http://tinyurl.com/hk5r9jm http://www.sincewritingyoulast.co.nz/ Follows the stories of Charlie McIntyre, Ernie McIntyre, Len Shepard and John "Jack" Hall, with a combined total of more than 1700 pages of letters transcribed. Will be online for ten years. Corporal Arthur Leonard SHEPARD WWI 8/3400 – Army 21 Platoon D. Company 8th Infantry Reinforcements Trentham Military Camp Nov. 13th 1915. A. B. C. & D Coy’s & the Artillery are on our boat the Willochra & E & F & the Mounteds & Medicals & Engineers are on the Tofua. A merrier or more contented lot never left N.Z. Wellington to Lyttelton to Hobart. Arrived at Suez on the 18th Dec 1915. A number of our men had arranged to have the Witness posted regularly but so far not a copy has arrived. Zeitoun 30.1.16 Albert took a photo of F. Marshall, G. Moffitt & I & I am sending three prints of it. If you think they would like them you can hand one each to their people. George has come out best & I enclose 2 of his. The roll was called & they were dismissed & all marched off playing & singing “The Galloping Major” etc. Ismailia Sunday Feb 6th 1916 Have seen Billy Hume & Hitchon here they are both looking very well. Mark Collins I think is still in England. There are quite a number of Gore chaps here including Major Domigan & Capt Wilson (W.S. & Co). There are 6 Wesley Cubites in the Regiment & at least three more over in the Trents. 14th Regiment Otago Infantry Battalion Sat. 25th Feb 1916 Haven’t seen Min Looney yet but I believe she came with the 9th. Andy Willocks is our Q.M.S here & is in the next tent to us. 1.3.16 Since writing last Frank Marshall, G Moffitt & all their crowd have joined us & as they are now attached to our headquarters they will probably be with us till the finish. Last Sunday Billy Hume & I went over to see them & on Monday night they were over at our camp. Holmes Hartley is also camped with them. Frank Marshall tells me that Rev. McLean who used to be in Waikaia is their chaplain. March 4th 1916 I have just had a visit from Geo Hicks of Gore, he is on the Maheno. At present we are at Moascar camp about a mile from the town of Ismailia which is a port on the smaller salt lake on the Suez canal. The whole mainbody & the Trents are here, also the flying corps & the Otago Mounteds. The whole N.Z. force is being re-arranged into a division composed of three infantry & one mounted brigade, and the Otago Mtds are attached to the headquarters of our Brigade. All reinforcements later than the 8th will probably go into a different brigade to us. Moffitt, Marshal, W. Hume & Holmes Hartley are all here. 10.4.16. After about three & a half months of desert life we have at last said farewell to Egypt. Lieut Downie Stewart is our platoon officer. He is a very decent chap & very popular. France April 16 The two Alberts & I are still together & judging by our past luck we should stick together to the end of the job now. You can tell Miss Latham that I frequently see her brother Bob. He is with Wilfred Kirk & Ian Cullen. 15.5.16 France. Mark Collins Albert B & I are all in the same dugout. Trenches 28.5.16 Just before b’fast a few more shells come over & then it is quiet pretty well all day. With ordinary care we are quite safe from bullets & shrapnel but the shells give our little bivvies a rough time. The bivvies open into the trenches or saps & are dug down about 2 feet & then built up with sandbags. They are only made to hold 3 or 4 men, & if a high explosive, or an unexploded shrapnel hits it goes right through. The most exciting time we have is sitting in the bivvies while there is a bit of a bombardment on, & wondering where the next shell is going to land. Of course we hear the beggars come screaming through the air as if they are coming straight at us & it is a bit of a relief to hear them go over-head. The last evening we were in they gave us a bit of a straffing & got our Sgt Major (Andy Willocks). At first they reckoned it was just a bad bruise on the back but I heard it was worse than they thought. Jam! So far we have had very few casualties in the 14th Tom Bigwood of Mataura is the only one I know of from the Gore district. He got a scalp wound, through his steel helmet, from a piece of a bursting shell. The helmet just saved him.