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Thomas Nelson
and Sons
PUBLISHERS

35 & 36 PATERNOSTER ROW
LONDON. E.C.

12th February, 1916

Captain Stair A. Gillon,
1st K.O.S.B.,
87th Brigade,
M.E.F.

My dear Stair

I received with great delight your long and interest-
ing letter. I think it is the best letter I have ever had from
the front. Your account of the evacuation is most thrilling. I
got the story a fortnight ago from General Monro, but it had not
your graphic touches. It was an amazing piece of luck. I suppose
we expected to lose a Division. There is a pleasant tale of Cur-
zon, who took a tremendous view of the gravity of the situation
and prepared a long memorandum, full of quotations from Herodotus
and Thucydides, which he read to the Cabinet. He concluded, "I see
no future except the destruction of a large part of our gallant
troops." When he had finished, the Prime Minister said: "It is a
most interesting memorandum, but I am afraid it is now out of date.
I have just heard that the evacuation has been completed, and the
total casualties are three".

I am delighted to think you are having a breathing
space in Egypt. By this time no doubt you have mastered Arabic
and hieroglyphics. I hope you will see John Edgar. The Ministry