Roy Easton writes from Egypt

Pte Roy Easton died of wounds after a trench raid in 1916.  The originals and copies of  his letters to his family in 1915 and 1916 were lodged in the Australian War Memorial, and copies kindly provided by Lynn Haines and added to Easton's webpage.

Now listen while I tell you this, we have had a nice little stroll across the desert from our last camp, a distance of perhaps ? miles, I am not quite sure but think that's about correct, we left Sunday morning at 6 o'clock and had a pretty good morning of it, had a good spell for dinner which consisted of bully beef and biscs. and proceeded, put up for the night at ----, very pretty little hamlet (I don't think) the next morning up again at 4 o'clock and proceeded with the business till dinner time, had another spell and again imshied, which is, being interpreted "moved on", until the shades of evening, when we put up for the night on the grassless paddock at ----, and on the morning of the third day we again imshied on our way with the usual rests, quavers, and semi quavers, and by the evening thereof we were here, do you happen to know of any of the stopping places mentioned?  Anyway,  or anyhow, whichever way you like it we had a fairly long walk carrying a fairly heavy bundle over fairly heavy sand and fairly and truly we were fairly tired out and absolutely pleased with the job was done and over, am just beginning to feel fit again now, yrs truly is beginning to get Egyptitis, that is to say, is always very pleased to hear that there is to be a move to some other part, and up to the present we have been fortunate as we have had a bit of a peripatetic holiday, but fair dink will not be sorry to see green fields and rabbits again.

Wilf Young and the 7th Battalion

Sedate and sober troops marching from Mena towards Cairo. (AWM) PS0412

Private Wilfred John Young was amongst the first to enlist when AIF enrolment commenced in August 1914.  He was aged 27, a furniture fitter, and residing in Newmarket when he joined the 7th Infantry Battalion and embarked for overseas service.  Rod Martin gives a careful telling of Wilf's story.

Lieut R G Casey's WW1 Photo Album

Emden sailors leaving the 'Orvieto' at Port Said to go aboard the 'Hampshire', 2 Dec 1914. National Archives of Australia.

Martin Elliget came across this interesting WW1 photo album on the NAA website. It belonged to Lieut. Richard Gavin CASEY (later Governor-General of Australia), starting with his voyage from Australia to Egypt on the Transport Orvieto. Later photos are of Egypt, Gallipoli, England and France.

Martin has transcribed the first ten pages of annotations, which you can see here.

You can find the album and scroll the album here.  Click to enlarge to get a really good scan of the album pages.  These are very clear and interesting photos, one minute in Egypt strolling round the Pyramids, and the next minute Anzac Cove.

Well worth a browse, and thanks to Martin for locating it.

Bert and Ernie Manderson occupy the camel on the right of the picture, taken in Egypt in 1915.  Courtesy of Greg Manderson. Click to get the larger picture