Z549/17/177

Letter sent from Egypt by Cyril Verdcourt to Papa [Jean Joseph Verdcourt]. Written in pencil.

Sunday 4 January 1920

From: 1920 To: 1920

From: 32549 C Company, 17th R Sussex Regiment, Egyptian Expeditionary Force, Egypt Dear Papa, Thank you for your interesting letter which I was very pleased to receive. I am sorry that you have all been so worried about me, but really I think you will all agree that it was not my fault. I felt greatly annoyed about the return of Louis’s letter but I was unable to make a row about it for I do not know who was responsible. Please thank mama for the money which arrived quite safely and came very conveniently after my week in Cairo. These newspaper reports about the trouble in Cairo make me wild for I was there at the reported time and heard nothing about it!!! Yesterday we entrained at Tel-el-Kebir [Tell El Kebir] about 8.30 and reached Suez at 2.30pm. Reports for once have proved veracious and we really have got hospital beds to sleep on. Indeed it is the most comfortable camp I have ever been in during my army career (which will soon come to an end I hope) I did three guards in six days just before leaving Tel-el-Kebir [Tell El Kebir], and coming off guard the day before leaving there, I made myself scarce dodging the numerous fatigues that were to be done and spending the day with Caz, who retains his police duty at Tel-el-Kebir [Tell El Kebir] and from whom I am now separated, perhaps until demob reunites us. All day the Company Sergeant Major was calling for me but I was missing, and being a good fellow he just laughed when I turned up late at night. We are stationed at Port Tewfik [Suez Port] a small place about two miles from Suez which is peopled largely by Italians and Greeks. Greeks are ubiquitous in Egypt. The streets are laid out very strangely [?], the rows of houses, relieved from ugliness by their pretty pink and their green shutters, look like glorified almshouses. Seafaring ‘gentlemen’, looking as if they have escaped from the pages of WW Jacobs and Morley Roberts, stand smoking old clans and watching the exceptionally pretty European kiddys one sees everywhere in Egypt, playing in the streets. Suez I have not explored yet. I had a fine swim to day. Please give my love to Mama and to Mr and Mrs L Verdcourt. I received letter from Mama, Sid and Maude today. I am Your affectionate son Cyril

2 pages

item

Verdcourt, Charles Cyril,
Verdcourt, Jean Joseph

army, Egypt