave place. There three niches cut into the stone in two of these crosses are inside and in the other is a font where all the Coptic children are baptised. In the church which is undergoing repairs we saw some old pictures and screens. Service is held in the cave twice a year at Easter and at Xmas. From here we were taken to another church of St Sebastian our guide told us it was built ? 2000 BC. The principal thing of note here is a picture, there are a number embossed in colours upon copper plates of the Madonna which is painted in such a way that the eyes look straight at one, whichever way they may approach it from. Returning to the train we passed through an old Roman wall with a curious gate locked by an ancient wooden lock with wooden key. It is hundreds of years old. I attend the Methodist Church in the evening and heard and excellent sermon delivered in true Methodist style by a chaplain of the New Zealand force, the text was if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and forgives us sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yesterday we went for a march across the sands out into the desert. We left camp at about 6 am and pitched camp at 12 noon. After lunch a number of men were sent about a mile and a half away over some sand hills, signals were sent back that there were wounded to collect and the nature of their injuries, we had already pitched our operating tent and got beds ready for the wounded. A stretcher party was sent out, who returned with the wounded men all bandaged and we received them. We then struck camp and returned home marching about 10 miles through the sand. To appreciate a 10 mile march in the desert, is like, try marching at quick times for 3 hours through the loose sand above high water mark on a sea beach with a very heavy overcoat on your shoulder and all the other equipment necessary for meals and patching wound, it drags somewhat. The other day whilst on the train I saw the funniest circus trick imaginable. A man with a large basket of vegetables was riding a donkey along the road, he struck Neddy with a stick across the
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head, without warning the donkey sat down upon his tail the man slid back in the middle of the road with the vegetables all over him. One day I was riding a donkey and the donkey boy who runs behind gave him a severe smack which caused him to spring forward, I saved myself by a very small margin from being left in the middle of the road of one of the principal streets of Cairo. The re-‐enforcement came into camp last week, I saw the men who are to be invalided home leaving by the trains Capt Battam is going in charge of the ship. Must now close with kindest regards From Alf E Weymouth
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Mena Camp Egypt Feb 13th 1915 Dear May Your very welcome letter came to hand last Wednesday. I received 8 by that mail, also 2 papers, so that I had quite a budget to get through. I was please to hear you are enjoying better health and hope that the present spell of hot weather will not prove too much for you. I got a letter from Rose to-‐day. She seems to be getting along better now. You must have had a big day at Christmas time, and plenty to do providing, but it was nice for the whole family to be together. I hope Mrs Newman is quite recovered from her illness ere this. The girls where [sic] not able to do a trip to Tassy this year, give them my best respects and remember me when you see them. I hope they are all well. I had a letter from Beulah and Chas. They are getting it very warm there. Beulah seems always to write in a pathetic strain. I think she sometimes takes things too seriously. She makes me smile sometimes the amount of gush she uses in her letters. Eff and Father seem to be getting on OK at present, but when one is away they cannot learn much from letters. I hope my letters prove interesting and that you are able to make them out. Your copy is sometimes faint, but put a sheet of white behind it and it will prove clearer. As there are fewer to read it on you circuit, than the other i always send you the newest one. Poor you! I expect I shall not be able to write so fully when we get to the front. We do not seem to get much spare time now. Tomorrow I am going to Cairo with three others. One of our Captains is going to introduce us into an English home here. We also got an invitation to a social the home of the Presbyterian Minister here in Cairo for next Wednesday. A young Hines from Burnie and I attended his church last Sunday week, and he spoke to us there. I mostly associate with Hines and two brothers Robinson late of Devonport. They are fine fellows. I consider I am fortunate in having them as comrades when there are so many one has to associate with who are all that they should not be. Love to yourself Tom and the Children with a kiss for each from your affectionate Bro. Alf
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Mudros Bay Island of Lemnos April 20th 1915 We have now been in Mudros Bay for over six weeks but it is only a matter of a few hours before we “Up and at them”, the whole of the 3rd Brigade to which the 3rd Field ambulance is attached left Mena Camp Egypt at 5pm Feb 28th for destination unknown. After a ten mile march Cairo was reached at 7.30pm. The infantry were entrained at once, but we had to wait till 6am the following morning and as our blankets etc. Were on the 1st train we had to sleep on the ground in the station yard with only our great coats for protection from the frosty air. We reach Alexandria at 12.30 pm and at 1pm had our breakfast and dinner combined issued to us, it consisted of about ¾ lb of bully beef and 4 hard biscuits. Our transport a steamer of 7000 tons named the Malda and belonging to the British India Co. did not arrive til 5pm. After loading our baggage we had to wait for the Collecting Hospital Lieutenant Colonel Giblin in command, and sailed at 2pm Thursday. As we passed a large American war boat at anchor in the harbour the sailors gave us a rousing cheer. We had about 5000 men and 250 horses on board. There was no provision made for sleeping accommodation, or for taking our meals so we had to sleep between decks on the floor and have our meals on the same place. We after comparing our accommodation with conditions visiting on other boats we congratulated ourselves. After two days uneventful steaming through passages between a number of islands we arrived at the island of Lemnos in the Grecian Archipelago not far from the mouth of the Dardanelles. At daylight on Saturday we dropped anchor in an almost landlocked bay about half the size of the Derwent Harbour. To the right as we entered we observed a wireless station, and on the left a fine lighthouse. The bay is surrounded by low undulating hills covered with a mantle of green and russet brown and dotted here and there with small villages, we can count about eight of them from the ship, near the village on almost every rise are small round, stone, flour mills driven by large sails. In the background are several higher hills of grey rock, the whole making a very pretty picture reminding one somewhat of part of the East coast of Tasmania. The island is devoid of trees with the exception of a few nut trees and occasional fig tree. We were told that there are vineyards on the island. The principle occupation of the inhabitants appears to be sheep farming and agriculture. The farmers look very quaint in their sheepskin coats. The skin side outermost, following their primitive ox drawn ploughs. The population of the island is set down at 27000 mostly Greeks. After spending about ten days on the boat Major Poutler and 18 of our section went ashore and pitched our camp alongside the ninth battalion that had previously gone on shore. We had one hospital tent and most of the time about a dozen patients. We had one very serious case of pneumonia one night the doctor did not expect him to pull through but with careful attention we got him past the danger point before handing him over to the Aus: Stationary Hospital which came on shore about ten days after we landed.
