Letter - 26 October 1916 - the soft Englishman

Athol writes home to mother. An English journalist arrives to join 'A' Flight and they play a couple of pranks on him.

Sherika
Egypt
26.10.16

Dear Mater,

Many thanks for your letter Aug 22 No.58. Also for two Punches. I expect the rest will be along in a day or two from the I.C.C.

We are expecting to move from here any day now as this show is finished bloodlessly and successfully. Canal next I expect. Nothing else to report.

We have an Englishman attached here as observer, a reporter out of the Daily Mail. His Pa must have got him the job because he's just about as soft as ever. We talk the utterest rot at meals about Australia and pretty well everywhere else and he swallows it like a lamb. Told him that we could stay under water 6 minutes. He offered 5 pounds to any of us that could do it. 

We got a tin lined case air-tight, and tied it under the water with an anvil and stand as anchors to make a little diving bell. Mr Englishman held the stopwatch and Capt Sheldon went down and got his head out of water in the box and we dived in and tapped his leg every minute. He came up at 5:45 minutes. Then another chap went under for 4:30 and came up in a fake collapse. Mr E. swallowed the lot. You can see the idea if you put a tin..... topside down in a basin.

Then yesterday G.... took me up and we landed at Meherique about 6 miles away. We had morning tea there. G came back solo and said to Mr E that I had fallen out onto a sand dune from 30ft whilst trying to crawl out on the wings. I had breakfast at Meherique and came in on a camel. Painted my right arm and leg with strong iodine and had a lovely limp. Mr E laments that he cannot send it in to the 'Mail' but has promised to write it up for me in proper paper style, headings and all. 

We have nothing else to do till we go, so are all busy trying to think out something else to work off on him.

Love to Aunts and Pater.

Yours lovingly

Athol