Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

I have several
of your letters to answer & lots
of things to tell you, as it is
a couple of weeks since I wrote.
You will be sorry to hear
that my old insides have
been giving me some trouble
and I have been suffering
from enteritis, accordingly
I was packed off to Alexandria ,
& from thence on here to
Cyprus which is one of the
most beautiful places I have
ever seen.

It is awfully disappointing
to me to be ill like this &
it may mean that if I
don't get quite well soon, I

may have to take a job at the base or else get sent
back to N.Z. You see unless one's insides are absolutely well
it is impossible to digest the rough camp food. I am
very down in the dumps over it, as of course there is
always the possibility of it spelling the death knell to
all my hopes and aspirations.

I got your cable the night after I arrived in Alexandria
& replied to it next day. I was pleased to have it. Of
course there is nothing seriously wrong with me, and I
can get about quite well except for a certain amount
of weakness. I wish I could get to England ! I hear
that any trained Colonial officers are getting some
splendid billets in the new army. Don't you worry
old girl , it will be alright in the end, and it is
quite possible I am making a mountain out of a
mole hill.

I got a batch of letters from you in Alexandria , but
one had gone to Anzac , and one I particularly wanted
because in it you would have told me how the Hay's
took the news of Harold 's death.

Am sorry to hear your teeth are so troublesome, I think

if I were you I should take
the bull by the horns & have
the whole lot fixed up properly.
It is really the only way.

I am pleased Helen likes
her school, I suppose it is
Miss Laidlaw 's, I can hardly
imagine her going to school
and holding flirtations with
young Gresson . Dear little
sould, I got her letter alright,
and am answering it this
mail. Do your best to keep
her from getting too excited
over things, have a yarn
with Loughnan about it,
you see it may play up
with her later on.

Keep on with your writing,
dear, I am quite sure you
can do it if you have the

time. Don't set to much
store on calling anything
by a " New Zealand Author",
I think it would be
much better to have your
name & if you like New
Zealand after it, or perhaps
your name alone, the preface
might say something about
New Zealand . I don't quite
agree that everything Colonial
will boom after the war,
because you must remember
that we are a very tiny drop
in the ocean, and things
in England are going to take
a great deal of adjusting
afterwards. However if you
think it is best do it.

You know you always make me smile when you say you
are afraid of doing silly things when you meet people.
Let me assure you that most of them have the most
appalling manners, and from what I saw of the English
in Egypt they are very catty. Being an onlooker myself
I had a good time but they are all little cliques &
from things the Perrotts told me, very petty. I think
I shall give up all idea of the Egyptian Army, having
now experienced summer in this part of the world,
I know that none of us could stand it. In fact I
put my present illness down principally to the awful
heat. The winter of course is lovely, but it would
mean that in the summer you would have to go to
England or somewhere, and I am afraid that would
be rather too expensive.

Rhodes didn't send you that photograph of himself,
I got it from him, and sent it with the others,
because I cannot keep photos here. He will get a
shock if you write and thank him for it!

That is terribly bad news you tell me of the Finch's ,

you poor old thing what
a wretched time you must
have had, but I am
very glad you did all you could,
and took responsibility when
it was necessary. I do
hope to hear he is better
now. I had no idea
she was anticipating
happenings, letters have
been very erratic arriving
lately.

These Cox people seem
to be beyond a joke, I half
thought of enclosing a letter
for you to send to him if
you thought fit, telling him
that if you required his
help you would doubtless

let him know; but on con-
sideration I arrived at the
conclusion, that it would
reach you so long after, that
there would not be much
use in stirring up the
whole thing again. I
hope you have had no
further trouble with anyone.
Give them both my love &
tell them I hope to be
there for the christening?

I am glad the parcel
arrived safely, but sorry so
many things were broken,
I suppose they will mend.
So you like your ring do
you, you don't say if it
fits you or will require to

be altered. It is a fairly
good specimen for its size.

