Somewhere in France, 25/7/16

My dear Mother,
Just a line to let you know that I am still in good health. I came out of the trenches yesterday and am now in billet in the town here. We had been about eight weeks in and I am now out for four or five days spell but expect to have a much longer spell shortly. We are in a fairly big town here which has once been a very busy place, now however most of its manufactories have closed down and only those civilians remain who cannot afford to leave. There are soldiers clubs and canteens here, a picture show & baths all run for our benefit so that we are fairly well off.
Your parcel containing the vermin proof shirts, socks, etc. arrived all right a week or so ago. I came across Jim Fleming, Bob's brother, the other day he is in one of the ambulances and seems to be getting along all right. I intend to have my photo taken before I return to the trenches, but am waiting to get a new rigout before doing so at present I am a bit ragged.
A New Zealand mail is expected in any day now, no doubt there will be letters for me and I will write you again. Thanks for the presents & goodbye with love to all at home.
Your affectionate son, Rawei

France, 14/6/16

Dear Gwen,
The letter you wrote me you wrote from Wellington in January was a long time in reaching me but it arrived alright about a fortnight ago. I am glad you had such a good time while up there. We are in the trenches now for the second time since coming here. This seems to be a very wet place for although it almost midsummer we have just had a weeks rain and no prospect of its clearing yet. Of course this makes things grow so that between the trenches there is a field of grass two or three feet high. When out in billets last time I saw Gordon McDonald who is in the 1st brigade he looked well. I think I mentioned it in my last letter but in case it did not reach you my address is now No. 2 Coy. N.Z. Machine Gun Corps. N.Z.E.F. Enclosed are a couple of views of Anzac which I have been carrying about for some time. The photo is taken from the lower end of the beach looking towards Suvla Bay the one in colours is taken looking down towards the entrance to the Dardenelles. We hear all sorts of rumours here as to how long the war is going to last but we do not take much notice of any of them. 'Fritz' is reported to have stuck up a notice in his trench a few days ago which read "Fire high boys. The war will be over in eight days". That was when the first account of the last North Sea fight came through. He is not so optimistic now I think.
Well Gwen there is not much more I can write about.
Give my Best Regards to all at Home.
With Best Wishes from your affectionate brother,
Rawei

France, 21st May 1916

Dear Mother,
We are now in the trenches and as the weather is fine are not having such a bad time. Except when there is a bit of shelling going on here things are reasonably quiet. There is a cuckoo that flies over our trenches night and morning giving its peculiar cry and in a hole next to our gun and dugout a cat with three kittens has taken up its abode. It lives on the mice and rats that are so plentiful here.
Tomorrow we go out for an eight day spell into a fairly large town that is close by. There we get hot baths and clean clothing. I have not come across Gordon since leaving Egypt. His brigade left from Port Said and although they are somewhere near us we do not know exactly where.
We have an orchard just behind us and the gooseberries and currants are just ripening. With you of course the fruit season will now be over. I hope you have done well.
I do not know whether this will pass the censor or not, but will close now with best regards to all from your affectionate son,
Rawei

France, 6/5/16

Dear Bob,
Many thanks for the camera and films which arrived today. Unfortunately we are not allowed to keep cameras under penalty of court martial so I am returning it by this mail. The films we are not allowed to post. We are lucky to have arrived here just at this time of the year as the weather is now becoming warmer and the mud of which we heard so much should now be drying up.
My address is now 2nd Coy. N.Z. Machine Gun Corps. It is useless for me to tell you here of our exact position or probable movements as such information does no pass the censor and at any rate the papers will no doubt keep you informed as to our movements.
We are getting leave to visit England. About four or five go from our Coy. each weekend and I am looking forward to the time when my turn comes around which should be in about six weeks time.
Well I trust you are all in good health.
Kind regards to all.
Yours sincerely,
Rawei

France, 22/4/16

Dear Dad,
Just a line to let you know that I am still going strong. You will probably know our whereabouts before you receive this [censored] and are now billeted out in farmhouses, in barns with plenty of straw, and are very comfortable despite the weather. When we left Egypt a midday temperature of 110 in the shade was not uncommon so that you can understand us shivering a little when we landed in [censored] with the glass at about 45. We have had a drizzly rain ever since arriving up here but the weather should improve now and I dare say we will become used to a little mud. This appears to be a wonderfully rich country and except for the absence of men the effects of the war are not very apparent to us. In case you did not receive my last letter my address is now 6/1917 2nd Company N.Z. Machine Gun Corps N.Z.E.F. We are only just within sound of the firing here but will no doubt be into it soon.
Best regards to all at home,
Your affectionate son,
Rawei

Egypt, 31/3/16

Dear Gwen,
I am enclosing half a dozen prints of photos which I was able to take when in Cairo at the beginning of the month. Please note that my address is now 6/1917, D.R. McLean, 2nd Company, N.Z. Machine Gun Corps, N.Z.E.F. in future it will be well to address everything thus as I am now quite apart from the Cant. Inf. Batn.
We made an early start this morning at at four o'clock and came back again at one this afternoon this finishes us for the day.
Egypt is now becoming very hot and the flies are troublesome but we are living in hopes of going to France soon.
I trust that you are all in good health. Love to all, your affectionate brother,
Rawei

Dear Elsie,
I received you letter of 6th July yesterday and was glad to learn that you were all in good health.
The heat and the flies are becoming a bit trying here in Egypt and we are in the hopes that we will be sent to France shortly. My new address in future will be No. 2 Coy, N.Z. Machine Gun Corps, N.Z.E.F. Letters addressed to Canty Inf. Batn are likely to be considerable delayed so please use my new address. It is really not much use sending any parcels as they very often go astray and in any case if we go into action again it will probably be in a place not many miles distant from of the world's biggest cities and where we will be supplied with all the things that have hitherto been luxuries.
Gordon McDonald is here looking well I see him occasionally. I ran across Stand Green when up in Cairo he has a base job at Kasr-el Nil Barracks. Well I will close now.
Love to all, your affectionate brother, Rawei

School of Instruction, Zeitoun, 21/3/16

Dear Dad,
I have been down here for about three weeks at the School of Instruction going through a course on the Machine Gun. We return to our units at Ismailia tomorrow. I have managed to get through the examinations here with an average of 95% this gives me an instructors certificate and I will probably have the opportunity of stopping as an instructor if I feel so inclined. It would be a soft job 3 weeks work and the one week's holiday but I don't think I will take it on as it would mean leaving my unit a thing I would not care to do after being with it for so long.
While I have been here I have been able to go out to the Pyramids and look around generally. We have had no N.Z. mail for over six weeks but there should be some letters for us in camp when we return.
I ran across Stanley Green in Cairo the other day. He was hit in the August advance and now has a job at the base here. Gordon when I saw him last was looking in great form.
Well, I trust this finds you all in good health, with love to all,
Your affectionate son,
Rawei