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Near to our camp were several windmills previously described. We visited one owned by an old man with a shaggy greybeard reminding one of the pictures of Blue Beard of nursery times. We ascended a circular flight of rough stone steps and in the conical top of the mill we saw the corn slowly trickling through a hole in the centre of a large, flat, circular stone which was rotating on the surface of another similar stone and grinding the corn between them, it then passed over the edge into a shoot that conveyed it into a bag arranged in the room below to receive it. Te flour was about the colour of oatmeal and retained its virtue unimpaired by a desire to procure a flour whiteness at the expense of nutritiousness. We purchased a few lbs of the lour and our cook made a plum pudding that was voted A1. Our camp is near to the small village of Mudros. In the centre o the village s a large Greek Church we visited one afternoon. The priest upon entrance lit a small ember for each of us to hold, when they had burnt out he showed us round the church. It is a building large as Chalmers Church and was built about three years ago. The decorations are very good, and a number of paintings of the apostles, also one of the Last Supper were splendid. There is also some beautiful marble work. After visiting the Church we proceeded round the town on a tour of inspection. We visited the village school and received a hearty welcome from the masters, one of them could speak a little English. The children repeated a prophecy that the Greeks believe in. It is that a large Church in Constantinople which the Greeks build but which was captured by the Mohammed would after 500 years be restored to the Greeks. They say that the allies are going to fulfil this prophecy and restore the church to them, this is the year that completes the time stated. They next sang to us their National Anthem and another song. The people are very quiet with little to say they are healthy fresh complexioned quite contrast to those we left in Egypt. In almost every house we observed the women either spinning or weaving cotton into cloth. They use old fashion wooden looms and the cloth produced is similar to wincey in appearance. Another day we took a walk to the top of a high hill to the east of the island, with a glass we could see the battle ships at work bombarding the Dardanelles from the Gulf of Saragossa. The H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth shells the forts in the Dardanelles at a range of about 15 miles right over the Gallipoli Peninsular, she is the latest and most powerful boat in the Navy and can throw a shell from here 15 inch gun a distance of 25 miles with effective striking power. The actual weight of the projectile she throws is about a ton. We met a number of children on the hills they were gathering thistle stalks as they returned from school. The thistle stalks are used for food they skin them before eating them as we would a radish. They gathered in a group and sang to us. As we returned down one of the gullies we came to a shepherd’s cottage all the dwellings are built of rough stones and surrounded by stone walls, the shepherd was milking his small flock of sheep. He sat on a box at a gate and as they passed through he would catch them by the hind leg pull them back over the bucket and milk them, it was a curious sight, he brought out a cup and gave us each a drink. The milk is very nice, I think one would prefer it to cow’s milk when they had got used to the idea of drinking it. The niggers on the Malda have a sheep as a pet it is jet black with a curly coat and is similar in appearance to a small retriever dog with a very curly coat. It was amusing to see the horses being landed especially those belonging to the Territorials. A number of them had evidently not had much to do with horses, a small fellow would start up the head from the jetty leading two big horses they would do fairly well until the horses got their eyes on to the green fields in the distance, there are no fences on the island, immediately their heads would go up with a snort and away they go at t gallop, dragging their leader until the pace got too warm for him. After kicking up their heels in a frantic manner and rolling on their backs alternately on the grass for about 10minutes they quietly trot away to the first mob of horses they see and fall into line with them.
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One morning whilst we were on the island a young fellow in the 9th battalion named Sanders was found dead in his tent, they brought him over to us and weld a post mortem. Next morning he was buried with Military honours the Greek Catholic Priest on the island officiating as there was a Roman Priest on Lemnos and the man was an RC. His death was due to an overdose of Chlorodyne. We had lovely weather whilst on the island and were sorry when the stationery hospital came on shore and we had to transfer our patients and return to the ship. The Sunday before Easter I was very much surprised to hear the Chaplain mention that the following Sunday was Easter Sunday as I had no idea it was so near. We had a service on board on Good Friday at 2pm and received a small bun each in addition to our ordinary rations. On Saturday we had sports and a boat race. We have been practising disembarkation during the past four weeks in anticipation of the great move to the Dardanelles. I consider we are most fortunate in being select to participate in the move as it is considered that it will have a marked bearing on the ultimate issue of the war. At the present time each of the transports have about 26 men –o – warmen on board to help in the landing operations. You will have read in the papers about the H.M.S. Ocean and the Irresistible being sunk and the Invincible being damaged up the Dardanelles. The French war boat Bouvet was sunk and most of the men lost, there were very small British losses. The Invincible returned here, she was saved by the watertight compartments being closed immediately but they had to sacrifice about 20 men, who were drowned through their retreat being cut off. Their bodies were recovered a few days after returning here. We have some of the Ocean men on board they were telling us they had a very exciting time one of them was in the magazine of the ocean when the mine exploded under her, he said she seemed to lift a couple of feet in the water. The commander told them not to worry but to close the water tight doors, and then to get on deck. He came up a powder shoot he spoke of the splendid work of the Torpedo boat destroyers, they were alongside in no time and succeeded in taking the whole of the men off. One of the destroyers the Chelmere which has been along side of our ship today had just a got a full load of men on board when a shells struck her. Immediately another destroyer ran alongside the Chelmere and took the men off she was then run aground on an island at the mouth of the Dardanelles and subsequently repaired. The destroyers saved the whole of our men and 60 from the Frenchmen’s. He said that shells were dropping around them the whole time and if the fire had been anyway accurate they must all have perished. He considers the rescue party deserves VCs if ever anyone did. When the Amethyst forced her way through past the forts a shell penetrated into the bathroom where stokers had just come off duty were washing and it killed most of them. They have a monkey on the Chelmere for mascot. I expect Lemnos will not again be honoured by the presence of so many ships of war and transports for many years to come. When we arrived there were only about five transports and two or three war boats now the harbour is full of shipping. There are Russian, French, English, Greek and even German and Turkish but the last two classes are flying British flags. There are North Sea Trawlers for mine sweeping, Torpedo boats, Torpedo boat destroyers, destroyers of torpedo boat destroyers, (this is quite a new class of boat with a speed of over forty knots I am informed). There are also Cruisers, Battleships, Dreadnoughts, and super dreadnoughts, oil ships, water ships, Hospital ships, Repair ships. Among the transports of which there are about 50 in this bay are two armed liners of about 15,000 tons, at night they make a pretty sight with their six rows of portholes all showing lights. There is another boat of the same size the Minewaska an Atlantic transport liner. She is the flagship and has all the Staff officers on her. There is also a French Transport a little larger ain size. Another boat
