Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

Here I am
back in the old haunts
with the music (sic) of guns
& rifles going on all the
time - We are in a place
called Waterfall Gully &
spend most of the time
digging, digging, digging,
making deep caves to
protect us from shells, gas
etc. It is much colder,
& we get rain at times,
but hope to be more or
less settled before the really

bad weather starts. In
the meantime we lose an
odd man or two. Thank
goodness the flies are not
so bad now and we eat
in comparative peace.

The squadron is in a
fairly flourishing state, 135
strong with 3 officers, Chillie ,
Mathias & Menzies a main
body Sergeant who has just
got his commision - a really
good man. Bowron lasted
here two days & went away
with dysentery, so I am
still short handed.

Personally I am very
well & hope to keep so.

Got a grand letter from

you the other day & a parcel
with socks & coffee, thank
you very much dear, we
want those things now.

Some more reinforcements
joined us the other night,
and I find it rather
difficult getting to know
all these new men. There
are in the regiment only
59 of the old hands out
of a total of 523 when we
left Egypt . A few turn
up occasionally but most
of them are nearly done,
poor fellows. I am lucky
in having a good sprinkling
of old hands amongst my
N.C.O's & they are invaluable.

I am settling down into
leading a squadron & I
don't know how I shall like
going back to troop when
some of these blighters who
are having a good time in
England take it into their
heads to return.

You will have heard
that the Brigadier got a
K.C.M.G & Col. Colonel Findlay a
C.B.

It seems rather absurd
that all our available officers
are in England whilst I, the
only Englishman amongst them
did not go. I don't think
I told you that when I was
in the Hospital I was offered
a trip to England, but refused

as I did not consider myself
ill enough. Perhaps my
turn will come later. The
others apparently were not
so squeamish.

You ask about the nos numbers
of your letters my dear, they
have been coming so irregular
that I am afraid I have
lost count, anyway it does
not matter any letter is
welcome these days.

In your letter you seem
to be worrying a good deal
more now, than you were
dear, please don't, it will
all come out alright in
the end, and everyone has
to make sacrifices & heavy
ones these days.

I know

one thing if I come out
of this sound in mind &
limb you will have an
awful handful to deal with.
The reaction is going to be
heavy one, I realised that
during the 3 weeks I recently
spent in Cairo . You will
be glad to hear my nerves
are absolutely good again &
I am just as happy & peaceful
here now as I was at the
beginning, perhaps more so,
as now I have no illusions
about this kind of warfare.

Poor little Jean, I do hope
she pulls through, she always
used to be so bright & happy.
I cannot imagine her lying

still day after day, often
people make wonderful
recoveries, let us hope she
will be one of them.

My dear, you are getting
into a bad habit (nothing
like the bad habits I am
getting into though) you are
beginning to underline things
too much in your letters,
for emphasis I suppose, but
emphasis is never necessary
for anything plainly told.
To me, it indicates a nervous
decision which you much get
out of. The more calm you
are the better work you do.
Don't let yourself go, one needs
all one's courage and calmness

these trying times. That's
all dear.

I wrote if I remember
rightly 3 letters from Cyprus ,
I don't know why Helen should
have got hers & not you.
I had a very good time there.

Got a letter & parcel
with lots of tobacco & chocolate
& a tin of coffee from Harvey
the other day, good old chap,
perhaps by this time you
will have seen him. It
was very decent of him to
remember me.

I am sorry to hear
old Finch is not so well,
give her my love when you
write. He will get alright

someday, he is too young
to have permanent ill effects.
Frank Kimbley is here, &
I have just had him
promoted to Sergeant. Another
Gellingham turned up the
other day & several others whose
faces I seem to know but
cannot yet place them.
Roy Priest has got his commission
also the two Harpers , Rhodes ,
Murchison & Stedman . They
should all make good officers.

Few of our aeroplanes
are circling round just now
and friend Turk is wasting
a lot of ammunition trying
to hit them.

I am kept fairly
busy now, there is always

a lot of administrative
work to do in a squadron.

We are being taught
very thouroughly how to meet
gas attacks. I think it
very likely we shall have
one someday soon, now
that communication has
been established between
Germany & Turkey .

Goodbye for the present
old girl. Be happy & cheer
up, all the clouds will pass
one day, perhaps very
suddenly. Humbugs & kisses to you
both my dears. Roy