The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-02-07
A LETTER FROM FAR OFF INDIA.


The following are interesting ex-
tracts from a letter 10 O." in this
city received a few weeks ago, from
his nephew in Mesopotamia:
Mesopotamia.
Il Sept. 1917.
Dear j,
Though possibly you might not think
so, this letter has been on my con.
science for very long time. o. course
it should have been written long, long
ago, but in that respect it is merely
like all my letters.
At the present moment | cannot re-
member when | wrote last, so | do not
know whether or not [ had any idea Of
coming out here. What happened
was this.-Our mission secretary in
Edinburgh cabled out to Rojputuna
(India) asking if three of US would go
to Mesopotamia as chaplains We
didn't need to be asked that question
twice and there was keen competition
as to who should 20. Finally | was
chosen as one of the three.
came out here about six weeks ago
and so far have not managed to get
further than the Base, which is Basra,
ION Persian Gulf. AS matter of fact
| am located in camp about I miles
away from Basra itself but the whole
area is recKoned as Basra. The camp
where | am is right away out in the
desert but not far from the Shatel-
Arab river. The river is not very
broad, even at the mouth, and along
each bank there is belt of date palm
trees, perhaps quarter Of mile wide;
beyond that there is nothing but the
desert. AS one soldier described it, in
letter home, "You look out of the
window and see stretching away before
you, miles and miles and miles Of
dam it ALL" and that just about de
scribes it. One disadvantage of being
where / am is that we have dust-storms
almost daily and they are not pleasant
things. They are bad enough in a
bungalow where you can shut up a |
the doors and windows and still the
dust gets in, so you can imagine what
they are like when one Is living 10 a
tent. Then too, as in all Eastern coun-
tries we have the usual plague Of differ
ent bugs which follow one another as
regularly as spring follows winter. At
present it is sand flies which bite like
anything, and give you sand fly
fever" next we get flies, which bring
all sorts of trouble with them, and aft
er these come the mosquitoes which
bring malaria; and so it goes. We are
never free from one form of plague or
another.
The men who have come out direct
from Britain suffer most, as they are
not used to these things and to similar
conditions, but those who have lived in
India for some time fare much better.
My work consists mainly in looking
after the details of Scotch regiments as
they pass through here on their way
up to the lines.
There are the usual Sunday and week
night services and III these | cooper.
ate with the Y. M. G. A secretaries
here. They give us the use OF their
building. Then | visit the sick and
wounded in one of the big hospitals
about a mile away. This is really the
biggest part OF my work, apart from
the Sunday and other services.
| would like very much to get up
country and see Bagdad at least before
| 20 back to India, but things do not
look very promising just at present as
the Chaplain's department has now
got an almost complete staff and chang
es will be much less frequent in conse.
quence. Still, you never know your
luck, so | am living In hope. 1t won't
be much fun if | am stuck down here
at the Base all the time, but | suppose
some one has got TO be here. Besides,
as you know, in the army you are not
as rule, asked what you would like.
All you'have TO do, is to do what you
are told and keep your mouth shut.
According TO the reports we get in
the papers you are making prepara.
tions for the war on IA great scale in
the u. S. A. One advantage you have
is, that you can profit by our initial
mistakes and so save greal deal OF
time and money. We are expecting
great things from the American Con-
tingent which Is in training in France.
Next spring should see them making a
name for themselves.
Must stop now as | have a lot more
letters to write.
Yours Ever,
William.