Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

I suppose you will expect great
accounts of things in this letter but I am afraid
that after my last lengthy epistle my eloquence
has almost completely dried up - however I will
do my best to tell what happened on the th .
On Monday afternoon the 8 th Jany January we
pulled out of El Arish to attack the Turkish positions
at Rafa which is on the frontier line - Two thousand
Turks were reported there, but it there were
nearer three. We rode at dawn all night and the
first thing the N.Z. New Zealand Bde Brigade had to do at dawn was to
round up a lot of hostile Bedouins, who lived with
their flocks and herds just over the border. It was a
weird scene at day break, ghostlike and uncanny
miles of nothing grass plains, frontier posts stretching into
the darkness, mountains on one horizon and high sand
hills and Rafa four miles to the north. The Bedouins
tents scattered broadcast, over the plains, dark shadows
of goats, sheep, donkeys, dogs and camels resting quietly on
the sheltered sides, and an d occasional ghostlike figure
wrapped in a burnous stealing silently between the
tents - On our approach the Bedouin cry rang out and

was taken up by every family and we heard it
carried on for miles ever fainter and fainter.

It is a cry impossible to describe and difficult
to imitate, it is something like a, worry, worry, worry,
continued intermittently on a shrill note, and its
carrying power is remarkable.

Well, we had soon collected the Bedouins, they
did not attempt to fight, except one who shot a man
then jumped on his ^{(the man's)} horse and got clean away.

We hung round then for an hour awaiting orders
for the general attack on Rafa . Soon we heard we
were attacking from the East, so we galloped round
to get into position - Just as we arrived word came
that a number of Turks were to be seen trying to
escape along the cost coast , so the Colonel sent me with
the 8 th to cut them off and then began the most
glorious & exciting ride I ever had in my life.
We galloped for 3 miles, the four three troops & Lewis Gun
section in line one behind the other, the fourth
troop I sent ahead as a screen. We were under
fire nearly the whole way but only had one horse
hit - Robin nearly got another, it was funny to
see him snort, check his stride & toss his head as
a bullet almost grazed his nose. He is a grand
horse, we were going at a solid hunting pace,
he pulled the whole 3 miles, and he was always

four lengths in front of the squadron. I don't
think if I love to be a hundred I can ever
get another gallop like that. 3 miles over
rolling grass plains, and 60 prisoners & 40
camels and donkeys at the end of it and
we never fired a shot and only lost one
horse. After we had done that we
swung round dismounted and began the
attack on the Turkish redoubt 1/2 miles
away. Here the country failed us, it
was the same plains, splendid for galloping
but deadly for an advance on foot against
a cleverly concealed enemy, the ground too
all uphill in his direction. However
it had to be done and we did it, but it
took 7 hours to do that 1/2 miles!

I got the Squadron up to 130 yds yards
from the redoubt without a casualty, but
I knew it couldn't last, and in the next
rush the one before this final assault I
Was the first one to get it, others following
me in quick suc c ession. I nearly howled
with rage, to have got those splendid men
so far, and then not to be able to take

them over the top into the redoubt. However
I had had a very good day and no real
right to complain.

The bullet that hit me was fired at
close range and was either from a revolver
or a large size rifle bullet, because where it
went in it made a hole about the size of
a two shilling piece and where it came
out, well you could almost put a golf ball
in it. It was extraordinarily lucky, missed
the bone and all sinews and in two or
three weeks I shall never know I had it -
one sinew is laid bare, which if it had
cut would have given me a stiff leg for
ever. I cannot understand how it
missed everything as it did, and you will
realise better when I tell you it went in to
my left leg a little above the knee on the
left side of the leg and came out underneath.
Something like this:

Drawing of wound by Roy Bruce

Of course I went down like a ninepin. It
felt for all the world lik a kick from a

horse or a blow from a sledgehammer - the
unfortunate incident happened afterwards, the
two stretcher bearers who carried me away had
not gone a yard before one bullet got them
both, fracturing one man's arm and penetrating
the other one's side. I am glad to say they
are both getting on well.

Of the journey down to El Arish of 30 miles
in a little cart, three of us packed in and
barely able to move I will pass over, that was
hell, but absolutely unavoidable. Then in
a hospital train from El Arish to Kantara , &
then by steamer on the Canal to Port Said ,
and then to be washed & put to bed between
sheets - the latter part was anything but
hell.

Well that is about all, here I am
living on the fat of the land, and as fit as
a buck rat, except for the fact that I can't
get up, but I expect in a few days to get
round on one lege with a pair of crutches.

Funny thing but I knew the day before
we moved out, and was more certain than
ever the morning of the fight that something
was going to get in my way during the day,
in fact the premonition had been there for,

some time, the outcome of it being that
letter I wrote you about being safely provided
for.

Don't suppose any of your fortune telling
crowd told you about it?

Hope you got my cable, Arthur Rhodes
sent it for me as soon as it was possible.

One funny incident. At the Kanhara Clearing
Station our wounds were being dressed and a
Medical Corps orderley ( Tommy ) who was rather
clumsily putting on a bandage, remarked "I
ain't much good at this game, sir, I'm a
butcher by trade!" Properly illustrated that
is good enough for Punch.

That's all for the present, news will
be pretty scarce while I am lying here, so
don't expect too much.

My best love to you both, and don't worry,
I am having a very good time.
Roy .

Officer , looking critically at Major Bruce 's wound -
"You won't need to carry wallets on your saddle now
Major, you can put everthing in these holes!"
Fact - Ha! Ha!