1046 10 RFS 20th Battalion, 5 Infantry Brigade Egypt 16/4/16

Dear Mother,

We have at last arrived in Egypt after 5 weeks sea voyage and I’m glad it was over because it was beginning to get monotonous. We were also getting mumps and influenza. I was sent to sick wards onboard the ship with a temperature of 102 degrees but managed to get out again in a couple of days feeling good enough to go into camp with the rest of the boys and are now feeling alright again. The camp we are in is a very big one and is also very clean. We have pretty well all soldiers wanting to make them comfortable and good tucker. The shops are all built and kept by Egyptians and Frenchmen and are built in of packing case and grass work together and they sell tin fruit & cigarettes and drinks, fancy goods, stationery etc. and charge us pretty well for them too.

The weather is not too hot for us yet but it is jolly cold at night and makes us do a freeze. The sun is keen though and likely to give sunstroke to anyone who has not had his helmet on. We will all be issued with helmets in a few days time then we will look some soldier. We are just beginning to understand the native money now and consequently we don’t get robbed so much. The astre is the standard coin and it is worth 2 1/2d. They also use half the astre pieces, 2 piastres so we lose half every time we change a 1/-.

The day we arrived in port it rained quite heavily which was supposed to be an extra ordinary occurrence. We all had to have our pay books in today to get them checked after which we have hopes of receiving some pay, which they say is rather a rare occurrence too. We only get 1/- a day on the voyage to which went about 5 minutes after we received it. We hear that they are going to pay every 10 days in Australia and say that I suppose it will also apply to allotments as well. It is a pity we are not allowed to tell anything which is interesting and we are not anywhere near the sights of Egypt and not likely to either as far as I can see as present. I don’t think we will be here for long either as I believe we are now first reinforcements to our battalion. I am enclosing some stamps for Gerty which I don’t think she has. I have also one or two little curios which I will send along as soon as opportunity occurs. I have not received any letters yet but it has only been five weeks since I left. Some of the chaps got some letters today from Sydney posted on l8th March which is a week after we left Sydney.

I will close with much love to all from your affectionate son

Walter.

16/4/16 ln camp Egypt.