Mr. Wills, cornet player at the Palace, Rushden, has received an interesting letter from Bandsman Harry Rice, ---- Garrison Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Bandsman Rice, who was formerly drummer at the Palace, Rushden, and a member of the Rushden Military Band, was previously in the Rushden Temperance Band. He writes:

“I am quite all right with the exception of mosquito bites. They do it on me very nicely; my arm and body look as if I have got the small pox – they swell up very much and irritate you very much. I see you are running the revues at Rushden, and I often wish I was with you and the boys of Rushden. We have a picture palace here, but you have to pay about 10d in English money, so it is not worth bothering about, as I see enough pictures without paying out here.

“Egypt is a very fine country and the land looks fine, and is worked on a lot by the natives. The plantations and the very nice palms are a real picture. Camels, donkeys and mules by the hundred; we don’t see many horses out here. Of course, it is not like dear old England, as the natives are of a mixed race; the majority here are Arabs, Greeks, etc. The different styles of dress are very amusing; more so with the real niggers – they don’t wear suits, they seem to wear anything from a corn sack to a drum cover. Then the ladies, bless them, they walk about with veils and a thing on their noses to cover their beauty; they need not trouble for me, but that is their way I suppose.

“If you were to see what some of the natives live on, you would stare, as I never thought people could live on such stuff. Then the lovely smells we receive from their cooking are enough to turn us green, but still we live. We went to play at a camp the other day at a place called Tel-el-kebir, where a great battle took place in 1882 on a very large desert. We saw some of the old trenches, and also visited the place where a great many English soldiers and officers were buried. I shall never forget the size of the desert, as the camp was three miles and would accommodate 100,000 soldiers. The majority there are Australians and they are a smart lot. We see a lot of different kinds, some ‘are’ and some ‘ain’t.’

“I expect you are still making money in the good old boot trade, as I see by the papers they are expecting a very large Russian order, so you will have to put a few more nails in.”

“We have to practice three hours in the morning and then we have done for the day, as it is so hot out here, it would be impossible to march or do anything much after about 11, but the nights seem very cold, after it being so hot in the daytime. We all wear very thin clothes, and you ought to see us in our helmets, but we look very smart when we turn out for parade, just after 6 a.m., -- that is a change for me, as you will know I used to like the morning for getting up, but I am glad to turn out as the -------- flies worry us so much, they seem to bite you, and, in fact, they make us swear. I often think about the times we used to have in the orchestra and the tales we used to relate, but I have got some things to tell you that will tickle you, I know.”

“I wish I could bring a few of our players away when we finish for our Military Band at Rushden, especially oboe player and the piccolos. They are absolutely stars, and I might say they are all up to the business. We are having some good engagements just now. We are playing at Alexandria very shortly, and I expect I shall find some of the Rushden boys there. It will be a treat to meet someone I know. We are under orders to make a shift from here any minute, so I think we are going to, Of course, some of the places are all right, but some parts are horrible, the houses or barns, as we should call them, look filthy, and you see hens, donkeys and kids all mixed together; in fact, you could never believe it unless you saw it for yourself.

“We have no fault to find with our officers, as I am sure they do everything to make us comfortable. No doubt, you heard we had a pleasant voyage, but the conditions were a bit rough for us, as we were packed like herrings for sleeping.”