Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

At last after
nearly 3 weeks I have at last
managed to get a couple of
hours far from the madding
crowd. Well dear, many
thing have happened since
I wrote that long letter which
I hope arrived safely. I
hinted in that at some life
events which of course was
the evacuation of ' Anzac ', but

of which at that time we had
nothing official.

The evacuation itself I
cannot describe. It took 3
nights and each night we were
holding the trenches with fewer
men. I was left to the final
night, and it will remain
a memory all my life. Why
were were not discovered I do
not know. The hospitals
preparded for 10,000 casualties
there were only 3 men wounded
& that from the ordinary sniping.
Had they attacked us the final
night, - well, we had orders to

"hold on at all costs" and you
know what that means. It was
a wonderful piece of organisation,
& backed by all the luck in the
world, magnificently successful.

There were only colonial troops
left to the end, the Tommies
were all cleared out early.
Another compliment to the un-
disciplined colonial. Thank
goodness I don't belong to some
of those English regiments.

Well, we went to Lemmos
on a battleship "Mars", stayed
there two nights & then came
on here to Zeitoun and the horses.
Since arriving we have been going

night & to get equipped &
to school the horses, and we are
off again any day now mounted,
but where I am not quite sure.
Anyway it will be somewher
in Egypt or quite close I think.

I have lost the squadron
after two months. Hammond
turned up unexpectedly from
England 3 days ago, and of
course had to take command.
I am second in command & get
my promotion just the same.
I was a little sorry about it,
espencially as since arriving
here I had been complimented
by the Brigade, and a senior

captain from the reinforcements
(ours, one of the 8 h S.C.) has been
passed over, and I was still to
keep the command. However, it
may come back again some day.

My horses are all well, but
Blackmore is beyond a joke
altogether, an Arab tried to get
on him one day and he slung
him ten yards. I tried him
the other day but had to give
him up, he tries me too much,
however I am going to take him

with me and in the meantime
the heaviest & strongest man in
the Squadron is riding him, with
all kinds of curbss and check reins
& wonderful arrangements for
holding him.

Chatterbox is very well &
firmly imagines she lives on hot
bricks, she knew me at once &
follows me around the same
as ever. Yesterday poor little
beggar she got kicked, but will
be alright in a day or so.

Had some stray letters from
you the other day, but at
present have no time to answer
them in detail. we are simply

up to our eyes in it, and I in
my fond & foolish reasoning had
hoped for 2 or 3 days holiday.

Cairo is dead, 9 o'clock
preccise my dead, instead of
going all night as before.

It is good to get the horse
again, and we go out in the
desert & postter about just the
same as we did a year ago.

Had an interruption here, old
Andrews rolled in from Ismailia
on three days leave and I have not
touched this letter for 3 days. The
poor old chap is not in the N.Z.
hospital here, something wrong with
his kidneys, but it is not serious

and he will probably be going
back in a few days. We had
"some" time together.

Am very sorry this letter which
started in such a prommissing
manner is ending so abruptly
but I will try & do better next
mail.

We are up to our eyes in
work, and I am awfully fit,
but would love a few days
holiday.

Good bye for the moment
old girl keep your pecker up.
Kiss Helen for me & a big one
for yourself dear.
Your loving husband Roy