Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), Wednesday 18 August 1915, page 3


Soldier's Letter. The following is a letter to his parents from Private H. P. Dusting, of Portland, who left with the 21st battalion, A.1.F. :-Cairo, 23rd July, 1915. Dear Mum and Dad,—Just a few lines to say I arrived all right, and am now in camp at Cairo. I trust all are well at home. We had a splendid trip over, the sea being smooth nearly all the way, but we were somewhat disappointed when we found that our destination was Egypt, as we fully expected that we would be taken on to England. However, such are the fortunes of war, I suppose. We called in at Colombo and Port Said, and I sent you a letter from the former place, which no doubt you received. At Port Said also we had a bit of fun with the blacks when they came aboard selling oranges, bananas, cocoanuts and figs, and you may bet they did a roaring trade, The sight going; up the canal was all right, and many large steamers were passing up and down, but it is so narrow that one boat has to haul in close to the sides to allow the other to pass, Crowds of British and Indian troops were stationed along the banks guarding the Canal, and we received a great wel come from them. It was here Some months before where the Australians had their first brush with the Turks. I often see Harry Lear, from Portland. He is ser-geant of the bootmakers, and has a good job. It is very amusing when dealing with the negroes at Cairo. We have picked up a bit of their lingo, but mostly have to make signs to them when we want .any thing done, They are very crafty gentle men, I can assure you. We get paid in their money, as ours is not much good here. Things are not too bad with us so far, but I expect they will be a bit more lively when we reach the Dardanelles, and I don't think we will have long to wait according to all accounts. Last Sunday we visited the Pyramids, which are about 10 miles from here. They are wonderful.