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with interest attaching to it that is in the harbour at the present time is the Anne Richmers she was captured from the Germans in the early part of the war and has been used by the British as a supply ship and aeroplane ship. She was off the coast of Asia Minor when she was struck by a torpedo which was really meant for the H.M.S. Swiftsure but in the darkness they mistook the ship. She has a hole about 10 feet high by 6 feet wide in the fore part just on the water line. Fortunately she was loaded with wood in that par and so they were able to keep her afloat until they to safety. I was speaking with Major Richards of the Clearing Hospital Staff, he told me of an interesting experience she had while exploring on the coast of Syria, he was told to go off on her for 14 days on special duty. The Anne Richmers one morning dropped anchor off a small village really in Egypt but so far from the centre of government that her sympathies were with the Turks and she was flying the Turkish flag. The airmen ascended each day and flew over the land to inspect and returned each night to the ship which could stand out to sea, and return in the morning. They learned afterwards that this proceeding filled the people with superstitious dread to such an extent (only very small boats having ever previously called there) that their priests marched around the streets in procession calling on their deity to deliver them, this went on for several days when one morning another British vessel put in an appearance with the result that the people concluded it was all up with them and hoisted the white flag, capitulating with a single shot being fired. An unfortunate occurrence happened the other day. The particulars as i got them are that two transports were coining up here about 60 miles away when an Austrian torpedo boat stuck them up. One of the ships clapped on steam and ran for it, the torpedo boat fired four torpedos at her unsuccessfully but she got away and called up the destroyer from here, they left here at full speed. In the meantime the Austrian gave the second transport orders to disembark into the boats whilst this was proceeding one of the boats collapsed and in the excitement a second boat got away and crashed down into the water on top of the first about 60 were killed or drowned the ships boats carry any number from 30 to 60. Fortunately before the Austrians recovered from the confusion sufficiently our destroyers appeared and tussled here with the result that she had to be beached to prevent sinking. We were moved from the S.S. Malda on to the S.S. Nizam and from her on to the S.S. Suffolk which we are on now. The accommodation on the Nizam was not near as good as the Malda but on the Suffolk we are doing splendidly, we have mess tables and hammocks. We are now on British Army rations and are fed very much better than under the old system. For the past month we have done very little except boat crew work but nevertheless we recognise that although we have waited eight months, this waiting has played a very important and very necessary part in the great game, and now that the time has come to strike we are going to strike hard. The impression is that we leave here at midnight, and the attack will be made at daylight. It is thought there are probably 150,000 to 200,000 troops to meet us but the attacking force will be sufficient to meet them. They called for volunteers to go back to Alexandria with our kitbags which are to be stored there, but only one man stepped out from the 12th Battalion. We get a lot of wind here for several days it has blown a gale. One day about 20 of the ships boats broke away and were washed ashore, the next day was very cold. There are high mountains on the islands either side of us and they were covered with snow making a fine picture. One of the islands is Samothrace the one that the Apostle Paul called at on his way to visit Philippi. We have two hospital ships here, they look very fine with their broad green bands and red crosses on a white ground work of paint. I was on board one of them the Soudan a few days ago, everything on board was beautifully clean, the deck as white as a table top. There are 250 cots on iron standards but if necessary they can accommodate 700 patients. At the fore part is the operating
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theatre with the very latest conveniences. A small lift operates to bring the patients up from the wards below to the operating room, one would imagine themselves in a leading city hospital. I had the privilege of seeing General Sir Ian Hamilton the other day, also Lieut. Holbrook who was in command of the submarine that made its way up the Dardanelles and torpedoed the Turkish war boat. Admiral Roebuck is in charge of the naval operations here. I also saw one of the French Generals. There are a lot of French troops here and I was told there are 30,000 Japanese troops at one of the other islands nearby. The Colonel gathered all the troops on deck this evening and told them what to expect. He said that one they landed it would be go forward, if they did not someone else would. He added some of you may want to go home when the fun begins but its no use as the boats will have gone. I must now close Kindest regards to all From Yours faithfully Alf E Weymouth
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ May 2nd 1915 Alexandria 3am At the present time I am on night duty on the auxiliary Hospital Ship Galeka. You will have read in the papers ‘ere you get this letter that I am safe and well, as the Major is going to telegraph to the Tassy papers, so as to allay anxiety on the part of friends. We sailed from Lemnos at 2pm Saturday April 23rd. The Tassy Section of the 3rd Field Amb were sent on board the Suffolk with the exception of three. When we left Lemnos we had seven torpedo boats with us and three other transports, the day was perfect and it was a fine sight as we steamed out. We past 5 hospital ships and battle ships steamed away in another direction arriving at the Island of Imbros just of the Gallipoli peninsular and near to the mouth of the Dardanelles we dropped anchor. At 3 am on Sunday April 24th the landing party steamed away from our ship in two torpedo boat destroyers. The day previous the Colonel spoke to the men, and told them what was to be their objective. They had to take 2 lines of trenches that were near the shore, and capture several guns. It was hoped they could force their way for two miles in land to a certain position and then dig themselves in. Everything was done to keep the movement a secret but it was apparent, when the ships boats neared the shore that the Turks had been warned. They opened fire on the boats and many were killed before landing, however the Australians showed what they were made of, and captured the guns and trenches at the point of bayonet. Our stretcher bearers were landed with the first party and worked splendidly we were informed that 23 of them were wounded and 4 killed among the killed was a young Eccles and a young Hudson from Launceston. We on the Suffolk were not allowed to land. We lay off the coast for two days and could see the British ships bombarding the coast. It was like continual thunder. The Queen Elizabeth was 12 miles from us, but when her guns were fired, everything on our ship rattled as though it was and earthquake.
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On Tuesday morning we were ordered to get the Suffolk ready to receive 400 wounded. We did so but at 12 o’clock a p[rivate] came along side and said we were to tranship to the Galeka in half and hour. We had to pack all our surgical things again and get our baggage, we had no time to lose. We had only about 10 minutes to get our things on deck, and were told to the 2nd saloon immediately. They had started bringing the wounded off from the shore and the worst cases were being put through first. The saloon was a slaughter house. Our two Drs the Galeka’s Dr and a Dr from the Minewaska started about 12 noon and worked till 5 am on the following morning on the most serious cases and we assisted them or did the less serious dressings ourselves, but at 5 am all the dressing were not finished some who had been resting carried on when we left off. And it was only today that the last cases were dressed. We have some very serious cases a lot of the wounds were made with explosive bullets and are just a shattered mass of flesh. Several legs and arms were amputated and about 6 had the top of their skulls blown open one of them died about a couple of hours ago. We have about 510 wounded on board and about 35 has passed away since we started which is not a big percentage considering the nature of their wounds. Captain McIntire who was in charge of our stretcher bearers had a bullet pass through the bone above his eye and downwards destroying the sight of the eye, and had to have it taken out. They anticipated that there would be about 50 percent of casualties in the landing force. Col Clarke and LTCOL Hawley were killed nearly all the Australian Officers were killed or wounded. The Turks and Germans were hidden about in the scrub singly and picked our men off, but they got what for in return. Our men did all that was required of them and have made a name for the Australian Soldiers that will never be forgotten. This is considered to be one of the greatest military achievements and only surpassed in the present war by the retreat from Mons. I am in splendid health and as I will probably be kept on hospital ship work for some time you need not fear for my safety. You will probably read a better account in the paper than I could give you of this affair. So I must close. Our black kit bags with most of our things in are on the Suffolk. Our white kit bags with a change of underclothing in are on the [? Lizaine] we are on the Galeka when we three meet again is problematical. I kept an extra shirt and a pair of underpants on which was against orders and with the exception of what we have on that is our wardrobe but we are much better off than many of the poor fellows on board whom we had to divest of all their clothing in piles and who are now trying to sleep between two blankets, which is not their own. I expect our mail will follow us for sometime in future as we move round. I will write when possible with love to all the girls Your affectionate brother Alf
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Gallipoli Peninsular August 20th 1915 Dear Friends After three months of Naval warfare our sub section, finds itself once again joined up with its Units. For some weeks now we have been on shore and have lived and slept with the continual crack of the rifle and screams of the shells in our ears but these sounds soon lose their intimidating effects are not near as nerve trying as our submarine and shell experience when on the water.
