Letter from 24862 Harold Alexander Alison, 15th Imperial Camel Company, Kantara [El Qantara], Egypt, to his mother in New Zealand, dated 25 November 1916

The text reads as follows:

"My Dear Mother

I received your most welcome letter of the 11th Sept to day. You did not mention anything about the letter I wrote you from Albany. I heard there was a mail burnt; probably it was burnt with the rest. We are away from Abbasia [Abbassia?] We trecked [trekked] through to were [where] we are at present camped, over a hundred miles across the desert. The weather at present is ideal but it is starting to get cold towards evening. We are moving out to the firing line tomorrow. We are preparing for a big move & I wont [won't] be surprised if we get into action straight away. I am looking forward to get into a 'smack up' one gets sick & tired of hanging about the camp. I see Life Dacre [33849 Life Marwell Dacre] has enlisted at last, the way things are going I think they will all have to come. I see by the 'Weekly' that New Zealanders got cut up in France. I noticed quite a number of the thirteenths killed. I think we have a better chance of coming through it. I am only sorry Charlie isn't along with me. Chaps writing from France are sorry that they left Egypt the casualties are very small in comparison over here.

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24862

Tpr H.A. Alison

15th Imperial Camel Company

Egypt

C/o G.P.O.

Wellington"