The Beaudesert Times (Qld.)
21 May 1915
The following is a copy of a letter received by Mr. J. H. Delpratt, from his son, Maurice Delpratt, 5th Light Horse, dated March 20th, Ma'adi: —
"I have just finished reading my Australian mail, twenty-one letters, dating from end of January up to 10th February. Some of them came over in the convoy and must have been in Cairo for many weeks.
"I know you will be pleased to hear of my promotion to the rank of sergeant from lance-corporal. A large number of us went up for examination for the rank of corporal and the best four passes were allowed to have a go at the sergeant's exam, which followed. I came second in corporals and first in the sergeant's exam, thanks to the excellent coaching of Ernest Stanfield, whom you met at Enoggera.
"I cannot understand why you have had no news of me, i.e, no news up to 10th February. I cabled from Aden and posted a long, "diary" letter, which I compiled on the voyage, from the same place. There was nothing in the letter likely to meet with the censor's disapproval, but I think they delay all letters. A letter from Port Said giving an account of our interesting trip through the canal I fully expected to be kept for a time; but perhaps you now have it.
"I have just had eight days in the field hospital with "German" measles and only got my discharge this morning. Just before the rash came out I boasted of being one of the three sergeants of the Regiment who had not been put off duty by the doctor. The spell from the long duty days has done one good and I feel really fit; I was in what was known as a "mild cases" tent in which we camped on the ground and did all our own fetching and carrying.
"To-day we have had an example of one of the plagues sent along for Pharoah's benefit. Everywhere there were clouds and clouds of huge grasshoppers, many times larger than any I have seen in Queensland. Apparently they are an annual post in Egypt, I have not seen anything of Bert [Maurice's brother, ed.] since last writing but I am hoping he may turn up to-morrow (Sunday).
"There are daily rumours of orders to pack up for the front, but I think they all have their origin from imaginative persons in our own lines. The Brigade moved out in full marching order to-day for inspection by General Sir John Maxwell. One troop-leader said he was told to "dress" by a directing troop a hundred yards away and was not able to see the flank of his own troop for dust: so I suppose the inspection was much the same as last time, when the General had a look at our 'dust-cloud' and expressed himself as well pleased with our appearance.
"A couple of days before going into the hospital I had an outing in Cairo. Mrs. Camoron (Capt. Cameron's wife) asked Sergt Taylor and myself to dinner at the 'Continental Hotel'. The hotel is a swagger place and being sergeants we dined in the grill-room — only soldiers of non-commissioned rank being allowed to go to the dining-room. Mrs. Cameron took us to Men (sic) [Mena, ed.] by car, and from there we rode to the Pyramids on donkeys. They are very wonderful, especially by moonlight and all the time somehow I felt surprised that I should be there. We had the car back to Ma'adi and only got in just on time.
"Every day I meet old friends from Queensland; in the same tent at the hospital there were two old Southport School boys. I have been busy drilling a squad of reinforcements, four sergeants were chosen for the job and it is a most decided compliment. One misses some useful days in the Regiment though, I have come down to the Ma'adi tent to finish this letter. No doubt Bert has told you of the Ma'adi tent — a huge place provided by the people of Ma'adi on the principle of a Y.M.C.A tent in Australia. It has writing accommodation for about 700 soldiers. The ceiling is very high and flat (they don't have to worry about rain in this country), and the perpendicular side don't cut out any of the space. Next door in the cinematograph tent a combined Church service is being held. The chaplains — they all hold the rank of captain — bring along their religious differences with them. Our chaplain, Church of England, refuses to take part in the combined service and holds one of his own. A large proportion of his own denomination go to the other service, much to his annoyance.
"Did I tell you of our visit to the Turkish prisoners a little up the Nile from Ma'adi? I said Turkish prisoners, but most of them are really Arabs. In this particular place there are somewhere about 800 confined. They seemed comfortable enough. Most of them have money, which they spend at their own canteen. Inside the enclosure, too, they are provided with a chapel. Their praying reminded one of our physical exercises on the "Persic."
