IN THE DESERT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17099, 23 February 1916, Page 3

IN THE DESERT.

LIFE WITH THE RIFLE BRIGADE. LETTER FROM SERGEANT ; HODDER.. [,; Sergeant C. N. Hodder, 2nd Battalion New Zealand Rifle Brigade, writing from Sidi-aba-el-Rahman to his wire, who lives in Station Road, Riccarton, supplies some details of a soldier's life in the Egyptian deserts. "In the first place," he says, " I am pleased to state that I am still quite well and fit, with n ; o signs of any ot the ailments that are. fashionable, here—dysentery and pneumonia. We have sent down to Alexandria five or six. and most of our fellows have had touches of the. former, but I have not had the slightest signs of it. Ihe days are very pleasant, and not too not, and if there' is not a sandstorm on it s really not too bad. Wo had one a bit ago which lasted two days. It was awful; a Christchurch nor'-wester is not m it; one's eyes get bunged up and' one swallows buckets of sand. It gets everywhere, in your food, tea, hair, teeth and soul. "We are not far from the sea—about half an hour's march—and about everv other dav wo go down for a bathe in the afternoon. It's dimply lovely; you never saw such beautiful clear' water. It's like crystal, with a lovely sandy bottom. We look forward to our dip" in the sunny Mediterranean, as n- is about the only .enjoyment we have. It is splendid exercise also, and I am getting quite an expert swimmer. We take the whole afternoon at it, and it's good fun. "We get up at (i. 30 a.m. and have half an hour physical drill before breakfast ; but beyond that the drill we have done so far is harmless. The chaps would rather do anything than drill. The thing that troubles us most is the tucker. We are right down on service rations, and draw it through the English Arniv. Each man is served out with half a small loaf in the morning, and that has to last him all day;, some have it finished by dinner-time. .J™* get one. tin of good English jam (better than ours) between five men, stew once a. dav .and a little cheese and barelv enough tea to drink. It s quite safe to sav"that we are pretty nearly alwavs hu'ngrv. The tobacco problem also "is serious; I haven't had any ot mv own for over a week. I think wc are supposed to get 2o!i <ri week as rations, bub so far it hasn't turned up, and T don't, think it will.. I think also that we will have a poor chance of gettin? much of the stuff the good people at home are sending. Hie best thing they can do is to send it direct to some soldier or to me. I'll see that it- is handed round." The letters contain several statements as to the soldiers' longing for news from home, and their disappointment when letters do not arrive. tins waiting for letters." he says, , becomes a kind' of lningev, ( which nothing but a mail can satisfy."