This is a hand-written letter from my personal collection to Ion Idriess from May Tilton. May Tilton (born 1884, died 1964) was the author of The Grey Battalion (Angus and Robertson, 1933) describing her experiences as an AIF nurse in WWI. Perhaps her connection with Idriess was through Angus and Robertson. Her brother Jack also served in France and became a POW. May never married.

The address is Caulfield (101 Eskdale Rd?), where she resided before enlisting (only single nurses could enlist!) and where she is commemorated in the Caulfield RSL. The date is 12th February - but no year is given. However, given that she later talks about AIF nurses being chosen to attend the Coronation, the year is 1937 and the Coronation is that of George VI on 12 May, 1937 (Edward VIII acceded to the throne in 1936 - but there was no Coronation before he abdicated).

It is apparent that Idriess signed her book, The Grey Battalion. Perhaps Cousins arranged it.

Mr "Frank" Reid of Bowen, Queensland (born 1884, died 1947) was an ANZAC who knocked about in Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands and another friend of Idriess ("He said he was a friend of yours"). Idriess encouraged him to write about his war experiences in the Camel Corps and this became the book, The Fighting Cameliers (Angus and Robertson, 1934. See Eley, pp. 159,161. Eley has Reid's book erroneously as The Cameleers - sic). It is this book that Tilton is undoubtably referring to when she she says, "He wrote a very interesting story on his life in the Desert also." The "also" would mean Idriess' The Desert Column. Reid also wrote articles, e.g., to The Bulletin, under the pseudonym "Bill Bowyang"). The invitation from Reid to Tilton is to holiday with "them" - the Reid's (a wife and perhaps family I presume) and see the islands of the Great barrier Reef - which she had only seen in passing on the way to Cairns.

Not sure what the "promise" and "Sippy Sister" was about, or what memory was jogged. "Repat. Sisters" probably means Repatriation Sisters (nurses): but exactly who they were and why they "have first preferences" I am not sure.

The ending is in lighter ink: perhaps she finished the letter later with another pen.

My signed first edition of The Grey Battalion. The signature under the photo of May was a publishing facsimile.

This book has a Foreword by Field-Marshal Sir W R Birdwood (commander of the ANZACS at Gallipoli and then Commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army on the Western Front) and another by E A [Evelyn Augusta] Conyers, Matron-in-Chief, Australian Army Nursing Service, AIF, 1915-1920.