"Sergts. Stanfield, Ross, and self had permission to take our own horses off the lines that day, and we had a most interesting ride round. First, we explored one of Napoleon's old forts, and wondered if his soldiers swallowed as much dust as we do. Then we paid a visit to where hundreds of native-workmen were excavating an ancient city. The European in charge was very good-natured, and allowed us over the excavations. After a fill of pitchy darkness and things antique we rode home along the Nile. There never was anything so exactly like its pictures as the Nile. I wish my pen was sufficiently gifted to tell you of the many wonderful things one sees each day. The low-class Egyptian is a very remarkable being, but his persistence, his "back-sheesh," and his smell make close acquaintance undesirable. He is wonderful for his strength, and wonderful too for his disinclination to use it.
"Every Australian is loud in the admiration of his small Arab and vicious mule. They pull most extraordinary loads. Yesterday I saw an undersized Arab pull a small lorry with 30 bags of "tibbin" on it. "Tibbin" is rice straw done up in bags weighing from 175lbs. to 200lbs. Horses don't do well on "tibbin," but it does all right for bulk, fed with corn or oats. Our horses look fairly well, but the going on the desert is frightfully heavy. A good many officers are apt to regard sham-fighting as the genuine thing, and gallop horses too far in the heavy sand, with the result that there are always horses on the sick lines with strained tendons.
"To-day the grass hoppers are worse than ever, and poor little Egyptians are tearing up and down their "Beerseen" patches beating tins to frighten them off the crops. "Beerseen" (I have never seen it written, and have no idea how to spell it) is a very coarse sort of lucerne. The grasshoppers are followed by locusts — so say the residents.
"Writing at this table are Lascelles and Jones, two old S.H S. boys. Bob Jones was a friend of the Persses's and stayed at Tamsbourine once. Bob is in the machine gun section, and Lascelles with the signallers. By the way, Bert has become a signaller.
"To me it seems very imposing to see our brigade out, something over two thousand altogether, but at Heliopolis they turn out twenty thousand strong for a field day. It is rumoured that the 1st Brigade intends to attack us one day this week. No doubt they will capture the camp and wipe us all out, and we will have done the same to them, only more so. Every sham fight so far both sides have claimed a glorious victory. For the next few days we are to go on route marches, i.e., strike camp and pack up everything, and move out just as we would if we really intended to go. I expect one day they'll have us at it, and we will move off for good without notice. I don't think anyone would be sorry to get away from the dust. The first contingent are especially tired of Egypt.
"To day's newspapers brought news of the naval disaster in the Dardanelles. Of course they could hardly expect to force a passage without heavy losses, nevertheless it makes us more than ever anxious to be up and doing our whack. Our days are busy ones and pass quickly. We have no infantry in this camp, and have to find all guards and picquets, as well as look after our horses. The food is fairly good, much better than we got at Enoggera."
Soldier Identified: Sergeant Maurice George Delpratt, Service No. 636, 5th Light Horse Regiment, A.I.F. Returned to Australia 8 July 1919.
Brother: Lieutenant Bertram Barnard Delpratt, Service No. 315, 5th Light Horse Regiment, A.I.F. Returned to Australia 26 December 1918.
Private Bertram B. Delpratt, 5th Light Horse Regiment, 9 April 1915 (brother)
Cairo, Egypt. c. 1915. Sir Ian Hamilton returns the salute of an AIF officer during a parade review at Mena Camp. (Australian War Memorial)
Sources:
Soldier's Letter. (1915, May 21). The Beaudesert Times (Qld. : 1908 - 1954), p. 2.
Cairo, Egypt. c. 1915. Sir Ian Hamilton returns the salute of an AIF officer during a parade review at Mena Camp. Australian War Memorial
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