Letters From the Front

Dated: April 15, 1917

Sunday, April 15

Dear Mother,

We have been to Malta: it is very strongly fortified and is a beautiful place. The buildings are all of white limestone and most of them are very old. I happened to look at the building opposite the post office and there was a tablet on the wall which says the building was occupied by the French Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land hundreds of years ago. There are fine public buildings, with wonderful flower and plum gardens. Some of the palms are fully two feet through at the ground. We resumed our voyage to Egypt, but by wireless we got the war news every day. I am friendly with the Captain. We have church service on Sunday, having two ministers aboard. You may have heard the report that our big transport was torpedoed, but I can assure you she is still afloat and doing well. We have just had lifeboat drill. I have had a call from a Scot, there are only three of us on our way to Egypt, a Canadian from Simcoe Ont., is the third. They are good fellows.

Tuesday, April 17.

I am aboard a liner in the harbor in the harbor of Suda. I wrote the proceeding part of this Sunday morning. We were torpedoed about six o'clock Sunday afternoon. The big liner sank in five minutes. I'm practically all right, very few cuts and some bruises but nothing serious. The affair was terrible in every way. The number saved was remarkable, considering the large number aboard and the short time the vessel remained afloat. The work of our convoy could not have been better. Three torpedoes were fired at her, she fired a one submarine, but unable to say whether she hit her or not. We had plenty of help in about three hours, there being a naval base 50 miles away. I went down quite a way with the ship, but came up when the boilers exploded. We shall remain here for a few days to rest the men and get clothing for them. We came here from Milo last night in a battle cruiser; she made about 40 miles per hour, which is very fast going at sea. Will be in Egypt in about four days, I will cable from there. Needless to say I lost my outfit, but that does not matter. I had my money with me, my watch, which, by the way, is broken, my fountain pen and diary which are all right, also part of this letter. The clothing we had on was, of course, spoilt. I shall write more later. And story to say a Scotchman named Pollack, belonging to our corps, was lost, he was only 30, married and had two children. When you can I would like you to send a small box of maple sugar, some for myself, and some for a naval officer, who gave me clothes to wear and shared his cabin for two nights. I would add that the naval men are very kind.

Later letters sent from Alexandria, Egypt, states he has procured a new outfit and that the city is wonderful to him. He says “The British Red Cross met us, give us little bags containing razor, soap, airbrush, toothbrush, paste, comb, glass, handkerchiefs, shirt, pajamas, slippers and lots of other things, also lending us money for a few days and sending a cablegram for each of us without charge. You can be sure that anything that is given toward the Red Cross is given for a good cause. There are very kind, do all that you can to help them.”

Lieutenant J. T. Purcell, A.V.C

The Anglo Egyptian Bank

Alexandria, Egypt