Pte S. Bartle, who belongs to the 4th Bedfords but has gone out with a draft to join the 1/5th Bedfords in Egypt, has written to his parents, Mr and Mrs J. Bartle, of 69 Victoria Street, Dunstable, to say that he has arrived safe and sound, and has met several fellows from Dunstable and Luton. But he gives an exciting account of an incident on the voyage. He writes:

"We had a good time coming across with the exception of one morning when we were chased by a submarine for 4½ hours. I must say we had a bad time for an hour or two, as the submarine was firing at us all the time, but I am glad to say it could not hit us or catch us.

"We thought we were going to be sunk, as I suppose we should have been if one of their shells had hit us. I don't know what would have happened later on if one of our battleships had not come in sight. It only fired one shot and the submarines quickly disappeared.

"You can tell how happy we all were when we saw the battleship coming towards us. You ought to have heard the cheer we gave when it came alongside to see if we were all right."

Of Egypt, he says it is lovely and much better than France. "It is supposed to be winter out here, but it as hot as it is in England in summer, so goodness knows what it will be like out here in summer."

[The Luton Reporter: Monday, March 13th, 1916]