Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

Have just had
five days glorious holiday
at Port Said . Stayed at
an hotel on the corner where
the Canal meets the sea.
A lovely situation, the hotel
with a huge balcony quite
open where one has all
meals, at night each table
has its own little electric
lamp prettily shaded & that
is the only lighting except
by the moon or stars. It is
rather like the Sporting Club

at Gazireh but not so nice.

Did a lot of bathing ^{& sailing} and
a lot of sleeping, and a lot
of feeding, and am now full
of buck & beans.

Took the sister who
looked after me when I was
at the hospital, to dinner one
night. A very nice Scotch
girl, with 3 or 4 medals,
Royal Red Cross Order (1 st class),
last Balkan War etc. She
was at Mons on the 14 th Aug
1914 , and has been working
ever since. Came to Egypt last Feby February . Has had only three
weeks leave all that time.
A tall thin delicate looking girl,

I don't know how she does it,
every day 10 hours & sometimes 14.

I am going to Cairo for
3 weeks in a few days. I
have been selected to take a
course of tactics (cavalry) applicable
to France , which seems to me
to foreshadow a move. Col.
Fitzgerald , brother of K 's secretary
has just arrived from England
as instructor, and "that good
for nothing Bruce " is one of the
first few to be selected to take
the course. Another small feather
my dear.

Found a couple of letters
2 nd & 9 th August awaiting my
return from Port Said .

I think you are a little
inclined to underestimate your

self sometimes. You mention
it being useful to know Hopkinson
as you might want something
done in the Defence Office some-
time. Quite right my dear, but
don't forget that you have only to
go into any Defence Office in N.Z.
explain who you are, and in
about a minute the whole staff
will be running round you in
circles.

The Colonel has gone to
England for 6 weeks, it was
that or the hospital for him. I
am at present commanding the
Regiment, while Acton-Adams has
a holiday. The Colonel told him
before he left that when he came
back he was going to send me to
England for a holiday. Good of

him isn't it. Hope you got
his photograph by this time
alright.

I don't quite know what
to do about you at present -
with this new cavalry idea in
the air it seems to me that we
may be away from Egypt before
long, and I don't want you
to come here and find the bird
flown to Salonika or elsewhere.

I am afraid we shall just
have to wait a little while & see
which way the cat jumps. If
we go to France , both you and
Helen can some to England , but
Egypt is out of the question for
Helen . Rest assured I will
do what is best for both of you.

The weather is getting much
cooler, flies, mosquitos and other
fish are scarcer, and life is in
consequence more worth living.

Had a letter from M rs
Hay and one from Alice H , both
appear to be well.

Have got a lot of photographs
of the operations here, am getting
them put in a book which I
hope you will get for Xmas.
Some are very interesting, and I
can explain a lot to you later.

If I get a chance I will
try and get a decent photo
taken this time when I am
in Cairo .

I have changed Ginger's name
to Jenny, more ladylike. She is
not very well, too dainty with

her feed for this country. Robin,
the one in the photo I sent you
in full of beans. He doesn't like
camels. The other day when
I tried to persuade ^him to go between
a string of camels he found he
could not shy to the right or
left so he stood on his hind
legs and got out of it that way.
I am very fond of him, he is such
a gentleman. The hole in his
ear is quite healed up. Blackmore
is about done. He has knocked
himself about too much. It is
a great pity he has no sense.

One of these days I am
going to get a photo of what
is left of the Main Body of the
8 th . There are only twenty all
told, and if you like you can
send it to the 'Press'. I will

also write a paragraph.

Frank Knubley is back after
his wound which was not at
all serious. He is very well.

Wish I had known about
the tigers, could have got you
one or both at that price quite
easily. Poor old Webb , don't be
too hard on him, I expect he
thought it was the best thing to
do. Wish you could see some
of the carpets out here, you would
be crazy about them.

So long dear, all my love
to you both. Don't get too much
obsessed with figures and charts
and things, they cannot possibly
have any significance.

Your husband
Roy .