MILLIONAIRE SOLDIERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Issue 2, 12 April 1940, Page 2

MILLIONAIRE SOLDIERS

"ENZEDDERS" IN EGYPT MATAMATA SOLDIER'S LETTER Writing from Ma'adi, in Egypt— well known to Anzacs—Private D. Dobson» Headquarters Company, 18th Auckland Rifles, son of Mr and Mrs J. A. Dobson, of Matamata. gives the following items of general interest: "Yesterday "was the day we had all been waiting for since we left little old New Zealand. Just about everyone in camp had mail, and in each tent boys were reading letters and papers for all they were worth. "There are quite a few boys who have been in the Matamata and Putaruru districts in camp. "I had leave on Saturday and went with others across the Nile to the Zoological Gardens. They are really marvellous, and we spent the whole afternoon there, apart from the time spent in having a bath— the first we have had since being in camp. There is not much water here, and the darkies do all our washing, and make a good job of it. In return they get the scraps from our tables, which is what we would feed to the pigs. "We hired a cab to go to the Zoo, and the cabby let me drive except when we went past a 'cop.' "We also went to the 'flicks,' and saw a good double programme for 1/2. The specch was in English, but the dialogue was written in French and Egyptian. "Some of the buildings in Cairo are most modern, and the shops in the main street are nice and have all the latest fashions. However, when you e'e: out of th? centre of the city the shops st'nk enough to knock one down. Here hawkers pester one, and girls sit outside shops, and all round in filth and squalor. "Last week 1 went past the pyra mids on a truck, but being on a job I could not go and see them. "We have leave one night a week, and, if lucky, on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I prefer to wait for the week-end to see things in daylight. We are conveyed to Ma'adi station in trucks, and the rail fare is The trains are modern diesel jobs and very speedy. They run about every 15 minutes. "We had a big parade of all New Zealand troops for General Wavell. C.O. of all British troops. It was j spectacular sight. It was the first time all our boys had been together at one time. "A balaclava would be handy now as the nights are chilly. We even had heavy rain yesterday, but it soon seeped away in the sand. "W r e get the Egyptian Mail with the world's news in it, and they sure boost us along. They have nicknamed us 'the millionaire soldiers.' One thing we miss is the cheap tobacco we used to get on the troopship."