S S Exford

    Port Said

        Egypt

           July 8, 1911

Hannah   

Hannah dearest friend,

              As you see I take pleasure in writing to you and I hope you are feeling better by now. I’m glad to say that I’m enjoying good health since joining this ship. I’m now amongst strange people the men wear dresses like women, most tattered and torn, and they are barefoot and their feet look dirtier than Evan Ty Rhedyn’s did all those years ago. It would be well worth your while to hear them singing, I’ll try and remember it by the time I come home again. They are mostly Muslims and this is how they say ‘Good Morning’ ‘Sgilabach Slode’ and Good Evening is ‘Sigdrag Slide’. Hannah this place would amaze you, Tom your father would say some strange things if he could see all this.

There are many ships from Britain here, last night I was on the ship that Bob Plas works on, John Pen y Fron has left and Bob has taken his place. The ship that Wil Gefn is on is next to mine. Everyone here is very kind to me, we don’t know where were going to next, but it’ll be India or the Black Sea next Tuesday.

Well dearest friend I must end now I hope to see you soon, maybe if the ship comes to Cardiff and stays awhile I’ll be able to come home.

Give my fondest regards to everyone at home.

                    Your faithful friend Wil

                                       To Hannah.

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Poor Hannah died on the 15th of December 1915, she was just 30 years old. (See the Talafon Diaries) 

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