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We transferred on to the headquarter ship at Lemnos to wait for the fleet sweeper that usually runs here, she had got a steel cable tangled on her propeller that day so after a delay of several hours we left in a small tug-‐boat instead, at 10 o’clock pm and arrived here at day light. Owing to the insignificant size of our craft the Turks evidently did not consider it worthwhile to greet us with the usual supply of shrapnel. We did not look upon this as an indignity. Although you have seen so many descriptions and illustrations in the papers of the position occupied by the troops here I will add another brief one. The foreshore consists of a strong beach about ten yards and the country immediately commences to rise by a number of small ridges intersected by ravines ending in a long ridge about one thousand feet high and stretching for about three miles parallel to the foreshore. The ravines remind me somewhat of the Glen up Knock lofty way, and the appearance of the ground is something similar. Our dug outs are ranged in terraces along the sides and front of the smaller ridge. The vegetation consists of wild thyme, and shrub with a leaf similar to a fern leaf, and a prickly bush that grows similar to a briar bush but has a leaf the shape of the holly leaf but much smaller. There are no trees close here but in the distance are olive groves and other trees. The hillsides are thickly covered with the short buses and it was from the hiding places in them that the Turkish sharp shooter did such a lot of damage during the first days of the landing. As we sit in our dug-‐outs which is about three hundred feet up the face of one of the ridges, we can look across the sea and observe the movements of all the shipping. At present time there are four hospital ships riding at anchor. They make quite an illuminated display at night time with their white mast head lights, a row of green lights right around the sides and a large red cross up in the centre. About ten miles away are the islands of Lamothrace and Imbros. As the sun sinks to rest behind them we witness some of the most magnificent sun sets I have ever seen. The first few days we were ashore we were occupied digging out our homes and carrying water and stores, we rose at 4 am and carried ten gallons of water each. After breakfast which consists of tea, biscuits and a rasher of bacon we got to work digging. For dinner we het boiled rice, biscuits and jam. After dinner we rested. For tea we had bully beef and dessicated vegetable stew, and finished the day at 9pm carrying rations from the beach for the following day. This routine was repeated for the next two day when I was detailed to accompany the Staff Sgt and tow of our medical officers up one of the gullies to assist inoculating the second brigade against cholera. We continued this for about a week doing approximately five hundred men each morning. One morning we had a lot of shell fire over us which burst on the opposite side of the gully just below us. I was inoculated the first dose made me feel a bit queer but the second dose which is double the strength of the first was not too bad although I vert stiff all round the shoulder and in the arm. We were done on the left chest, a week elapsing in between each dose. A few days after we came ashore the Turks threw about six huge bombs around our camp which went off with a deafening report and hurled carloads of debris for hundreds of feet around. These bombs are similar in shape to a large football, they are made from metal quite two inches thick and are filled with a very high explosive which shatters them into fragments about the size of one fist. They are thrown by a machine similar in principle to the catapult arrangement used by the ancients for hurling large stones. We are thankful to our guns have since put it out of action. When the firing is heavy and in the trenches the bullets that miss our trenches fly across our camp in thousands making an incessant noise but fortunately just a little too high to catch us although many of them do strike the ground around one as they move about. We have about sixty patients in the hospital usually but all light cases, serious cases are sent each day to the hospital ships. We work in twelve hour shifts, some days in camp and other days at dressing stations just behind the trenches. Nearly all the fighting is done at night time. A big movement was made recently which meant a lot of extra work for us. We handled some terrible cases at the dressing station but one is more impressed
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every day with the wonderful fortitude of the wounded. In most cases not making as much fuss over a shattered limb as the majority of people at home make over a cut finger. A man was carried in with a great gaping would on the back of left should the shattered end of the shoulder blade showing. He started talking in a most unconcerned way, congratulating himself on his good fortune at being on shore from the first and only just getting hit. Also that it was no worse. I have him a cigarette and he was carried away for the boat, puffing away. This is only one example of many. On the first night of the attack the enemy just poured shell into the gully where our dressing station was situated the nine inch shells were terrific a piece from one of them struck Major Butler in the stomach, but the wound was not of a very serious character, he was taken on to one of the hospital ships and last reports were good. Some of the escapes were marvellous. A number of our stretcher bearers were sheltering in a dug-‐out waiting for patients, two of them seated about a yard apart when one of the nine inch shells buried itself in the earth between them but fortunately did not explode. Yesterday I saw some men in swimming when two shrapnel shells burst over them churning up the surface of the water all around them by they escaped unhurt. I could tell of numbers of similar cases although there many less fortunate still it is surprising the number of shells that will fall all round a point and yet miss it. At parade yesterday an order was read from headquarters thanking the Ambulances for the splendid work done and our own CO added that he never hoped to have a body of men under him who were more prompt or cheerful under conditions of great danger. There is a small Indian camp here part for the Indian Mountain battery and the remainder are in charge of the Mule train that takes supplies to the different units. They are a fine lot of fellows and very enthusiastic in their work. We wanted some curry powder so my dug-‐out mate asked them for some and offered him an exchange, he gave us some but would not take anything he said “No Australian very good” they have a great admiration for the Australian’s fighting qualities. The Tommies were surprised when they saw the Australians going and remarked at the coolness of our men under heavy fire, standing on top of a Turkish trench which has a strong head cover of boughs and sandbags, pulling the cover away so as to get in to the Turks. Men who were fighting in France previous to coming here say that they never saw anything so severe there as what they are getting here. With regard to authentic news of how thing are progressing in other parts of the continent or even within a few miles of our camp we are in greater ignorance than you are in Tasmania and we have to wait till we get the English paper before we are quite sure what we are doing ourselves, but what we lack in fact we get in fable. The rumours are prodigious. I have not had a fresh water bath since I came on shore but one does not seem to get dirty here owing to the nature of the soil which seems to have cleansing properties similar to ocean sand. We use half a cup of water each morning and evening for ablutions. The whole days toilet is usually responsible for about a pint of water. We wash our clothes in the sea and by frequent dips ourselves manage to keep clean. We have no canteen on shore. If one was here a great trade would be done. There are some men who have the opportunity to smuggle things on shore and they intend to return home rich. Milk that they buy at 6d per tin they retail at 2/-‐ chocolate that they pay 10d per lb in the Navy they sell here to their comrades at 5/6 per lb and some. I must conclude as all the news that is not prohibitive has run out. With kindest regards and best wishes From yours sincerely Alf E Weymouth
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Gallipoli Pen Oct 7th 1915 Dear May I received the latter that I am now replying to on the morning I posted my last to you, so I did not answer it immediately. I was delighted to hear that your health has so much improved with the change of address, but was sorry to learn from a letter I got from Ethel, yesterday, that the house has been sold and another move has become necessary. I hope your new home proves as attractive as the last one, you still have a garden to exercise yourself in. I saw young Doc Holmes a good many times at Mena. It would be a great shock to his parents. A great many of the junior officers have been killed in action. It’s very sad to note the number of officers’ graves in the little burial ground here. I had a letter from Geo Weymouth. He has arrived at Egypt safely, and the day previous the Ambulance he belongs to were ordered up here. He was very disappointed as when the medical officer examined them before leaving, he told Geo that he could not come on, as he was suffering from a slight rupture, and would need to be operated on. He’s got an appointment as clerk at one of the hospitals at Heliopolis and I suppose will remain in Egypt. The boat that was bringing the ambulance up here, was torpedoed and about 50 were drowned or killed, but the boat was kept afloat owing to the water tight compartments being closed. As you say, I am afraid I shall not relish drapery when I return, but there is plenty of time to elapse, I am afraid, before that........... no more of this letter
