in the afternoon. Beyond that I have
practically done nothing beside my duties here
all week & the chief trouble is the monotony
I have very little to do & sometimes it is difficult
to fill in the time but it still passes away & the
end of the war grows nearer. Wesley came
out to dinner tonight & has just left & then
James came along & had a yarn & smoke.
I rose at 3.30 a.m. this morning & am feeling
rather weary but that was an exceptional
practice for me & at any rate I'm going to \doss early though I had an hour this
afternoon. Nothing further to tell you my dear - I do hope you are keeping brisk & well o that you will be in good health & spirits when I return. Best of love to all & an extra lot for mother from
Her lovg son (whose sleepy)
Wilf
17.5.16
My dear mother,
No mail has arrived since I as wrote you but we expect on any day now as it is a fortnight since the last. Wesley & I hoke the monotony this week by going off to Ismailis for the day last Sunday. We left here at 6.0a m. _ I had previously done my sick parade - & caught a train to Ismailis from the nearest railway station. Even at that time in the morning it was hot so our first performance was to go into the club &have an iced lemon squash & it was glorious to get a really cold drink again. The we trotted around to the hospital, saw a few people there including Davidson who go graduated a year after us at Sydney & was attached to the 3rd L.H.F Amb but is now sick in hospital. We repaired to the club for lunch & saw a lot of English papers there also & later in the afternoon went fora dip in the lake, which was delightful as it was a sweltering day & the water was glorious, We managed to borrow tights & dressed in some proper bathing boxes which are placed along the banks of the lake. We then swallowed more lemon squashes & afternoon tea &
wandered about in the cool evening air till our train departed, but the villainous thing was 1 1/2 hours late & so we did not get back to camp until 2a.m It was beautifully moonlight on our return trip, & although we felt a little tired, riding home was not unpleasant. It may seem a ridiculous thing to do making such a big day as that but it is well worth while in order to make some variation in our life here. The weather has warmed up in earnest now & two of our thermometers in water registered 100" yesterday in the tent so I suppose that it was a good many degrees over that but we dared not leave them out as they would burst at 110". The flies also are troublesome as they persist in coming into the shade of the tent or humpy & cause great annoyance as their numbers beat anything I have ever seen We keep them down a lot by spraying but they herd very fast. The nights are not unbearably not fortunately & we sleep well I have a ^horses nosebag on my tent as a waterbag & have now a bottle of lime juice & manage to put a surprising quantity away. My batman boils the water each night & fills the bag
as I never trust the water in these places. As for tea we put it away by the pint. I don't think our Turkish friends will visit us at all now - if they can cross this desert in the heat they are not mortal, so I expect we will have a quiet time. We have no mosquitos or sandflies which is a great comfort Stuck again my dear for news so must think of finishing, I do hope you are keeping well & in good spirits & taking a trip away. Best of love to all & a double share to mother from
Her lovig son
Wilf
May
21.5.16
My dear mother,
I wrote my last letter to you only a few
three or four days ago but last night we had a large mail & I thought would write a few lines to day to tell you that I was so pleased to have two letters from you one from Mab, one from Mrs Job, one from Cedric, one from dear old Gordon Walker who is doing quite well in Tasmania. I also received to Sydney Mails from Ern, a Life from you & a copy of Lands Water & Bystander which I have sent from Cairo last week. So I had quite a splendid mail. What a lot of news you had to tell me in your letter of April 6th. Harry with his car, Bloomfields selling their cousins [[notebaker?]] I as on, your poor hand must have been very tired I'm sorry to say that the recruiting sargeant who visited you confused me with the other Captain Evans who was medical officer of the 7th L.H. Regt to whom my letters were sent at first. He became sick on Anzac & was only 3 days there when he was sent back to Egypt & is now in the xxx Field Ambulance near here. Strange to say Colone Arnott was in command of that regiment at the time so he has had two Evans as medicos to his regiment. You said W West ^Chemist of Bega had fought at Tel et Kiber - it is strange that only yesterday that
some fellows I know who have just come from Tel-el-Kibir - for we have a big training camp there now - spoke of visiting the trenches where the famous battle was fought & were describing to me the type of trench they used then although they are very largely filled in with sand now. I hope you received that shell safely as it cost me a lot of trouble & I want you to keep it for me. It fell in the vicinity of my dressing station & I secured it & kept i for some time as I wanted a good shell case, then at the evacuation we had orders to take no curios but I put it in my pack & left other items of clothing rather than it although is made my pack much heavier. Sister Gibbins who took it to Australia for me was a very kind hearted little thing ^ was going home on transport & wanted to know if I had anything to send, so I thought it would be safest sent thus. You will notice the shell cap which screws off, when the shell explodes it flies off & all the contents - large bullets of which I sent a sample fly out & spread out many yards. I think as it is 75m. m. shell - the Turks had one of those guns which played on Rhodadendron Ridge & kept us always on the qui vive. I am able to write today because it is cool & the flies are not troublesome. When I last wrote
it was sweltering & I had no energy for anything but a couple of days ago a Northerly wind sprang up & since then the change has been marvellous & it resembles another warm spring day in Australia. I'm a bit worried about your health as you say you are thin- I sincerely hope with the winter you will regain weight & that a timely holiday will do all the needful for you. All the letters I have from Australia about the fellows in my year who stayed behind speak of how well they are all doing. It is rather annoying for those who have gone to think of the others establishing themselves finally in good practices & gaining good experience while we are doing so little real medical work but after all we have the satisfaction of knowing that we have done the right thing, although Wesley & I get very annoyed sometimes when we hear of some fellows doing a big practice & many operations while we ourselves become more out of practice each month. However I suppose it will all adjust itself in time. We have applied for leave to go to Cairo together for three days & hope it will be granted as the change would be very welcome.
Cheer up my dear, & get yourself in good nick for that trip to
England with me later on.
Best of love
from
Your loving son
Wilf
There is another letter dated 17/5/16. Very little news in it - Cheif thing they had to keep their thermometers in water which was 106- & they would burst at 110 he said same thing to Mrs Job before I left Sydney - but left this out Was 122 that day - poor fellows God help them all -they are enduring plenty on that desert.
Friday
So glad to get your note & learning that Binda is so much better & all going on well at home.
28.5.16
My dear mother,
Once again I commence my letter to you, on a Sunday afternoon this time although there is little to remind one in these regions that is Sunday saw that the men do less work & we have a church parade. Still there is not the same restful feeling of the Sunday at home, probably because my own work goes on mush as usual & occupies no very great length of time at that. Last Sunday Wesley & I rode in the XXXXXX & had a dip (I forgot & had to censor myself) & a gain a couple of days ago. It is rather a long way to ride in though the bathing is very enjoyable. We dont seem to mind coming back as we are cooled down & it is later in the evening but it is generally rather warm riding in. We have commenced playing bridge in the evenings now & find it a very pleasant method of passing the time. Until recently we had not enough players but some officers came in from some outlying posts & filled up the required four. I am now looking after the health of a small British company near here in addition to my own people & it helps to occupy time
