Trp Bert Hutchinson (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to his future wife, Jessie Mackenzie of Yalca, Vic –‘As we expected to be going home I neglected my correspondence but sorry to say we do not expect to leave here for some time owing to the hostile attitude of the inhabitants of this land. We have been equipped with horses, swords etc and have been through many villages searching for arms and the search has not been very successful. The natives would not be harmless if they were armed but as it happens we are fairly safe. They might be able to get a man if he was alone but we will not be caught that way.

The weather has been beautiful this last few weeks and the nights are lovely. Just the sort of a night for a successful air raid. We are disappointed that we did not leave this land last month and it is very probable that we shall remain here another month or two. Sorry to hear that the Spanish influenza is so serious in Victoria and I hope the disease has not reached your district. We are all having a fairly good time in this camp. Quite a number of the boys have sore arms as the Doctor had a splendid win. We were all vaccinated and most of the arms took. This is unusual as I have been done every year and only a few take’.