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Gallipoli Peninsular Nov 12 1915 Dear May Your very welcome letter of Sept 8th and the parcel containing fly net, of the 21st of the same month, reaches me per last mail. It was very kind of Mrs Cavanagh to make the net for me. Although the cold weather has finished a great proportion of the flies they are still plentiful. Tell Marjorie and Reg it was very pleased to their nice kisses, and could which were which, and am sending them these in return {For Marjorie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx} {For Reg xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx}
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There is a little, black baby donkey that wanders about our camp, with its mother. It is only as large as a big dog, and not old enough to work like the other donkeys that carry the soldier’s dinner and letters, up the hills to them. It is just big enough for Reg to ride on, but he will have to come and get it if he wants it. Drawing of donkey What a dreadful time they appear to be getting in Q’land. The spell from work will do Rose good. I hope she takes a trip down to see Beulah and you. I notice by all reports that the other States are looing fine with prospects on every hope of a seasons harvest. A friend writing to me says they are expecting an increase of the 60 million bushels of wheat over last year’s harvest. I was sorry to hear of your forced change of address just as you were getting everything nice, but am glad you were able to secure another convenient place, and no doubt you will soon get that straightened. How unfortunate Tom has been with his foot I hope ere this reaches you it will be quite well again. No I have not met young Newlands. Unless one knows their exact corp [sic] it is hard to find a person, as the troops are scattered over about 30 sq miles of country. On the boat the shells were a bit nerve wracking, but on shore here one does not notice them near so much although we see more of them. The day before yesterday one lodged in the engine room of a barge that was unloading at a jetty about thirty yards in front of our dressing station. It killed a man who has only joined the barge that day, wounded a second severely, and a third slightly. The same morning a man was brought in to us with a wound in the head. He only laded here late the night previous, and was washing himself on the beach when a sting caught him. The Drs operated but before they were halfway through he died. The bullet was in his brain. It is surprising how are caught immediately they land whilst others are here for months without a scratch. Many thanks for you kind offer to make me some socks if I wish them. I have had a number of pairs sent to me and now have a supply that will last me for at least two years and it is inconvenient to carry more clothes that one wants. We get issued with all the clothing we require. I have got things now that I shall never use. We are now at a dressing station on the beach and are getting a plentiful supply of everything. Are living much better than we did when up the gully at our old camp. The Indians gave us some meal the other day, and I got some raisins, marmalade, dripping and baking powder from other sources. The result was a first class plum pudding which my friend voted A1. We had it served with sweet sauce. If the pudding we read so much of in the Tassy papers do not arrive in time for Christmas we will make one for ourselves. Will you please let .............. Newman have the enclosed. I am also enclosing a PC to than Mrs Cavanagh for the fly net. We are having ideal Tassy autumn weather at present. Cold nights, and beautiful sunny days. It suits me first class and I am feeling grand. Wish you al “A Joyous Christmas, and Happy and Prosperous New Year “
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With love from your affectionate brother Alf.
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Tel-‐el-‐ Kepis Egypt Jan 28 1916 Dear May By the mail early this month I received you letter stating to whom I was indebted to for the various good thing contained in the parcel that reached me at the same time. It was very good of you to go to the trouble and expense of sending it. I wonder that you do not blush to mention of how you used to neglect your duty in connection with the consumption of surplus tarts. However I could do with a few now for a change, although when I tell you that I turned the balance at 12 stone 10lbs yesterday, you will understand that I am not exactly in a starving condition. On the peninsular I lost about 2 stone, I reckon and had a touch of jaundice just before the evacuation but the change has worked wonders with everybody. The PC enclosed in your last letter was to thank Mrs May Cavanagh for that fly net. I hope you untangle the skeins, and thank Mrs Newman both for it and also for the chewing gum and soap. I made use of both. The washer and cigarettes from Mrs Freda were both very useful. The cigarettes were not all smoked by myself but everyone was enjoyed. There is a marked difference in things of that kind manufactured for consumption by the army and those sold over the counter of retail stores. Tom’s case of chocolate was voted A1 by all who partook of it. I saw men pay 12/-‐ for the same quantity at the peninsular. My kindest regards and thanks to him for that and also the papers received from time to time. Your cake caused quite a sensation when it was exposed to view. A small portion of it was slightly mildewed. I think it was a little underdone in the centre which left it somewhat moist, and that was the cause. Had it been iced all over the bottom as well as top it would have made it practically airtight, and perhaps have prevented it. However there was only the tiniest piece of it uneatable, and it was greatly enjoyed by those who partook of it. And nothing wrong was detected by anyone, so don’t think it was seriously wrong. I only mentioned it so that you can be on your guard next Christmas. I must close but will write a long letter............................... Previously 8 letters, 60 papers, 15 parcels to date. With love and best wishes and many thanks to yourself Tom and the children From your affectionate Bro. Alf
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Egypt Feb 5th 1916 Dear Friends After a lapse of ten months we find ourselves once again in Egypt, and as I have a few spare hours just at present I am setting down a few more of our experiences. When I wrote you last I was camped in a dugout overlooking Anzac Bay. I was not enjoying the best of health had lost quite 2 stone in weight and felt as weak as a kitten. A few days ago I weighed and found that I had more than regained those 2 stone as I recorded my weight 12 stone 10lbs which I consider is not a bad advertisement for bully beef and biscuits. Our main camp was situated at White’s Gully (most of the places there are named after different officers whose companies have done conspicuous work on the peninsular), and from there different parties are detailed to work at different places, some of our men were working dressing stations in two different gullies and we were doing hospital work, usually having about 40 patients for observation. If they did not mend in about 48 hours they were sent on to the clearing hospital at the beach and from there on to the hospital ship. The hospital ships rode at anchor about 2 miles from the shore and at night time looked very pretty with their Red Cross and green band outlined with electric light. When Beachy Bill shelled the beach the shells passed directly over our camp and until one became used to the noise they made they would involuntarily duck their heads. Just in front of our camp a six inch howitzer gun had its dugout and when it fired at Beachy Bill it made the whole hill vibrate and I often saw the shell as it flew through the air on it mission. Several times when the Turks were searching for this gun they dropped shells in our camp. One day I was returning to my dugout when a shell burst above me and the pellets all around. I followed the usual custom and dropped on the ground, one pellet struck the ground just about six inches from my nose. Another shell burst and I watched the case strike the ground and then bounce right across our camp, finally lodging just alongside one of the dugouts. Our tent division and A section tent division were sent to the beach at Anzac Cove about the end of September and we continued to live and work there right up to the time of the evacuation. One afternoon all was quiet when suddenly the Turks began their usual shelling of the beach and in fifteen minutes we had thirteen serious cases to dress, and two men were killed. Some days they would shell all and hardly get a man whilst other days they could not go wrong. I was on night duty for a few weeks at the beach. We had to take every case that had not been passed through a Field ambulance, where necessary remove their 1st field dressing and replace it with a proper dressing. The beach was always busy at night time as most of the stores, and reinforcements were landed then. A man was brought in one night with a very severe would and haemorrhage he said that a stray bullet had struck him and that he was the last of five brothers to get hit, it is almost certain that he had his arm amputated later as it was in a very bad state. When the place and the rifle he had was examined it proved to be a case of self inflicted would, done so at to escape further service, but this foolish fellow has made a mess of it as his arm will be the forfeit and possible a court martial besides. Several men in one lot of reinforcements shot their finger or toe off for the same reason. It was usually easy to detect on account of the direction of the fire and the fact that they would hold the gun to close, and sow powder marks around the wound would give the show away.
