Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

We have moved back
to the line again and are now right
on the beach. My new dugout is
a little larger than the last one but
not set in such picturesque sur-
roundings surroundings .

I got a lovely neck
scarf from you on Friday, for which
many many thanks, it is splendid
& just what I want for night work
in the trenches. I gave Pinkie my

old one.

Last night I got three glorious
letters from you & a host of papers.
They were welcome. You can't realise
what it is to get letters and papers
here now, it is the only communication
we have with the outside world & a
letter from home, well it cannot
be described - send as many as you
like dear.

Well, to begin at the beginning
& your visit to the crystal gazer.
I wish these blighters would be a
little more explicit in their state-
ments statements , however he certainly managed
to cause me a sleepless night, lying
in a dug out under the stars and
bullets, during which I very carefully
went over all I could remember of
my childhood's days, and I must
admit that by 3 a.m when we stood
to arms, I had the stage set for a
very pretty piece of villainy - at the
same time on the other hand, I can

also set a price for fair play.
However the only chance I have
of finding out anything is to get to
England and investigate for my-
self. There may be no chance of
that, as if the war finishes early
we may go directly back to N.Z
from here, and I certainly can't
afford a trip to England on my
own. I do not think much
good will be done by writing to
solicitors. You see the thing is
so complicated that I prefer to
trust no one that I cannot see
for myself, and as you say, and I
quite agree, everything must be done
very quietly. You see I may be
wronging innocent people & if there
is nothing in it; after all; these
people brought me up. Your letter
has certainly made me think more
about myself than I have thought
all my life, and it is quite possible that I may have been too credulous.
I promise you that if I can once
get to England I will investigate
everything very fully, and will satisfy
myself that all is in order.
I am not quite clear as to your
meaning about their there being something
in the family which you have suspected,
but that I am alright". However you
can explain that some other time.
I would not count too much on
titles & lots of money etc, because
although I think there is a
possibility of there being something
wrong somewhere, I don't think it
will go quite so far as that.

One thing your old bird is
wrong in, I have not yet been
promoted out here, nor do I see
much chance of it. As for getting
V.C.s & things like that, please re-
member that I am a very very
ordinary sort of person, and there
is very little likelihood of m y e doing

anything that is going to run me
into more danger than is absolutely
necessary. I ain't no bloomin' hero,
my dear, so don't imagine all kinds
of wonderful things that I am
going to do.

I am awfully glad Coxon
told you you should work with your
head and not your hands, although
I have no desire to see you a
professional palmist. I do not think
you could do much better than
literature, unless you could find
a more active sphere for operations.

I am glad you are keeping
the house and garden in good
order, it will make it so much
easier to sell, when the time comes.
Like you I wish it could be painted.

Don't worry about the opinions &
expressed ideas of various members
of your family. There are none so
sure as they who wallow in ignor-
ance. The "Military Critics" who left
N.Z. with the Main body were not
much good. I tremble to think of
those that were left behind! - As for
comparisons between the Main body &
the reinforcements, well it doesn't seem
to me that after the performances
of the Main body , especially the
infantry, there is room for any. When
will the N.Z. people try and rise
above personalities with their army.
We are all here with one object in

view, which is certainly not personal
aggrandisement. Hundreds here, infantry
& cavalry have given their lives with
a smile on their faces, the N.Z and A
division is composed of trained troops
second to none in the world (I am
not exagerating exaggerating ). We have been almost
a year training now. Let the reinforcements
take care that when they fill up the
gaps here, & when their officers are
called upon to lead those that are
left, they are fit to do it. It is easy
to polish your buttons & smoke cigarettes.

I am afraid my diary if
it ever reaches you, will prove
somewhat of a disappointment. It
is a very short & rough resumé of
what we do day by day. So far as
the historical associations of this
country are concerned, there is no ^o ne
here to make any enquiries from -
You see we are in a hostile country

with Turks all around us except
on the sea side, and our eye brows eyebrows
are almost beginning to feel the strain
of hanging on. Naturally at present
I can't get much information.

Thank Helen very much for her
letter. I am glad she enjoyed the
museum & the pictures. Tell her the
camels lie down for people to get up
on their backs, and they begin to get
up on their hind legs first & if you
are not very careful they f you fall
over their heads.

Good bye for the present old girl.
I hope all these rumours of peace
soon are true. Be happy & bright
and don't believe any rumours you
may hear about things here. I
hope the postcards are reaching you
regularly. Kiss me my sweet wife,
and don't talk about not being
able to hold your own with any class
of people. Give Helen a good humbug.
Roy.