28 July 1915 Government Hospital Suez
[envelope]
Gov Hospital Suez
28th July 15
Mrs C. W. Satchell
"Macclesfield"
Livingstone St
Burwood
Sydney
New South Wales
Australia
[page 1]
[note top left corner]
Are the photos any good give all my friends one. Una if she wants one, go to the bank and ask her. W
Government Hospital
Suez
28 July 1915
My dear old Sis
I suppose you will have received all my letters by the time this one reaches you and know that I have not had such a bad time so far, in fact a good holiday.
My time at the hospital is nearly over and one way I will be sorry to go for everybody is so nice and good to us. For the last few days I have been doing odd jobs about the place to help the nurses, such as marking clothes, helping them move their quarters from a large tent to a straw hut built by the Indian soldiers, etc. There are three Australian nurses or sisters as we call them here and they have this hut to themselves. One of them is as fond of us as if we were her own brothers, and she has such a loveable
[page 2]
face. My word there have been some fools of fellows in Victoria. I think I had better start on another subject and otherwise you will think I have lost my heart or my head.
Every afternoon about 20 of us go for a walk with the head native at the Hospital Laba. He is a good old sort and has taken us for scones, walks to the orchards, and through the Indian Hospital.
We swim in the ocean about a mile and a half from here but cannot go out of our depth on account of the sharks. You can guess what the trips to the orchard are like, plenty of grapes and drinks, Laba seeing that we are not taken down. He is a kind of a chief amongst the natives and if they hesitate to do what he says, they jump some when his cane lands on their shoulders or what other part is nearest to him.
[page 3]
I can't speak highly enough of the Indian soldiers at the Hospital. Some of them are going back to India maimed for life but they are very cheerful. They tell you when they received their wounds and ask you where you come from, when we told them we came from Australia they said "very good".
Today five of our fellows who were in the landing at the Dardanelles left the Hospital for Australia. They were badly wounded and I was afraid they will fight no more. Any rate they have done their duty and paid for it dearly so they were very happy and waved their hands and we cheered them off. Last we heard from them was "give it to 'em boys", and we cheered again.
The other night a British 'Tommie' was telling us of the firing of the
[page 4]
"Queen Elizabeth" at the Dardanelles. With three shots she put a town on fire and then started bombarding the Turks in the mountains, he said she practically blew the tops of them. Another piece of accurate firing was the hitting of a large Turkish barge carrying soldiers. She could not see this barge having to fire about a distance of twelve miles over a mountain, all the same she blew it to atoms with her second shot. The rate of the shells travelling through the air used to make them red hot and I will leave it to you to imagine the sight at night.
As [not clear] far Else dear I don't know yet where I will be so leave it till you hear. I wrote to Auntie Nell the other day and could not think of her address, just addressed it to Tamworth, you might tell her will you please.
So long dear, give my love to everybody
Your loving boy
Bill
PS The native boy who waits on us, Jerry we christened him, is always asking me the time and calls me Meester Sartchell.
Gov Hospital Suez
28th July 15
Mrs C. W. Satchell
"Macclesfield"
Livingstone St
Burwood
Sydney
New South Wales
Australia
[page 1]
[note top left corner]
Are the photos any good give all my friends one. Una if she wants one, go to the bank and ask her. W
Government Hospital
Suez
28 July 1915
My dear old Sis
I suppose you will have received all my letters by the time this one reaches you and know that I have not had such a bad time so far, in fact a good holiday.
My time at the hospital is nearly over and one way I will be sorry to go for everybody is so nice and good to us. For the last few days I have been doing odd jobs about the place to help the nurses, such as marking clothes, helping them move their quarters from a large tent to a straw hut built by the Indian soldiers, etc. There are three Australian nurses or sisters as we call them here and they have this hut to themselves. One of them is as fond of us as if we were her own brothers, and she has such a loveable
[page 2]
face. My word there have been some fools of fellows in Victoria. I think I had better start on another subject and otherwise you will think I have lost my heart or my head.
Every afternoon about 20 of us go for a walk with the head native at the Hospital Laba. He is a good old sort and has taken us for scones, walks to the orchards, and through the Indian Hospital.
We swim in the ocean about a mile and a half from here but cannot go out of our depth on account of the sharks. You can guess what the trips to the orchard are like, plenty of grapes and drinks, Laba seeing that we are not taken down. He is a kind of a chief amongst the natives and if they hesitate to do what he says, they jump some when his cane lands on their shoulders or what other part is nearest to him.
[page 3]
I can't speak highly enough of the Indian soldiers at the Hospital. Some of them are going back to India maimed for life but they are very cheerful. They tell you when they received their wounds and ask you where you come from, when we told them we came from Australia they said "very good".
Today five of our fellows who were in the landing at the Dardanelles left the Hospital for Australia. They were badly wounded and I was afraid they will fight no more. Any rate they have done their duty and paid for it dearly so they were very happy and waved their hands and we cheered them off. Last we heard from them was "give it to 'em boys", and we cheered again.
The other night a British 'Tommie' was telling us of the firing of the
[page 4]
"Queen Elizabeth" at the Dardanelles. With three shots she put a town on fire and then started bombarding the Turks in the mountains, he said she practically blew the tops of them. Another piece of accurate firing was the hitting of a large Turkish barge carrying soldiers. She could not see this barge having to fire about a distance of twelve miles over a mountain, all the same she blew it to atoms with her second shot. The rate of the shells travelling through the air used to make them red hot and I will leave it to you to imagine the sight at night.
As [not clear] far Else dear I don't know yet where I will be so leave it till you hear. I wrote to Auntie Nell the other day and could not think of her address, just addressed it to Tamworth, you might tell her will you please.
So long dear, give my love to everybody
Your loving boy
Bill
PS The native boy who waits on us, Jerry we christened him, is always asking me the time and calls me Meester Sartchell.