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Another night the Turks commenced to shell a large water condensing plant that had been erected about one hundred yards further along the beach than our station, they got three shells into two of the cylinders. We went out to see if anyone had been caught but could find no one. Next morning we found one poor fellow who was asleep in his dugout and a shell had killed him instantly shattering the dugout. The same night a shell burst on the bank that formed one of the walls of our dressing station although it did not break through the wall needless to say it stimulated motion somewhat. A few days later a shell burst over our dressing station, I felt something hit me in the side but could not find anything at the time. Six pellets from the same shell went through our cook house next door. There were six men inside and only one of them was wounded, a pellet him in the head. Strange to say four cook houses were struck that day. A shell burst under a large pot of hot water at our cook house at White’s Gully. The Cpl Cook was about to take some water from the pot at the time. He was wounded in several places and frightfully scalded, all over the face, the doctor thought he would not live, and that his eyesight was gone, but the last we heard of him he was getting well again. Another Corporal standing near had his arm broken and face lacerated, a third man was severely wounded for the third time since the landing. I felt in my coat pocket about twenty minutes after I felt something hit me and found a shrapnel pellet in my pocket the size of a marble. It had come through the roof of our dressing station. A couple of days later a steam barge was at the jetty about thirty yards from our station unloading stores, a shell pierced into her engine room and killed the engineer and wounded another man who died soon after. There was always something doing at the beach. Several times we had storms and once the water came right into the station and we had to move everything out. The jetties that were stacked with cases were washed to pieces cases of biscuits, tinned chicken, treacle, jam, meat, rum, tea and Bovril were cast up all along the beach the men in the vicinity of the beach lived considerably better for a few days after the storms. Everybody who could excuse themselves for being there visited the beach at these times. A party of Egyptians were brought up to Anzac to do certain excavation work. A lot of our men made lamps out of milk tins using bacon fat and a lamp wick. Our men used a hand grenade made in a tin similar to a milk tin with a wick to ignite. One of the Gippos stole one of these he thought he had one of the lamps he had seen in the dugouts. At night time he lit it one of the others who knew what it was saw him, they threw it on the ground and rod on it to put it out, it went off and we had thirteen of them brought o the dressing station with lacerated wounds from the sole of their feet to their waists. Two of them will probably lose a foot each of course six Gippos had to come with each wounded one. They are just like children in their actions, they cry and sing and kiss each other in a most sympathetic way. During one storm a barge laden with French wine broke loose, the barrels of wine floated to shore. The Turks started shelling but our men dodged out between the shots waded into the water and secured the wine, although the shells were bursting in among them. Fortunately none were hit. Late in November we had a very severe snow storm, we woke one morning and found everything covered, it snowed all day and the snow did not disappear til six days later. The Robins and other small birds got very tame hopping into the dugouts to pick up the crumbs of bread. The Indians and Terries felt it much worse than the Australians, many of them had their feet frost bitten. When we were on night duty a friend and I would go long walks during the mornings and sleep during the afternoons and visit different points of interest along the lines. At the head of Head Quarters Gully where we had our dugouts the hill rose abruptly to a height of about 600 feet above sea level. We often climbed up here and viewed the country round. Away on the skyline to the
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south we could see Ache-‐Baba the nut that the British navy could not crack, although we saw them on a number of occasions pouring shells into it at a terrific rate till the whole ground seemed one mass of bursting shells. Near to us was the olive grove where a number of Turkish guns were located and thousands of our shells were delivered. To the right of this position was the home of the world renowned Beachy Bill. Although it was easy from our observing station to see the flash as he fired our guns were unable to completely silence him although our gunners declared that they had smashed him a number of times and that the Turks put a new gun in each time, it was supposed that the gun was mounted on rails and was run into a pit immediately it had fired. Before us stretched the Aegean Sea with the entrance to the Dardanelles thirteen miles distant the island of Imbros ten miles, Samothrace next and on our right hand we could see the coast line of Bulgaria. At our feet were the dugouts of our men, and Suva Bay, Amafata Bay and Anzac Cove with small steam launches, tugs, hospital ships, barges, sailing boats, torpedo boats, cruisers, store ships etc. all going to form a magnificent panoramic picture. The pulse of which was quickened by a few shells from Johnny Turk immediately any of the boats came into the firing zone. On the top of the cliff is a flat known as ‘Penggies Plateau’ where one of our Batteries was situated and where a number of wooden crosses mark the last resting places of a number of our men who had succumbed to the almost constant hail of bullets that swept across there. We saw one of our guns with a shell hole right through the iron screen behind which the gunners worked. Fortunately the gunner had moved away a few minutes previously. A few days later another shell came through and that time found a mark. Just to the right, where the cliff jutted out to a point, we saw a pit where the Turks had a machine gun located on the day of the landing. Three of our boats broke loose from one of the launches that was towing them and the gun got onto them, killing almost everyone in the boat, they were New Zealanders. Some say that it was owing to these boats drawing the fire that the other boats got off as well as they did. When one examines this position they can scarce believe that it ws possible for men to capture, and yet our men did it. Many VCs were truly earned at this time that was not awarded owing to the individual deeds not coming to light. Another day we walked through Shrapnel, Monash, Bully-‐beef and Barbwire gullies. Most of the way it was necessary to keep to the sap as the deep trenches – seven feet deep and three feet wide are ........ that lead up to the various stations. Such notices as the following were posted here and there as warning, “Hurry past the Point, Keep to right of road, Beware of snipers etc”. In some places sand bags were built up to form a screen where a gap in the hills permitted the Turks to observe the track. On our way we visited one of the cemeteries where a number of our men are resting. A couple of men were detailed to put it in order and they were doing their work splendidly. The graves are all in rows and are covered with gravel and edged round with shell cases, stones, etc. the paths are nicely gravelled and each grave is marked by a cross or some other style of tablet. This cemetery might well be taken as a model by many of our city cemeteries. We next passed a pine tree the top branches were showing many dried twigs and their ragged appearance indicated that they have had a rough time. One Turkish sniper had used this tree as a hiding place from which he could pick off our men as they passed along the gully below on their way to draw water. A shipment of Jones I.X.L. jam had arrived a few days previous to our walk at this gully, and it made one feel that they were not very far from home to see the men carrying the tins with the well known label to their dugouts. Another day we visited some of the Tassie infantry boys at “Russell’s Top”. After a climb of about 800 feet up a zigzag path we reached the trenches, some of the glimpses we
