A Letter From Egypt.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 5 March 1915, Page 3

A Letter From Egypt.

Residents of Huntly will remember Mr Alf. Salmon, who was for sometime in charge of the ironmongery department at Messrs Green & Colebrook’s store. He was one of the first who volunteered for active service and is now in Egypt with his regiment. A very interesting letter was received from him this week. The letter would no doubt be read with interest by all, but it is too long for publication in full, but we give a few extracts. The strength of the British ir. Egypt is shown by the following extract: “In taking a ten minutes walk across the sand towards Cairo, one comes across a camp of 18,000 Lancashire lads and some thousands, of Manchester boys are not far away. The Australians are camped near the Pyramids, and with some “ Tommies” camped round Cairo, some Ghurkas, and Egyptians, our fighting strength is 100,000 men. Then there are more men camped at Alexandria. Mr Salmon gives a racy description of the place and people. Cairo, with its population of 60,000 is made up of all sorts and conditions of people. Of course, Egyptians are most numerous, then come Arabs, French, Greeks, Italians, Sudanese, a very few English, and a sprinkling from every country in the world.

The languages chiefly spoken are Arabiac arrd French, and the majority of us cow-span-kers have a very hard job to make ourselves understood even with the business people and tram-conductors.

Of course, we found it very strange at first, but we are gradually getting into the ways lof the people here. I remember the first day I went into town. Three of us went to a place in one of the main streets for afternoon tea. By pointing to some cakes and then to our mouths we made the man in the shop understand what we wanted; then a black-skinned waiter directed us to a table and chair on the footpath, and then came the tray. We managed to get sugar after about ten minutes battling, and when we explained we wanted milk for our tea, the waiter simply laughed at us. The butter was something awful. I would sooner have Target Brand Soap on my bread. Then we thought we would try a cafe. Two eggs and bacon four piastres (a piastre is tea, one piastre, milk, half a piastre, bread, butter, jam, everything you wanted (even pepper and salt), all charged separately, and by the time we bad satisfied our hunger a little, it cost us 2s 6d each for hardly anything at all. One ctn get dinner at hotels for ss, and if you go to the first-class places you pay 15s,and then don’t know what you are getting. Needless to say, we have dinner at 15s each night on 2s per day. There are some fine buildings, both ancient and modern in the main streets, but in the back slum streets it is awful to see the number of blind, deformed and limbless people, and some of the streets are running with disease. One does not know what a a grand country New Zealand is till one gets away from it. We have no desire to remain here, New Zealand will do us. As to their own life, Mr

Salmon says, “ Our camp is fitted with all conveniences, each company having its own mess room, so that all can sit down to meals at once. These large rooms are well lighted, and are very handy for writing and reading. Plenty of tents are provided by the Y.M.C A., the Salvation Army, etc. There is a very friendly spirit shown. The Roman Catholics use the Salvation Army tent| for mass, and sometimes we use it for a dance. The health of the troops is fairly good. Sorry to say we have had about a dozen deaths since leaving Wellington.” AN ANALOGY. Do you think (asks a correspondent in the “ Liverpool Post’ ) that General Joffre had the following passage from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” in his mind when he formed his plan of campaign ? .Brutus: Well to our work alive. What do you think Of marching to Philippi presently ? Cassius. I do not think it good. Brutus: Your reason ?

Cassius : That it is : ‘Tis better that the enemy seek us ; So shall he waste his means, weary his Soldiers, Doing himself offences; whilst we, lying still, Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness. GRAND FELLOW—’TOMMY.’. But our Tommy is a grand fellow. There was one —a Notts and Derby man —brought last night. He was peppered all over, and I said to him, as he lay on the table, “ What happened to you V” “ I got three damned coalboxes ” —the name we give to the big Black Maria German shells. “ Why did you try to stop three ? I couldn’t get out of the way. ” We dressed him in the head, the back, the right shoulder, and the buttock, mostly nasty wounds and then I said, “ Are you hit anywhere else ? ” “ Well I think there are two or three on my right leg, but they don’t matter. Will you give me a cigarette ? ” I gave him one, and he said, “ I’m used to this. I’m a collier and I’ve been twice in pit accidents, but I’d sooner go through that than run up against another coal-box.” Fine fellow, is he not? He’ll get all right. He told me he had got five Germans himself, and they never moved again after he hit them. He asked how long it would be before he could go back again. We meet dozens like this. I always thought Tommy Atkins a grand fellow but I have an intense admiratidn for him now. (Extract from letter from a medical officer at the front. — Manchester Guardian. ” )

TELEPHONES IN TRENCHES The soldiers are rep ovisioned during the night, and to prevent attracting the enemy’s notice it is done in great silence. The colonel and his officers live also in these trenches, and instal their office and telephone in these caves. As soon as anything suspicious is noticed in the trenches a telephone message is sent to the artillery, and then ‘the shells start whistling. Those who witnessed the war of 1870 say this one is a thousand times more terrible. HOW IT’S DONE. According to the “ Western Mail" this is how a Frenchman described the ‘Heligoland Affair” to a Britishers at Barry Dock :—M “ German warship : Boom 1 Boom ! Boom !! “ English no speak. “ German : Boom ! Boom 1 1 English : Boom ! ! Finish 1”