When I left Anzac , I
was put on board a
hospital ship, a converted
P&O. liner, and I asked
the matron in a hesitating
sort of voice if I could have
a fresh water bath. You
see water is so terribly
scarce round there & I
thought it might be salt,
when she said, 'Yes, a hot
one if you like' , I nearly
wept with joy. Do you
know I had two, one after
the other and then I was
not clean!! I didn't think
it was possible to be so

dirty. I wish I could
ho explain the joys of that
bath, it defys description.
The next day we went to Lemnos and transferred there
to another P&O boat, fitted
as a naval hospital ship
which took me to Alexandria .
Baths every day, clean
clothes & food minus flies.
On arrival at Alexandria ,
I was sent to 15 General
hospital, which had been
a school. There I found
Gresson , recovering from
his wound and waiting
for a boat for N.Z. He
was rather badly hit but
will get alright. There also I had news of Bowie 's
death at Cairo . Poor old
chap it was awfully sad.
He was only a week there
before he was taken ill.

I was well looked after
in Alexandria , only the
heat kept me back a lot.
I saw Andrews who is there
with his mules, he is not
looking very well, also
saw Lampen & Avery .
Andrews took me out to
the races, I stayed for 3
races and actually made
a little money, principally
through realising the fact
I knew nothing about the
horses.

I was in Alexandria a
week and was then sent
on to the convalescent camp
at Cyprus . We had a
good run over in the 'Surada'
a British India boat, built
for carrying horses & coolies,
but I was comfortable
enough.

I don't know how to
describe Cyprus , so I am
sending some photos &
postcards, which will give
you a far better idea of
where I am, than any
words of mine can.

We are 6,000 feet above
the sea, in a pine forest,
& quite close to Mount

Olympus , where Venus etc,
disported. I am going to
climb it when I am a
little more fit. We
motored up from the beach,
through vineyards & cultivated
land, through little old
villages, & picturesque
Cypriotes. The drive
was indescribable all uphill,
and with the most as-
tounding twists & turns in
the road, you can see
glimpses of it in some of
the photos. It is 36
miles from the beach, &
takes nearly 4 hours in
car, so that will
give you an idea of the difficulties of the road.
We had to water 5 times,
everthing boiled.

The camp is lovely, my
tent is right in the pines,
and I get my servant to
pour cold mountain water
over me every morning.

There are a lot of English
people here who come from
Egypt and the plains for
the hot weather, but
they are a pretty scratch
lot. There is tennis &
cricket & mule riding, but
all except the mule riding
is beyond me just at
present.

The governor is a bit of

a stick I hear, but Lady
Clauson is rather nice, I
am going to lunch with
them next week. The
Chief Justice is a nice old
chap, Sir Chas Tyser , I am
dining there on Monday.
Those are all I know so
far, but you see that as
I gradually get fit I
shall probably have a
good time. Everyone is
very good to all the
soldiers and the convalescent
officers, & they get up
concerts and all kinds
of amusements.

There is a parson some-
where round here named

Goodenough . I am going
to dig him out one of these
days.

You would like this
up here, it is hot in
the day time, but the
nights and early morn-
ings are delicious.

We are very comfortable,
have an excellent mess,
which only costs 2/- p. day,
excellent cigarettes at 2/-
p 100, and everything
points to my making
a very speedy recovery.

There are no other
N.Z. men here, one or two
Australians, & the rest
English officers, some of

whom the less said the
better, others again, are
very nice, particularly
3 Yeomanry officers.

Do you know today is the anniversary of the
declaration of war. One
year, & everything nearly
as black as at the
beginning. It is terrible.
One may well say with
Flora Annie Steel 's Indians
"How long, oh Lord, how
long."

We are beginning to
wonder, who are going to
be the scapegoats for the
Dardanelles . There will
be some before long I expect,

but I cannot say more
about that now, it will
have to wait until we
meet.

Dearest, I don't think
I have anything more
to say now, except as usual
to tell you to take the
greatest care of yourself
& Helen . Don't worry
about me, because I
am quite alright.

Remember me to anyone
who asks, and for your
two selves dearest take
all my love.
Roy .

Have just discovered I left out
'Exceptional Circumstances' from
one of my letters. RTB.