This is a letter he sent dated 20th December 1938.
20.12.38
P. Reeve 2693221
H.Q. Company
K.O.R. Regt
Jerusalem Palestine
Dear Doris
You will be thinking the letter I promised is a long while in reaching you, but we have very little time to spare for letter writing, so you must excuse my writing. I have received Williams’ letter two days ago, will write a reply when I have more time to spare. Thank him for his offer in sending me anything, but I can manage alright, thanks.
Well, I really thought you would have been married by now, tell Arthur if he does not buck up I will be coming back and doing him out.
Just at present, we are billeted in a Jewish school, overlooking the Mount of Olives. It is quite a beautiful site, much better than some of the places we have been in, for instance, “Gara”, the place where Samson is buried. That was an unpleasant village. We had a little battle there every night but the largest and longest battle we encountered was at Hebron and Nablus. Most of it was hand to hand fighting, but I came out lucky as usual, although I was in one of the trucks that was blown up with a land mine. The driver was killed and also two other of my pals and I received just a small injury to my leg, but is all right again now.
One night, the platoon which I am in, were ordered out to search a cemetery for two snipers that had been firing at the canteen all night. Just as it happened, I had been having a bottle or two, so had plenty of courage. We surrounded the place first and then the signal was given to advance. The chap next to me was unlucky, he stopped a bullet, but we managed to get them both. It was very exciting wandering about among the graves in the dark.
Just at present, we are searching all the Arab villages and an unpleasant job it is too. We rise early in a morning before daybreak and one Balt. surrounds the place while the other one carries out the search. In these mud huts that most of them live in, they nearly all have one camel, a couple of goats an a donkey, a few poultry flying about and on the floor you find the Arab laying among his wives, about seven of them, as many as he can afford to keep. Some of the sites are awful, you would think so if I don’t.
One day, when I was on road traffic duty, that is stopping all cars and camel trains, searching them for arms and ammunition, I pulled one car up and found three rifles and two bandoliers inside, also he had a revolver on him. I was very lucky he did not shoot me, but I had the savvy to search him before the inside of the car, otherwise, I might not have been alive today. The Brigadier recommended me, and I had the reward of 250 mills, that is equivalent to thirty shillings in English money. You see, they pay you for finding these arms and ammunition to make you more keener in your work, but it is a very dangerous job. Three of our lads have sacrificed their lives on this job.
Well, Doris, I don’t know if this kind of news interests you, but it is all I can write to you about out here, of course I could tell you heaps more but I think what I have written will give you an insight into the whole affair. Of course, you will excuse my English in the way I have written this letter as you are very lucky to be able to find time to write, because if anyone sees you doing nothing they damn soon find you something to do.
I have taken quite a few snaps of the actual happenings out here, will forward some on to you when I get a larger collection as I have just satisfied my brother with a lot. He wanted them to show some of his pals. I am going out on a seven days scheme up in the hills tomorrow, rounding up a large band of rebels, so my Christmas dinner looks like being bully beef. Never mind, better days to come as they say.
Well, here’s wishing you a very happy Christmas, also a bright new year.
Yours
Percy.
Here is a few photos that he sent.
I have repeated the caption that he wrote on the back of the photo.
This one is 'Arab found guilty on his way to be shot for firing at troops'
This one is 'One of the leaders'
This one is 'Arabs attacking a village'
This one is 'Arabs (in?) action'
A little bit of history from a long time ago.
Regards
Peter.
