Letter from Roy Bruce to Maud Bruce

The last letter I have from
you is one dated Sept September 3 rd which arrived
about a week ago. It is the only one I
have received for some time.

I am sorry you are not
feeling very cheerful, and also I am sorry
that you are counting so much on my
returning to N.Z New Zealand . My dear, please realize
that I shall return as soon as I am
able, or as soon as I am unable to carry
on my duty here. I can assure you
that this long separation is no pleasure
to me, but there are times when ones own
feelings have to be put on one side, and
one must do ones utmost for others.

If you were here even for a
week you would see how utterly impossible
it is for anyone to leave while they
can still carry on. So do please cheer
up so that afterwards we can have no
regrets on either side; either from you wishing

me to baulk at the last fence, or from
me giving in and pushing for a return
to N.Z. New Zealand on leave at the present time.

I may not last very much longer,
I am not the same man I was, &
the last month during the recent
operations has been, bar actual fighting
the hardest I have yet put in. I
haven't averaged three hours sleep in
24 hours for the last five weeks, and then
your letter telling me I have surely
done enough for my country by now, hardly
improves matters.

However, don't worry, I fully
appreciate & sympathize with your point
of view, but do try & see that what I am
doing does not count beside what many
thousands of others have done and are still
doing.

I don't know if you can read this,
am very tired. Hope to get a week's
leave to Egypt before long, and I will
write a more cheery letter, & tell you
something about Palestine , & my first view
of Jerusalem , it is a wonderful country.

Good night sweetheart, cheer up for
all our sakes, and I will be back as
soon as I can.
Roy