HARD TIMES FOR TOMMY ATKINS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1378, 23 October 1886, Page 3

HARD TIMES FOR TOMMY ATKINS

A soldier belonging to a battalion of the Durham Light infantry at present being grilled under the blazing sun of the Egyptian desert writes from Assouan bewailing bis hard |fate, rnd protesting against his being kept in such a place, and a f iend has sent the letter to the Newcastle Chronicle. Assouan, says Tommy Atkins, is all very well for officers and gentleman, as they have nothing to do, plenty of servants to wait upon them, and plenty of good things that do not filter through to the ranks ; but to the comm m soldier the filth, and heat, and unnumbered ho - - rors of the place are beyond endurance He does not believe the people at Home know anything about the suffering and hardships the soldiers now on the bile have to go tbr ugh, or they maid sperk about ir, and try to get them w.tbdrawn No one on the spat can look it the men without seeing misery aid sickness written in their faces, at d the expression of countenance which seems to say : “ I shall think myself very ucky if 1 get out of this p'ace alive.” * We have to got up at four o’clock inj the m raing and go to the Nile for water. At this work we continue till eight. t four we start again and go on till sixin a b oiling sun all the time, n t n3thing but desert all arcucd us. 1 o .he co - st n d 6 d of sunstrake we have added the feaiful mortality among our comrades. 1 saw nine poor fellows bailed in one i! -I t, and it was not nncsuil o see four or five burials par day Ho much work in the water givi-s us the rheumatism; and as to the wa>. r iiael f we have to drink it, muddy as it Is. 1 believe we are supposed to get ic. t 1 ut it never seems to survive its pat sage through the high.-r ranks. As to beer, we canu t g t i- under nlnepence a quart, end toen it is like drinti g warm water. The pr ivisions, ts a whole, are bad and dear ” The “ cceek ” of the na'ivjs, who fe-1 8) much at home, Is another s< u ce of trouble to Tommy Atkins. h y a r e a I'Wei to abuse us how they like, but we muct not attempt to do a v n; to them, or we get a cour-martal anl perhaps eighty-four days tu person.” Tammy cannot even find lelief for his teelu g- in ih- wa''op ng »f hr* nigger.