Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

Have just heard
that the ship carrying the
last mail from N.Z. New Zealand has
been torpedoed between Alex-
andria & here, so I suppose
it will be about 3 weeks
before I get any news from
you.

There is very little news
to relate from here, we
still dig & dig & dig, and the
weather gets colder& colder
& colder.

There have been howls

about information of value
to the enemy leaking out
from letters, and a whole
lot of new instructions re
censoring have been issued,
but I fully expect it
will leak out just the
same.

I wrote a whole sheaf
of letters the other day, I
mean a sheaf for me, who
hardly ever write to any
one - Harvey , Loughman ,
Innes Jones , Marian & M rs
Bowker , about her son 's
death. He was in my
troop you know - and a
grand boy he was. I felt

his loss very keenly. I am
going to write to Mrs Sloan .

Have taken up my
abode in the dressing station.
Our new M.O. Medical Officer Dr Orbell
(a cousin of Leslie Orbell 's)
rigged up a fire place
out of a few kerosene tins,
suggested I should sleep
there if I liked & needless
to say, I jumped high
at it, and I go to bed by
firelight - what luxury.

Took out a few in-
telligent N.C.O non-commissioned officers s from the
squadron yesterday on a
tour of inspection of the

country & the Turkish
trenches. Took them across
country where they would
be sniped at - just to
break them in like - after
the first shock they were
quite happy & we spent
a pleasant & withal a
profitable afternoon.

I am very fit at
present, this cold weather
seems to be agreeing with
me, thanks mostly to
my good circulation.

This place has changed
out of all recognition
(nearly) there are actually

a few tents here now, such
a thing was unheard of
before. The brigade also
possesses a gramophone,
each regiment gets it
alternately and we make
the night as hideous as
possible.

We found a little
brandy in a bottle the
other day & thought we
would make a cocktail.
So we mixed some Eno's
with it & added a little
curry powder to give it
a bite. My hat - it bit
alright. We all wanted

to take the next train
for Cairo !

Last night an ob-
streperous Turkish machine
gun insisted on playing
in our gully. For my
sins I had to pay a
visit to the little house
on the hill. Nothing
happened but it would
be a most annoying
time to get hit. There
have already been a
good many cases of that.
Also one would not be able
to skite about one's wound.
Imagine Mrs Revell "And

where were you hit?
"In the b-" "Yes, to
be sure, and what were
you doing at the time?"
"Seeing my aunt!" -
There is no romance in
a wound like that!

Can you imagine I
am getting a reputation
for getting up in the
morning! Wonders will
never cease. I wonder
how long it will last.

By the way it is
nearly time the S.C.
Patriotic crowd gave us
another (sic) outfit grant.

I don't think any of
the old hands have any
of their original outfit
left.

I must go now &
start my birds digging
again.

I hear Helen has grown
enormously, suppose you
haven't any recent photos?

Good bye for the present,
all my love to you
both. Be happy dear
ones. Roy .