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got from different points as we ascended were magnificent. We could see a trawler at anchor being shelled by the Turks evidently she had not got sufficient steam to get away at first, shell after shell got closer and closer to her. One struck her at the bow but no damage worth considering was done. The Turks now had the range, what would follow just at the critical moment the propeller began to revolve, and she slowly moved out. One gets very excited watching. The next shell dropped just where she had been anchored so they only just moved in time. We were able to look down into the different gullies and see the different battalions in their respective camps moving about like ants, some of the dugouts were dug into the face of the cliff. A path about two feet wide running around the face of the cliff about 8 feet from the brow gave access to them, and almost perpendicular drop of 500 feet being on one side of the path. Needless to say none of the men sleeping there were somnambulists. In a deep sap away down in the gully beneath us looking like so many dogs were the mules in a long row with their Indian drivers in attendance. We could also see the hospitals with their rows of white tents with large red crosses conspicuously showing here and there to notify passing air men who they were. From the trenches I had a view of the Turkish lines a few dozen feet away, through a periscope. We also had a walk of about seven miles to Suva Bay where several of our battleships were anchored. On our way we passed the graves of Private Eccles and Hudson two of our men who were killed as they landing on the 25th of April 1915. As we passed an opening in the bank about 100 yards further on a rifle bullet pinged on the rocks between us, evidently a Turkish sniper was keeping a sharp look out at that particular point. We passed a couple of batteries of artillery on our way and also a “Long Tom” naval gun. The Turks often shelled this position. There were several eight inch howitzer shells laying within a few yards of the gun. They are about two hundred weight each and come eight or ten miles through the air, but fortunately as was the case with a lot of the large shells that the Turks sent they had not exploded. Another day we decided to visit some of the Tassies, who were camped on our left and under the Command of Major Snowden. We had not gone more than a mile through the saps when we saw and heard the Turkish shells bursting about half a mile further on, right over the path we were following. The sap was full of men and mules show had sought a precarious kind of shelter there. We waited a short time and then as there seemed to be no prospect of getting through that way, we then followed what is known as Light Horse Gully as most of were camped there. We passed “Camel’s Hump”, called so on account of it likeness to a huge camel squatting on the ground with its head and neck stretched out to full length. The country just here is very picturesque and rugged all hills and gullies. The hills rising gradually one behind the other until they reach an height of about 900 feet. As one advances the view is continually changing and getting more extensive with little peeps of the sea here and there. After climbing for about two miles we took a sudden drop again almost to sea level, into a deep ravine know as Chalah – Dere. It is through this country that the New Zealanders did a lot of their work. It is surprising how they ever drove and enemy back through it. As we turned a corner in this ravine we came upon one of the RC Chaplains holding a service at the door of his tent which was shut out of view from any of the other tents. It was a most remarkable scene! In this secluded spot in front of a solitary tent, the shells from the enemy’s guns on their journey to destroy life and property, making a noise like giant motor cars as they passed overhead every few minutes the rugged hills towering around stood the Chaplin with about 30men their rifles in their hands, their ammunition slung across their shoulders kneeling and joining with him win worship, whilst a few hundred yards away were the enemy. It was most impressive and a picture to inspire any artist.
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We visited the camp of the 3rd Light Horse and saw a good many Tassie lads. I climbed up the side of the hill to the observation post, from there we could see the Turkish trenches and also the old trenches that were occupied by them previous to their being driven back. Some night previous to this a few of our men were out in front of our lines scouting when they heard the sound of voices and just about fifty yards in front of this observation station they saw a small party of Turks having a meal. Our men did not know how many might be in the vicinity so they waited. When the Turks finished their meal they laid down and made themselves comfortable for the night. This was our men’s time and the Turks paid dear for their lack of proper precaution. We continued our journey and after passing Durrant’s Post and crossing a ridge through a gap where a sniper nearly got my friend, we reached our destination. We had lunch with some of the Tassies and were just finishing when the Turks began a terrific bombardment of the ridge at one side of the camp. They evidently had observed something. Pieces of the bursting shells flew all over the camp, needless to say we ducked under cover. They kept things going for about 30 minutes but no serious damage was done. Earlier in the day a young fellow was shot through the head, in the sap I mentioned a few lines back. After about a three mile walk we struck the track leading back by the way we had intended coming up. We had to cross a small watercourse, with a hurry up notice attached. As we were crossing over eight bullets in succession whizzed past us, so the snipers were on the alert. We came to the place where the shilling had been in the morning and found that a shell had gone into one hospital tent killing a couple of patients and wounding several others. The tent was partly burnt and wrecked and presented a horrible sight. A shell had burst in among a lot of stores and ammunition and scattered them all over the place. The Turks were not to blame for the shell going into the hospital tent, it was not fired deliberately at the hospital and they could not see the object they were firing at. A few days after this one of our Sgt’s and one who was attached to us but who was going away the next morning went round this way for a walk a shell burst near them and they went to pick up the case when another shell burst at the same place and killed them both. The Light Horse men had a couple of small donkey that they had captured from the Turks, they built a dugout for them and used them for carrying water up to their camp, they could not get one donkey to go for water without the other. When the Turks would begin shelling these donkeys would immediately make for their dugout and stay there till it was all over. For some weeks previous to the evacuation we heard rumours of it but it was sprung on us at the last. We were expecting a big attack to be made on the Turks. For three days our men hardly fired a shot and everyone received orders to keep out of sight as much as possible and not to be seen on any prominent place where the Turks might observe them, but the Turks were not taking any. Several days the Turks shelled us very heavily, a few days before leaving an artillery man was sitting on the beach talking to our Q M when a shell struck him and burst about two yards past him. It took a piece out of the muscle of his right arm then band of the shell grazed a mark about three inches wide right across his chest and then made a nasty wound in his left shoulder. When the shell burst it did not touch him. I think it was the nearest thing I have seen. At the beginning of the week they began to take the troops away a few thousand each time. The ordnance were willing to supply the men with almost anything they required, some of the men came down from the trenches got a complete set of clothes and threw their old ones away with all they contained, and I can assure you that it would not be a small collection. When the Australians who were on Gallipoli return home I think they will read the story of the plagues of Egypt with a far greater understanding than ever before.
