Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

On getting back
from Zeitoun the other day,
I found 5 letters from you
waiting for me, which were
very welcome. I will try
and answer them in detail,
but first of all I want to tell
you about a little stunt I
had with the 8 th all on my
own.

The day after my arrival
back I was told that a
Turkish post existed at Goz
Salma , and I was to take my
squadron and go out and
clear it up.

We started off at midday

and bivouacked at Mazar
for the night, at 2 a.m. we
started again and I timed
it so as to reach the Turks
at dawn. We reached the
spot at daybreak, but the
Turks has cleared & we couldn't
catch them, we cut wires &
things, and then pushed on
a little further and got within
15 miles of El Arish . We
were the first troops to go so
far East, and the old 8 th
scored again. We saw El Arish
in the distance. We played
about for a little while & then
came back, having covered over
50 miles of desert and done our
job in 22 hours. Everybody very pleased with themselves. It
was a really enjoyable little
show, and zest was added
that we had not the foggiest
notion what we were going
to bump into. So much for
that. We are back in the
front line again, but ^and hope to
move on altogether before long.

I am very fit again now
that it is cooler weather.
Thank goodness we are not
likely to have another summer
here.

Your first letter enclosed
one from M rs Finch which
I will answer as soon as
time permits.

Regarding your charts &
things, the only thing I object

to is your doing it openly.
If you care to write charts &
things under an assumed
name & no-one knows who
does them, well & good, but
you must not do those things
in public, at any rate not at
present. I don't want to
cramp your style at all, or
put obstacles in your way, so
if you go along quietly well
and good, but publically no.

My dear, I never intended
you to publish my letter about
the returned me, that you
must never do, you can use
the information in it that is
all. I didn't know you had
seen Col Chilton , some more
letters must be lost.

Regarding commissions &
promotions given out here, the
Regulations for the N.Z.E.F lays
down that they are only for
while the N.Z.E.F New Zealand Expeditory Force is in being,
but and it is a very big but,
things will have altered so
much by the time the war is
over that it is impossible to
forecast with any accuracy.
Anyway a commission or promotion
gained in the field is a very
different thing to a territorial
commission, and so far as I am
personally concerned, should I
decide to remain in the Army,
I should have to resign the
territorial commission. At the
present time I hold the two.

I suppose it is inevitable

that after more than two
years of separation, and
each living a totally different
existance that various mis-
understandings should occur
even in letters. I have
changed a lot I know, and
I have no doubt you have
too, it is only natural.

I don't think I have
ever indulged my weaknesses
& vices, even when I get the
chance, which isn't often,
beyond the limits of moderation,
if there can be such a
thing as moderation in
those cases. It is a difficult

subject to write about, but
don't get into your head that
the moment I get near a
city I immediately run wild
after women & wine. Most
of the world is in an
abnormal condition at the
present time, so why worry
about anything so long as the
war finishes soon, and I
get back to you not entirely
steeped in vice & dissipation.

I am sending you a
book of photos & a little
chain for Helen , I hope
they arrive safely, some of
the photos are quite unique,

and were nearly all taken by
one of the signallers

I had a letter from
Miss Cave-Orme the other day,
the girl Cyril Blakeney was
engaged to. I had written
to her after he was killed &
she seemed very grateful.

I think there is no
doubt from what General
Fitzgerald told me at the
Cavalry Course that we shall
be out of this country before
long, but whether to France or
Salonika I cannot say.

Whether I shall last much
longer without a spell I
dont know, anyway so far

as you are concerned, it will
be better to wait a little
longer and see what happens
after we have taken El Arish .

Capt. Macfarlane , North
Canterbury is now my second
in command, & Mathias , Tennant ,
Harrison & Johnston subalterns.
Harrison & Tennant where were both
in my old troop, but I think
I told you. Johnston is a
late reinforcement.

By the way did you notice
in one of the "Presses" you
sent me a photo of the last
Canterbury officers to leave
Gallipoli ? That particular

photo I took myself two
days before the evacuation,
with Stout's camera, & it is
quite misleading to say they
were the last officers to leave,
because some went away
that very night. But "malesh".

I hope this letter
reaches you in time for Xmas,
and that you and Helen
have as good a time as
possible under the circumstances.

Let us hope that the New
Year will bring peace, but
I must confess I am a
little sceptical.

When do you propose to
send Helen to school? I
do think if she is at all
fit to go it is about time.
I know you won't like to lose
her, but please consider it
is so much for her own good.

The 4 th Manchesters are
not far away, if Frank
is with them I am sur-
prised he has not sent me
a line, but perhaps he takes
his cue from other members
of the family - "Malesh".

Dear old girl, be as
happy as you can and

don't worry, enjoy yourself,
do anything you like in
moderation, it is the
only way to take one's mind
off all the misery around
us. One must not mope
and imagine things.

Fare you well just
now dear, and if we are
not together this Xmas
we always might be next.

Humbugs & many kisses
to you & Helen , & a few
special Xmas ones.
Roy .