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It was expected that we would get a warmer time getting off the peninsular than we had getting on. We heard that we were to be the last, we had everything packed up ready, but at the last we were only allowed to bring away our medicine pannier. Three days provisions to the last man getting off, a few of our men were detailed to wait till the last, and the remainder of us were told to be ready to move at a final notice of ten minutes. At eleven PM that night we got the notice, and marched to the place of embarkation by a round about way, so that the Turks’ airmen might not discern the move. We arrived at Lemnos at daybreak the next morning. The papers have already told you all about it. We were among the first to land and among the last to leave. We, the clearing hospital and a few other details are the only ones who did not get relieved. We have been granted 48 hours leave since returning to Egypt. We think it is so good of them to give it to us after fifteen months active service, of course most of the officers were away from the peninsular for a holiday, but then they need it you know. On December 23rd Christmas puddings and Billy cans were issued to us, the excitement was intense as the 12 or 14 men in each tent seated around the sides opened their respective cans and produced the articles one by one. As each article was produced comments from all in the tent were forthcoming and were mingled with many ejaculations of appreciation and admiration of the kind thoughtfulness of the friends in the homeland. It was truly wonderful what those cans were made to hold. At one am on the 24th we got orders to embark on a transport at 9am the same day which we did and so we had our Christmas dinner on board a large transport crossing the Mediterranean Sea. We were ordered to wear life belts throughout the day time and to use them as pillows at night. We reached Alexandria on Boxing Day and are at present camped on the historic battle field of Tel-‐el-‐Kebir. Some of the old earth works are still visible. Nearby is a small cemetery where the fallen soldiers are buried among them are Cameron and Gordon Highlanders. The cemetery is enclosed with a nice iron fence and date palms and cypress trees shade the tombstones that mark the graves and tell one that the battle was fought on Sept 13th 1882. On New Year’s Day we went for a walk through the village at Tel-‐el Kebir. We visited an orange grove and purchased oranges which we saw growing on the trees, we also purchased a cabbage as large as a bucket from and Egyptian damsel. We beat her down to half the price she asked at first, and then we paid her more than the original price for it. On January 2nd our mails arrived, we had not received any for 6 weeks previous. Up the end of January I have received about 80 letters, 60 papers and 15 parcels for this year. On the 2nd each man received from 1 to 4 parcels. The tents ere a picture, it was more like the Santa Claus time of early childhood than anything else I remember since childhood years. At present I am on hospital duty, we have about 30 patients. When we are not on hospital duty we have to drill, we had about 60 men left when we came here, but are now almost up to strength which is about 250, of course all the new men coming in means more drill for us old ones. A few days ago we went on a long route march, at one place we saw them making mud bricks and baking them in the sun on the desert. They smooth out the sand place the mould, which is like a box with the top and bottom off and the dimensions of a brick, they place this on the sand and fill it with mud which is pressed down and smoothed off with the hand, they then move the mould and that brick is finished all but baking. They continue the process and there were hundreds of yards of ground covered with them. Kindest regards and best wishes to all From Alf E Weymouth
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Egypt May 7 1916 Dear May At last I find time to write a few lines in reply to your very welcome letter of Feb 8th. I was pleased to hear that you were getting things straight in you new place of residence, and that the garden and poultry were all doing so well. We are having a taste of the hot weather you mention, but within the nights get delightfully cool, in fact quite cold toward morning. George Weymouth is in camp here with me. As you have heard ere this we are both now in the same regiment. We go for a bathe in the Suez Canal, about three times per week, a distance of about two miles from here. We have not been moved into the same unit when Geo got the telegram concerning his Mother but he -‐ no more to this letter
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Somewhere in France Aug 20th 1916 Dear May I was glad to hear from you again per last mail and to know that the parcel from Egypt reached you safely. Many thanks for you kind offer to send anything I may require, there is really very little that one does need. What a pity you missed seeing Flo Barlow before she sailed. I have not met here out here yet. We in the ambulances very seldom see any of the Australian sisters. I posted a long letter to you about three weeks ago. You will have read in the papers of the doings of the Australians here and will gather from the casualty lists that we are kept fairly busy. At the present time we are handling only the most serious cases, so you can imagine that we see some bad wounds. We are well out of range of the guns where we are now camped, but can hear the big guns roar, and see the reflection of the flashes in the sky. I was pleased to hear through Eva the Gosford news. I was sorry to hear the Min’s kiddies have had the dip. It is a nasty thing. One of our men was sent away with it a few weeks ago. Kindest regards to all friends Love and best wishes to Tom and yourself Your affectionate brother Alf PS I am first class health
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France March 5th 1918 Dear May The Xmas parcel you so kindly sent, reaches me by last mail. Although it has been four months in transit, the contents arrived in excellent condition. The cake was first class, all who participated in its destruction voted it A1. Many thanks for your thoughtfulness. As you have heard, ere this, I spent my Christmas in Ireland and had a good time. By the same mail a parcel, that Rose and Beulah sent reached me. A number of others got their Xmas parcels at the same time. It is just two years since our unit formed up, so on Saturday night we are having a dinner to celebrate the occasion. At the present time we are running a ....... hospital in a small town, so the time is opportune, and we should have a good time. A couple of nights ago I went to see a concert here, given by some of the troops. It was run on the same lines as the ‘Dandies’. The part of a girl was taken by a boy from Adelaide. It was impossible to tell that he was not a girl. He had a wig of auburn curls, a nice embroidered muslin dress with a black velvet coat affair over it, and black stockings and shoes. He voice was just like a girl too. The programme was a splendid one, and no one would imagine that it was at the front. At present we are having delightful spring weather. France is great in summer time, but winter Ugh! I should get another leave to Paris in a few weeks time, which will be great. I was so glad to hear that my long letter reached home, as I thought it had missed. Rose says she is thinking of visiting Beulah in ........ so I presume she has decided to cut Tassie out. It would have been nice for them at home if she could have got down for a visit. I must now close. With love to yourself, Tom, all the children and very many thanks from Your affectionate brother Alf
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You ask where did I intend spending Christmas, was it to be Berlin. I guess we would have had a jolly sight better Christmas than Australia had given us after 41/2 years away. They could not even spare us a Christmas dinner and gave us a worse one than we got on other days, and they were not too good. They left the Tasmanians on the wharf all the afternoon under a shed, whilst it rained then took us to the barracks and told us that we could get some tea if we waited till 6.30 or take a pass and go up town which we thankfully did. I was sorry that Rose and Beulah could not come across owing to the quarantine restrictions. I intended going up to see Beulah but when they said they were coming down, I was all the better pleased. I am going around to the Gordon River on the West Coast for a trip next week. The tourist association are running it. I intended catching the ? Rotomahana at Burnie and coming over to see you for about ten days but again the flu comes into it. It blocks one on every hand. The Rotomahana was taken off. The Loongana is running to Hobart with troops, so it’s no good one attempting anything. Any furlough is up at the end of the month, so then I must settle down again. I can go back to Brownells but view it with horror. I have put in for a position as inspector in the Industrial Department of Gov. I may get that but the salary is very small. When coming out I made up my mind to go on the land, but all kind friends use their best endeavours to persuade one not to think of it. They don’t volunteer anything better I notice. Tell Tom I would have liked to have had a game of tennis with him. You speak of Tom arriving at Adelaide. A few weeks before I came away, we were camped in an old building waiting for a storm to start on the morrow. We heard a noise in the night and when we woke in the morning thinking tanks were hidden among the trees all around the place waiting to go into action. George Weymouth was making for England when I heard a few days ago, and should be on his way back. Rather and Ethel are looking well although Father seems to feel the hot, close weather at present. I had a few days at Alice’s. She appears better than she was. She had a bad time of it. Harold appears to have aged very much. Love to the Children and Tom With love and all best wishes from your affection Bro. Alf
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3 Balfour Place Launceston Sept 1st 1925 Dear May I hope this finds you all well and enjoying lovely stormy weather the same as we have had the past few days. I returned from Hobart last week after another hurried visit there. I have had quite a lot of trips down there lately and I expect to go down again in ten days time. I was at Devonport ten days ago, and saw Mrs Andrews she was asking after you. Mr Andrews is looking very poorly. He has some internal trouble. I expect you heard that Mrs Phil Andrews lost her son. He died of consumption just about 21 years old. Harold masters got a wire today to say that his father had passed away, so he left for Melbourne by the Loongana. Alice has been keeping much better lately. She come down and had tea with us about a fortnight ago, and then went to a lecture at Christ Church. Thelma was into tea tonight. She likes being at the Mechanics Library. I saw Bertha and her two cousins on the platform at Western Junction as I was going through to the Coast a few weeks ago. I just had time to say about half a dozen words. Give my love to Jim and Kate, also to Phyllis I expect she has quite grown up by this. Has Lou Beresford quite recovered from the bus accident? Give him my kind regards. I hope business booms with you, and that Tom is back at work, that Marjorie is not still expanding sideways, and Reg is becoming a great scholar. The enclosed explains itself. Please let me know what you think about it. With love and all best wishes to yourself tom and the children Yours affectionately Alf.